Enjoying your morning cuppa in your favourite coffee mug? Ever wondered how the early man from the Neolithic Stone age would have sipped his coffee, err, drink? Yes, that one utensil that every coffee lover swears by has been in use in different avatars since the Neolithic Stone age. Read along with us to enrich this morning with the details of how coffee mugs evolved over the millennia.
The early days
Did you know that the earliest drinking vessels, dated as early as 10,000 BCE, were unearthed from now-China and Japan? These vessels carved out of bone and wood resembled mugs without handles.
Gradually, as man learned the art of pottery and discovered how a wheel could lead to shapely utensils, clay pots became vogue. Until then, however, man would mould clay with fingers to make crude earthenware, and create distinctive designs on them. It is clear though that drinking from these clay pots were not very convenient owing to their thick rims.
Later, around 2000 BCE, man started using metal make utensils. Mugs made of various metals, including gold, silver, bronze, and lead were in use. However, the inconvenience persisted as metal would heat up very fast, making it painful to drink from such cups.
In 600 CE, with the discovery of porcelain, the world finally got a drinking cup that did not pose difficulty in drinking. Even today, porcelain is the preferred material for coffee mugs.
The advent of the classic diner coffee mugs
In the 1940s, an American insulator manufacturing company, Victor Insulator, created the now famous classic white coloured coffee mugs for the WWII soldiers, with the porcelain they used to make insulators. The heavy and rough-bottomed mugs without handles were designed such that these wouldn’t slide off the tables on navy vessels. Such was the popularity of the Victor coffee mugs that the design, modified with handle, was adopted worldwide.
Designs on your mug
During Industrial Revolution, transfer painting became a rage as a technique of designing porcelain as it allowed the mass production of printed coffee mugs. Later, in the 1990s, decorative cups and mugs were introduced to brighten up the coffee drinking experience.
Modern choices galore
In present times, you are spoilt for choice with coffee mugs available in different shapes, sizes, materials, and for varying usage. You can choose from glass, porcelain, ceramic, melamine, artisanal stone, etc.
Depending upon your choice of coffee brew, you can take your pick from espresso or demitasse cup, cappuccino cup, bowl-style cup, latte cup, Irish coffee glass, Turkish coffee cup, and so on. Not to forget the travel mugs and tumblers for those coffee enthusiasts who love to sip while on the go. And now, you can get custom mugs made to order with your favourite photos, designs, or quotes to brighten up your mood every time you take a coffee break.
The early man would have been amazed to know how far his crude bone vessel has journeyed to its present version of stylish mugs. What do you say?