Vintage Silverplate English Café au Lait Set

Found at market in England, we are thrilled to offer this very rare, original Melior cafétiere or French Press coffee pot with its companion pot for hot milk. Developed in the early 1930s by a French company called Melior, this revolutionary coffee pot made brewing a pot of coffee as easy as brewing a pot of tea! 

The British were long accustomed to making tea, but thought coffee was difficult to make. The Melior Coffee Pot solved that problem for them: "Put the coffee into the pot and pour on boiling water. Allow it to infuse for a few minutes, then press down the ingenious double filter to clear it and pour out your coffee." And with that, the French made coffee-making something as easy as brewing a pot of tea! 

This gleaming set includes an original Melior French Press with its black resin knob and a matching hot milk pot with its gold resin knob. Both silverplate pots were produced by England's revered Elkington silversmiths and are beautifully hand-engraved with a lovely cursive JGR monogram. The coffee pot is bottom-stamped with the Melior name along with its Canadian, Indian and Australian patent numbers. The hot milk pot bears Elkington's date code for its year of manufacture: 1937. 

An elegant addition to any coffee bar, this pair of handsome pots are that rare combination of beautiful form and ingenious function!

Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale. Both pots are in very good vintage condition. Coffee Pot with Press Plunger and Hot Milk Pot each measure 6.25"H x 7.75" from spout to handle.