Most of us have a favorite mug we automatically reach for, whether it’s the first bleary cup of the day or a quick afternoon pick-me-up. This one is mine. It’s a lovely, sturdy stoneware mug, handmade by Occidental, CA potter Barbara Hoffman. I’ve had it for about three years and I dread the inevitable day when I shall accidentally drop it and it will be gone forever. So in anticipation of that, I try to remember to appreciate it while I can.
What’s you’re favorite mug and why?
What makes a cup a favorite cup? Sometimes, it’s just purely by default. Months of unconsciously continuous use creates a deep identification and eventually no one but you is allowed to use that cup. Ever. Other times, it might be for sentimental reasons--it belonged to someone special, or came from a place or time you want to remember.
Here’s what I love about mine: it holds a large cup of tea and feels warm and smooth when I cup my hands around it. It’s pretty in an earthy, semi-hippie way, yet has elegant lines and soothing colors. Most importantly, it has a well balanced and comforting handle that feels up-to-the-task of safely lifting a full cup of hot tea to my lips.
Barbara Hoffman/Occidental Pottery
(Image: Dana)
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I love mugs and have had to stop myself from buying new ones - really, one person only needs so many. I have two current favorites: one I got as a premium from an NPR pledge drive; it's a diner-type mug, very thick, and holds heat forever. The second was a gift from a friend and is a beautiful green pottery with a twisted handle; it is gorgeous, fits nicely in one hand, and holds just the right amount of tea.
I have two also:
The first is an old white mug (more delicate than sturdy) that has a half-faded blue scene of an Entenmann's bakery. It's the mug that I always remember my grandmother drinking her coffee from when we went over and I got it when she died.
The other is a mug that I painted at one of those paint-your-own-pottery places and it's large (helpful for holding immense cups of coffee) and square at the bottom, but round at the top. It's the only mug I have that I've never spilled my coffee or tea from while running to class- perhaps because it's big enough to have a generous cup of coffee and still have room at the top for sloshing without spilling.
My favorite is an lumpy brown pottery mug... I used to use it every day for two years at my old job, and took it with me when I left. It doesn't look like much, but it has a nice lip on it and the handle feels very sturdy - and it reminds me of when my husband used to bring me chai in it back when we were just googly-eyed co-workers!
Your favourite mug.
And mine is one with a picture of Michel Foucault on it. I love Michel Foucault. His smile makes me work harder.
my favourite mug is at work. It was here when I started working here, and no one seems to have a problem with me claming it to be mine, but I fear one day that it will be taken from me.
It's stoneware with a beautiful turquoise glaze dripped around in a ring. I love it. It's got a great handle.
My favorite mug is from a guy named "David Pier" who makes The Ultimate Coffee Cup. It's deep and holds an amazing amount of liquids and it's just a pleasure to drink from. It also looks cool, the rounded lip takes a little getting used to but it does make more sense. It also seems to distribute heat really well, it never seems to burn my hands. ALSO, big hint: on the purchase page, they have slightly less than perfect ones for half price. I got two of these and they look pretty perfect to me.
at school I have a mug that I got at walden pond a couple of years ago, it is thick and taller than most mugs but not much wider, which means (at least in my imagination) that the tea stays hot longer since less surface area is touching air and it has a good heft to it so I can throw it in the bottom of my bag and wash it at home every night without it ever breaking. I hate the color of it, a dark cream, but it has his handwriting on it and an excerpt from walden--which I get to point out to my students when we read it.
at home, after my mug collection got out of control and I needed to simplify, I switched over to the basic white porcelain mugs from williams-sonoma. they have a great handle and are the right size and shape. just a good, classic mug and the porcelain holds up very nicely to tea stains. I have had them for over 5 years and I am just about to replace them because they are finally starting to show stains.
My favorite mug is a pretty standard shape, but it's bright yellow, with Relakkuma, a Sanrio character, all over it. The color and cute bear always cheer me up! Even my housemate has noticed that I rarely drink out of any other mug (and we have lots), so when offering me some coffee, he asked "Where's your bear mug?"
Pottery by Mark Hewitt, present from husband.
I first saw my favourite mug on sale for $1 dollar so I bought it to use at work at my first office job. Then when I saw the same mug for $20 at another store I knew I'd done good.
It now lives with me at home instead of at the office.
My favourite mug is bright yellow, with black eyes, "SMILE" in the shape of a smile, and the words "Java Loves You". It also has the Sun Microsystems logo on the back.
Why is it my favourite? Well, it's cute and geeky, and I actually only have one other mug at home that gets used with any frequency. The others have been reappropriated to hold pens and stuff.
Also my SO has a matching one, so when we finally move in together, we'll have a set :)
My favorite 2 mugs are my Japanese shallow and wide latte mug I got for a dollar that says "it has become sleepy" and has an adorable line drawing of a cat, and my other is a taller, paisley printed mug with a delicate handle. They are both porcelain, and look elegant.
I had one that I grew up with that had Snoopy on his dog house on it and it fell out of my undercounter fridge on to the wood floor and broke when I was moving something around in the fridge. I was heart broken because it said "I think I'm allergic to mornings," which was so perfect for me. That was probably in 1985. Cashmere, my cat, let me sleep in to 6:30 AM today and I am soooo happy about that!
My favorite cup is the Edna from http://www.ezmedesigns.com/index.shtml
The one I have was part of a run she did with a weird batch of clay, so instead of staying bright white, the unglazed city has turned this wonderful brown. The sky remains bright white, and the contrast is lovely.