Ummm. I didn't follow the previous discussion, so... Coffee itself needs much more specularity and a bit of transparency. The steam has to be much wispier. While I can accept a metallic texture for a percolator, you need to enclose your scene in something, so the pot texture doesn't reflect blue Bryce sky. I'd move camera a bit to the left, lift it a bit and tilt it, so you see the pot and the cup bit from above and right. Great idea, btw!

-- erlik