I don’t know a lot about ceramics/porcelain.  I love the Bauscher mugs we use in the shop, but, for me personally, I’m not really that picky.  I love sitting down for coffee in a great vessel, but I’ve never refused coffee because it’s in a paper cup, a 2003-company-outing souvenir, or a good ol’ diner mug.

Still, lately I’ve been appreciating the little things.  Spending more and more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve enjoyed being more intentional about reusing my favorite mugs, or even just thinking about exactly what makes them my favorite.

#1 Espresso Parts little red stripe mug

We have a lot of these in the roastery.  It’s small and I don’t think it’s really an artisan product, but something about them makes them awesome for drinking coffee.  I’m a fan of pouring small cups of coffee and leaving the rest of it in the carafe as opposed to pouring a big cup.  Coffee stays warm a lot better that way.

I also love that this mug doesn’t have too thick of a wall.  While this adds a nice weight and feeling of quality to the mug, I don’t really like the feeling that I’m almost having to bite down on it to take a sip.

I can’t seem to find this mug online—I hope it’s still out there!  If you want a fancier option that has similar characteristics, I really like Fellow Monty mug in the cortado size.

#2 Box Sparrow Custom Competition Mug

I used this mug for the US Brewers Cup qualifiers in Nashville.  It was custom made by Abbie Preston at Houston-based Box Sparrow Studio—you can find her work at places like Manready Mercantile, Forth & Nomad, A 2nd Cup, and Throughgood Coffee.

Obviously, this mug is beautiful.  I love how it looks like a little honey pot.

In competition, being able to convey complex flavor notes to the judges is really important.  I was inspired by last year’s champion, Du Jianing (who I met when she visited BlendIn!) with the snifter shape to try and amplify the aroma.

If you’ve ever gone to a coffee cupping, you may have experienced putting your nose up to the cupping bowl and lifting the saucer off of the top.  The intensity of aroma is something that can’t be experienced again afterwards.  I knew I had to incorporate a lid to try and achieve a similar moment during competition.

It's hard to foresee what competition will look like in the future, but I hope I get to share coffee in the amazing mugs again!

#3 Acme Flat White Mug

Weirdly, I don’t actually like drinking black coffee out of this mug that much.  The lip is rounded and it’s really easy to spill.  Like walk-slowly-to-the-table easy.

However, with a steamed milk drink that’s hard to spill like a flat white or cappuccino, this mug is my absolute favorite.  The shape is amazing for making latte art, with a wide canvas.  The blue color is also really fun, and the white interior just makes coffee look better to me, for some reason.

What’s your favorite mug for drinking coffee out of?  What makes it your favorite? Baristas, do you have a favorite mug for pouring into? Let us know!