Saucer for the Coffee Cup

If you happen to find yourself as a guest in the bistro in one of our department stores in Germany, you may spot this tableware: These plates, cups and bowls were designed for everyday use in our gastronomy (called "brot&butter"). The porcelain manufacturer Reichenbach, in Thuringia, produces the crockery exclusively for Manufactum, according to our own designs. Originally established as a decor workshop, Reichenbach has been working with porcelain since 1830. The small company has maintained the specialisation on strictly limited series and unique products over all these years, a good example being this tableware for which some moulds were specially designed. In a process called "throwing" (coming from the Old English word "thrawan" for turning), the porcelain mass is filled into plaster moulds and machined on the wheel at different speeds; a process which gives the porcelain mass an inner structure and the edges of the tableware an increased resistance to breakage. The distinguishing feature of this type of manufacturing is the raised point in the middle of every piece. Especially the round plates show the minimum point as an exquisite detail in the centre. The surfaces of the tableware are so hard that one could sharpen a knife on the unglazed edges. (In fact, this can occasionally lead to blade abrasion, but this can be polished away quite easily.)
Each piece is first glazed, then the respective decor is applied by hand with a paint spray device. Any irregularities in the colour application are not defects, but, on the contrary, a sign of the work done by hand. The tableware comes in six colours and white, any and all can be combined with one another. Cleaning in the dishwasher is possible, and the dishes are microwavable.