Are you brewing coffee more than you ever have in your life right now? If so, the morning ritual has hopefully become something that you look forward to, but maybe you want to shake things up a little? Small changes can make a big difference sometimes with coffee brewing and the experience of enjoying that delicious brew is no different! How can you change it up? What can you do to make it easier to notice those articulated tasting notes?
Mug vs. Cup: Which Is Best for Coffee?
Choosing a coffee cup or mug often boils down to personal preference—we all have our favorites. The style best suited for you really depends on what kind of coffee you're drinking and where.
What are the key differences between cups and mugs? Coffee cups tend to be smaller and more formal. They're ideal for entertaining guests or serving up coffee shop specialty drinks like cappuccinos, lattes and espresso shots. Coffee mugs, on the other hand, are larger, casual and cozy-comfortable to hold. They're our top choice for everyday coffee drinking at home or at the office.
If you're always on the go, insulated tumblers such as the Carter Move Mug for hot drinks or Carter Cold Tumbler for cold beverages are a good choice. Both are spill-resistant, double-wall insulated, and designed with a true-taste ceramic interior for the fullest coffee flavor.
Buying bags of coffee online from your favorite roaster is great—you may even find a new roaster or type of coffee that you like. Now, knowing what cup you like to drink from is key to sealing the deal. A mug is the perfect punctuation to the time and care you have put into properly starting your morning. Think of it like the shoes to a great outfit. The coffee is the outfit and you want the right pair of shoes to pull it off, or in this case a mug, to properly enjoy that new favorite coffee.
Ready to find your *glass* slipper?
Stagg Tasting Glasses
- Materials: Hand blown borosilicate glass
- Volume: 10 oz
- Best for: Pour-over coffee
Cocoa, apricot, cinnamon, and vanilla. Have you ever seen these tasting notes on your bag of beans but never understood what they were talking about? The unique shape of our hand blown Stagg Tasting Glasses was designed to help you find those tasting notes in your brew. The outward flared lip delivers coffee to your entire palate in order to taste the full spectrum of coffee flavors and enhance the sensory experience. While the lip is single walled for comfortable drinking, the body is double walled to keep your coffee warmer for longer. If you have a Stagg [X] Dripper, we designed these glasses to be a sleek brewing vessel as well. Our pour-over dripper fits perfectly on top for a single-serving brew.
Also good for: Beer! Yes, these beauties are a Team Fellow favorite for office happy hours. The cold, bubbly beer paired with the flared lip is an enjoyable experience.
- Colors: Matte white, matte black, or matte grey
- Materials: Stainless steel body with an inner ceramic coating
- Volume: 12 oz and 16 oz
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Best for: Coffee on-the-go or home office
We never understood why to-go tumblers made design decisions that compromised the coffee drinking experience. The senses–taste, smell, and touch–were ignored, while durability and extreme heat retention were prioritized. Why can’t a mug have it all? Meet Carter, a travel mug finally worthy of the coffee inside. Designed to amplify the senses and engineered to fit the most popular manual brewing devices, you can now enjoy coffee at its fullest, everywhere. While “everywhere” at the moment is inside our homes for most, Carter is still a great indoor option. The insulated stainless steel retains heat for 12 hours and stays cold for 24 hours which means long days at the computer don’t stand a chance against Carter. If you’re walking for exercise, the lid seals perfectly so you can brew, close the lid, and toss it in a bag without having to worry about leaks.
Also good for: Soup! The ability to seal and retain heat makes this a great container to fill with your favorite soup for packed lunches (or desk lunches at the moment).
Joey Mug
- Colors: Matte white or matte black
- Materials: Ceramic with a copper bottom
- Volume: 12 oz, 8 oz, and 2.3 oz
- Best for: Cozy coffee mornings at home
Our take on the classic coffee mug, Joey brings an elevated experience to an everyday object. Cool on the outside and hot on the inside, the double wall ceramic eliminates the need for a handle and was designed to fit perfectly in your hand. The double wall also stops exterior condensation from building up while sipping. For a final touch, a sleek copper bottom complements the ceramic and helps Joey stand out from the crowd...of mugs in your cabinet.
Also good for: Tea! These mugs can really handle the heat. Keep your tea hot while the outside of the mug is still cool to the touch.
Monty Milk Art Cup
- Colors: Matte white or matte black
- Materials: Ceramic with a copper or graphite bottom
- Volume: 11 oz, 6.5 oz, 4.5 oz, and 3 oz
- Best for: Espresso-based drinks
In demitasse, cortado, cappuccino, and latte sizes, Monty was designed with espresso and milk-based drinks in mind. The hidden interior parabolic slope helps you Picasso your pour by lifting crema to the top without disruption for latte art. If you don’t have an espresso machine at home, our Stagg [X] Dripper fits perfectly on top of the latte size for single serving pour-overs. Just remember to stir post-brew for the optimum tasting experience. The cappuccino size is great for brewing a shot into and then topping it off with hot water from the kettle for a Prismocano. And because you’ll want more than one and a way to store them, the cappuccino and latte sizes stack together while the espresso can be stacked with the cortado.
Also good for: Matcha! That parabolic slope is good for getting all the matcha powder whisked.
Whichever cup you decide is right for you, having that favorite coffee mug can be a much more stabilizing thing than it seems initially. Once you get used to brewing in that favorite cup, having a back-up or second option makes it easy to maintain a level of novelty so that each morning can be a different experience. Whether it's consistency or variety, the mug that you choose to have your cup of coffee in should always be one that you absolutely love!