Types of Silver Spoons: Coffee, Tea, Serving, and Feeding Explained
Silver spoons come in several types, each made for a particular job and a particular size of cup or dish. The main ones are the coffee or demitasse spoon, the teaspoon, the dessert spoon, the serving spoon and the baby feeding spoon.
This guide explains what each is used for, how big it is, and where it fits at the table, using our own handmade Cypriot pieces as examples so you can picture them. If you are choosing a silver spoon and want to know which one you need, start with the table below.
The Main Types of Silver Spoons at a Glance
| Type | Typical length | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee or Demitasse spoon | 10 to 13 cm | Espresso, Cypriot and Greek coffee, small cups |
| Teaspoon | 13 to 15 cm | Tea, coffee in a normal cup, everyday use, keepsakes |
| Dessert spoon | 17 to 19 cm | Puddings, cereal, a place setting |
| Serving spoon | 20 to 22 cm | Serving at the table, decorative gifts |
| Baby feeding spoon | 11 to 13 cm | A baby’s first meals, and a keepsake |
Sizes vary between makers, so treat these as a guide rather than a rule. Below, each type is explained in turn. For the wider story of silver spoons, their meaning and their care, see our complete guide to silver spoons.
The Coffee and Demitasse Spoon
A demitasse spoon is a small spoon made for a demitasse, the little half-size cup used for espresso and for the strong, unfiltered coffee served across Cyprus and Greece. The word demitasse is French for “half cup”, which is a neat description of both the cup and the spoon that goes with it. It is the smallest spoon in everyday use, usually around ten to thirteen centimetres, with a small bowl sized for a little cup and a spoonful of sugar. “Coffee spoon” is often used to mean the same thing.
Its job is simple: to stir a small, strong coffee, and it doubles for tiny desserts and condiments. Cypriot coffee is an occasion in itself, brewed slowly in a long-handled pot and served in a small cup with the grounds settling at the bottom, so a proper little spoon is part of the ritual.
A silver coffee spoon turns that daily ritual into something finer, which is part of why they make such good gifts and souvenirs of Cyprus. Our Lattice coffee spoon has filigree worked into the handle, and the Cyprus coffee spoon carries the island’s name; both are handmade and a small pleasure to use.
The Teaspoon
The teaspoon is the everyday spoon most of us reach for, a little larger than a coffee spoon at around thirteen to fifteen centimeters, and used for tea, for coffee in a normal cup, and for general use. It is the middle of the range and the most versatile size.
The teaspoon is so standard that it is used as a unit of measurement for cooking, where a level teaspoon is taken as five milliliters, which gives a sense of how familiar the size has become. In silver, a teaspoon also makes a natural keepsake, small enough to engrave and to keep, which is why it works so well as a christening or naming-day gift that the family can go on using. Our Acanthus teaspoon is shaped in this classic size, with a leaf-inspired filigree handle.
The Dessert and Serving Spoon
Larger again are the dessert spoon and the serving spoon. A dessert spoon, at around seventeen to nineteen centimetres is used for puddings, cereal, and as part of a place setting. A serving spoon is larger still, at around twenty to twenty-two centimetres, and is meant for serving at the table rather than eating from.
You may also see the tablespoon named among the larger spoons. It is close in size to a serving spoon and, like the teaspoon, it’s used a kitchen measurement unit, usually taken as fifteen millilitres or three teaspoons. Because they are longer and more of a statement, larger silver spoons make handsome decorative gifts, the kind that are displayed as much as used. The Acanthus serving spoon is one of ours, and our longer pieces such as Willow, Cypress and Meander suit a wedding or a silver anniversary, especially with an engraving of the date.
The Baby Feeding Spoon
The baby feeding spoon is small, light, and softly rounded, sized for a little mouth at around eleven to thirteen centimetres. It is made for a baby’s first meals, and when made in silver, it becomes a keepsake to be kept and engraved long after it is outgrown. The custom of gifting a silver spoon to babies is an old one, and its story is told in our piece about being born with a silver spoon.
Our Lattice and Medallion feeding spoons are made for exactly this. There is more on choosing one, and on the tradition behind it, in our guide to silver spoons for babies.
Which Silver Spoon Should You Choose?
If you are buying for use, let the cup or dish decide: a coffee spoon for espresso and Cypriot coffee, a teaspoon for tea and everyday cups, a dessert spoon for puddings, and a serving spoon for the table. If you are buying as a gift, think about the occasion instead.
A feeding spoon or a small teaspoon suits a new baby or a christening and takes an engraving well. A longer decorative spoon suits a wedding or a silver anniversary, where its size makes it feel like an occasion. When in doubt, a teaspoon is the safe, versatile choice, useful and keepable at once.
How Silver Spoons Are Measured
Silver spoons are usually described by their overall length, from the tip of the handle to the end of the bowl. The bowl also changes with the type: small and round on a coffee spoon, a little longer on a teaspoon, and broad on a serving spoon. When you are comparing spoons, length gives you the quick answer, but you should also picture the bowl too, since that is what decides how the spoon feels to use and how much it holds.
Weight ought to be considered as well, because a silver spoon has a reassuring heft that a plated or steel one does not, and that weight is one of the simple signs of real silver covered in our guide on how to tell if a silver spoon is real. Handmade spoons vary slightly piece to piece, since each is worked by hand rather than stamped out, and that small variation is part of their character.
Caring for Each Type
Whatever the type, silver is cared for the same way: washed by hand in warm water, dried straight away, and kept out of the dishwasher, and filigree is given a gentle touch. Tarnish is normal and lifts with a soft polishing cloth. Our full method, including what to avoid, is in the guide to cleaning silver spoons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the different types of silver spoons.
What is a Demitasse Spoon?
A demitasse spoon is a small spoon made for a demitasse, the little half-size cup used for espresso and for strong Cypriot and Greek coffee. The name is French for “half cup”. It is usually around ten to thirteen centimetres long, the smallest spoon in everyday use, and it also serves for small desserts.
What is the Difference Between a Coffee Spoon and a Teaspoon?
A coffee or demitasse spoon is smaller, made for little espresso-size cups, while a teaspoon is a little larger and used for tea and for coffee in a normal cup. In practice “coffee spoon” and “demitasse spoon” usually mean the same small spoon, and a teaspoon is the next size up.
What Size is a Serving Spoon?
A serving spoon is typically around twenty to twenty-two centimetres, larger than a dessert spoon and made for serving at the table rather than eating from. Exact sizes vary between makers.
What are the Different Sizes of Silver Spoons?
From smallest to largest, the everyday types run coffee or demitasse spoon at ten to thirteen centimetres, teaspoon at thirteen to fifteen, dessert spoon at seventeen to nineteen, and serving spoon at twenty to twenty-two, with a baby feeding spoon around eleven to thirteen. Sizes vary between makers, so use these as a guide.
What is a Silver Spoon Used for?
A silver spoon is used for the same things as any other spoon, depending on the size chosen: a coffee spoon for espresso and Cypriot coffee, a teaspoon for tea and everyday use, dessert and serving spoons at the table, and a feeding spoon for a baby. Many silver spoons are also kept as keepsakes rather than used daily.
See Each Type in Silver
You can see each of these types of spoons, made by hand in Lefkara, in our handmade silver spoon collection, from little coffee spoons to serving spoons and baby feeding spoons, many of which can be engraved.
For the wider family of spoons and the names they go by around the world, Wikipedia’s article on the spoon gives a fuller picture.