The Best Coffee Cup

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First off, we are not going to pretend that we can tell you what the best cup for drinking coffee is. Only you can do that. But we are going to run down some of the alternatives and discuss them and maybe introduce you to a few alternatives.

The 16oz paper cup – made popular as the takeaway cup of choice by every coffee shop ever. Advantages are that it is cheap, holds 16 ounces of coffee, is relatively recyclable for a disposable container, and fits in vehicle cupholders. Disadvantages are that it is a poor vessel for coffee. It has poor insulation and a tendency to burn the holder and also lose heat rapidly. It leaks, even when the lid does stay on. The lid comes off easily, spilling coffee everywhere.

The traditional cylindrical coffee mug with a handle made popular by millions of promotional giveaways, every kitchen store in the world, and just about everyone else. Advantages are that it works well, has a stable, flat base, retains heat decently (particularly if the sides are thick), is easy to reuse and is relatively cheap for a permanent cup. Disadvantages are that it is almost useful for takeaway, is easy to spill, and for some reason, nobody in your workplace will EVER wash it.

The ‘European’ coffee cup – a ceramic cup in a wide range of sizes that is wider than it is high with curving sides and a relatively small base. Like a bowl with a handle. Advantages – very good for drinking from, very durable. Disadvantages – easy to spill, loses heat a little quicker because of high surface area.

Typical ‘travel mug’ for getting coffee to takeaway – sort of a permanent version of the ubiquitous paper cup but with some form of thermal retention from double-walled all the way to full on vaccuum flask. The usual models have some form of lid closure to prevent splashes and leaks but are not truly leak proof (a good test is to turn the cup upside down and shake it vigorously – most of them leak…). Advantages – works very well for takeaway coffee, holds heat really well. Disadvantages – can be hard to drink from and also relatively expensive.

Thermos – old fashioned way to get coffee to go. Advantages, excellent heat retention, very easy to transport, leak proof. Disadvantages – have to pour coffee into cup that is the opposite of leak proof. In other words, great for taking coffee somewhere but not good for drinking while traveling.

Glass – another European way to drink coffee is from a tall glass – this is what we do at home – we use 16 ounce beer glasses for coffee – partly so we can look at the color and patterns and so forth and partly because it is a good balance of heat retaining and stable. But it is possible the worst cup to transport coffee in – prone to spillage and highly breakable and dangerous when broken!

There are many variations on these basic coffee cups, but these are the essentials. Even an espresso cup is really a tiny version of the European bowl type cup.

So what is your favorite?

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