Mugs & Cups

The first cup is the most important. The room is still half-dark, the heater hums, the window is ajar — and in your hands, the warm curve of a mug from which coffee rises. Nobody speaks. The day hasn't started yet, and that's its best moment.

Later in the day come the other cups: the small espresso after lunch, tea while reading, matcha for the younger family members, cocoa on Saturday evening. Each cup belongs to a different ritual.

The Origins

Costa Nova from Portugal makes everyday mugs: mugs in warm earthy tones, oven-safe, dishwasher-safe, for the coffee-in-the-morning type. Casa Cubista complements with hand-thrown stoneware in white and blue, for when things need to be more festive. Eulenschnitt from the Bavarian Alpine foothills gives mugs character — small illustrations that aren't kitschy, but warm. And Eva Solo from Denmark provides the minimalist Scandinavian counterpart: double-walled thermal mugs that keep coffee hot without burning your fingers.

Which Cup for Which Drinker

• Espresso cups — 6 cl, thick-walled, for that short, hot moment.
• Cappuccino & coffee cups — 150–220 ml, wide enough for milk foam art.
• Mugs & beakers — 300–400 ml, for long coffee, tea, cocoa.
• Tea glasses & tea mugs — double-walled, with a view of the leaves.

A detail easily forgotten: Espresso tastes noticeably different if you rinse the cup briefly with hot water before brewing. Pre-warmed, the crema remains denser and lasts longer, and the espresso doesn't cool down in the first fifteen seconds. The cheapest upgrade you can give your morning ritual.

See also: Espresso Machines, Drinking Glasses & Carafes.