These coffee glasses are designed to be easy to hold, sturdy, and elegantly shaped. For their design, the French manufacturer drew inspiration from the colorful fabrics with recurring patterns typical of Provence. The glasses in the series of the same name are adorned all around with inward-curving écusson motifs. The teardrop-shaped indentations feel comfortable in the hand and also create charming light reflections. Made of tempered glass, these glasses really show off their special “superpower” when used for coffee, tea, punch, mulled wine, and similar beverages: While conventional glass can easily shatter when, for example, boiling water is poured into it, tempered glass easily withstands even extreme temperature changes. To achieve this, the glass is heated to a high temperature during production and then rapidly cooled, which gives it its high durability. Suitable for the dishwasher and microwave, and more impact- and scratch-resistant than ordinary glass, tempered glass is thus well-suited for the demanding daily use in restaurants and kitchens. And the glasses from the “Provence” series also bring a touch of the southern French lifestyle to the table.

Duralex has been manufacturing everyday glassware made from so-called tempered glass in central France for decades. The process of making glass less susceptible to impact and, at the same time, heat-resistant by alternating between heating—to about 600 °C—and rapid cooling in a cooling oven is now also mastered by others. However, hardly any other glass has achieved such worldwide fame as the bistro glass from the “Picardie” series, which has long been an indispensable fixture (not only) in French pubs.

Tempered glass is considered impact-resistant and shatterproof. Nevertheless, you should handle these drinking glasses with the same care as any other "normal" glass, as tempered glass is under tension so that the vessels are also suitable for hot drinks. Microscopic cracks in the material - caused by knocks or blows, for example during the cleaning process in the dishwasher - or material fatigue due to ageing can cause the stress ratios to become unbalanced and the glass to break.