What makes a good coffee mug? There are few objective truths, but some combination of heat insulation, ergonomics, aesthetics and (occasionally) technology usually does the trick. We scoured the web for the best of the best in these categories so you don’t have to.
Snowe Porcelain Mug
Snowe products are only available from Snowe. This means the price you pay is (moreso) in line with the cost of production, R&D and such. Hence why its sets of elegant coffee mugs are made of Limoges porcelain, a premium material and France’s answer to China’s hard-paste porcelain (which is used to make fine China, coincidentally), yet aren’t absurdly expensive. The shape is classic, as is the color, and the makeup is that of mugs and tableware twice its cost.
NotNeutral LINO Mug
This mug was actually designed for baristas to have an easier time with latte art. Its handle connects to the top of the mug and flattens out with it, meaning you can actually use your thumb when holding the mug. It’s available in loads of colors and sizes as well.
Hasami Natural Mug
Hasami porcelainware doesn’t only come in natural, it just looks the best in it. The aesthetic comes from the town of Hasami in Nagasaki, Japan, and it is defined by an unassuming color palette, high durability and jubako, a traditional Japanese practice of modular, stackable objects (think of it like bigger bento). Its porcelainware is also mixed with clay from the surrounding area, granting it added durability and a more unique look.
Heath Ceramics Large Mug
The good people of California-based Heath Ceramics have been doing what they do since the middle of the 20th century, and their mug, the large one, is an absolute dream. First, the mug understands a large mug should be taller, not fatter. Second, it knows a more voluminous product requires a larger gripping area than smaller products. Hence this mug’s very smart, very simple four finger grip. Also, it comes in a boatload of colors and is dishwasher-friendly.
Mud Australia Mug
Mud Australia’s coffee mug is a lot of things — made of clay from Limoges, made by hand, available in a bevy of colors. But above all else, they’re just beautiful. The mugs are dyed during the slip stage of production (when the material is still moist) so they develop a deeper color, and the interiors are glazed after firing. Bonus trivia: the internet’s favorite chef, David Chang, is also a huge fan.
Ember Ceramic Mug
This is the mug for those serious about their home coffee drinking. Ember’s self-heating travel mugs are pretty popular, but its similarly self-heating home coffee mugs are less known. The upshot: Ember mugs keep your coffee at whatever temperature you want for as long as you want, so there’s no rush to drink the entire mug. If you’re really into it, you can control the temperature via an app on your phone, where you can also log all sorts of presets and other data.