Summary:
A coffee mug can be different things to different people. It can be large or small and made out of a variety of different materials. Coffee drinkers all around the world use different types of containers to hold their morning-- or all day long-- cups of coffee. Manufacturers use different materials to make different kinds of drinking utensils for holding scaling, steaming cups of coffee, and each has a personality of its own. Some people use the same coffee mug year after yea...
A coffee mug can be different things to different people. It can be large or small and made out of a variety of different materials. Coffee drinkers all around the world use different types of containers to hold their morning-- or all day long-- cups of coffee. Manufacturers use different materials to make different kinds of drinking utensils for holding scaling, steaming cups of coffee, and each has a personality of its own. Some people use the same coffee mug year after year, while others get a different one each day.
The most common material to make a coffee mug out of is porcelain, followed by stainless steel, like a giant thermos and its top 'mug' cup, or plastic or glass. Porcelain and glass are the most common for household coffee drinkers, but so are 'porta-mugs' and insulated mugs that can go wherever you go. Most insulated coffee mugs fit inside special holders in vehicles, or hang on the window with a hook that allows for easy, and quick, access.
Since many people don't think they're even human before they've had that first sip of coffee to get them going in the morning, a coffee mug takes on a special sense of importance to some people. Some people like their names engraved on 'their' coffee mug, and nobody better touch it or else. Coffee mugs come in all kinds of shapes and sizes as well, and imagination is the only limitation to design.
While porcelain holds the heat in, they can also be difficult to hold because of that heat. They're also very easy to break, and most people don't care to have hot coffee spilled all over them first thing in the morning, or any other time. Plastic coffee mugs are okay for most uses, but they don't hold the heat in very long and coffee gets cold rather fast. A stainless steel mug or thermos mug does the trick in keeping coffee hot, sometimes scaling, but then you still have the same problem hanging onto it without burning your hands.
Most coffee mug designs however, are fitted with lids nowadays, and are made of insulated plastic that not only keeps that coffee piping hot, but also allows you to hold it without getting scorched fingers. The coffee stays hot for a very long time, allowing for sipping rather than hurried gulping. This type of mug is the most common these days, as it's easy to take with you whether you're driving, walking, or hurrying to and fro.
Most mugs hold at least two regular cups of coffee, or thereabouts, and no less. Gotta make it worth your while, don't you, especially if you're transporting it to work with you. If a person can carry a super sized cola drink, why not a super sized container of hot coffee? Many insulated coffee mug designs can hold up to 24 ounces of hot coffee, offering the coffee drinker hot java all day long. Just remember: a coffee mug by any other name is still a coffee mug.