A mug is a type of cup, a drinking vessel usually intended for hot drinks such as coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Mugs have handles and usually hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cups such as teacups or coffee cups. Typically, a mug holds approximately 250–350 ml (8–12 US fl oz) of liquid. A mug-shaped vessel much larger than this tends to be called a tankard. Mugs typically have a straight-line profile, either perpendicular or flaring. However, this is not defining for the form, and a curving profile is possible. A single vertical handle is essential (otherwise the vessel is a beaker), as is the lack of a matching saucer. A mug is a less formal style of drink container and is not usually used in formal place settings, where a teacup or coffee cup is preferred. Shaving mugs are used to assist in wet shaving. Ancient mugs were usually carved in wood or made of pottery, while most modern ones are made of pottery materials such as bone china, earthenware, porcelain, or stoneware. Large mugs, typically made of metal or pottery and used for drinking beer, are likely to be called tankards. Some mugs are made from strengthened glass, such as Pyrex. Other materials, including enameled metal, plastic, or steel, are preferred, when reduced weight or resistance to breakage is at a premium, such as for camping. A travel mug is insulated and has a cover with a small sipping opening to prevent spills. Techniques such as silk screen printing or decals are used to apply decorations such as logos or images and fan art, which are fired onto the mug to ensure permanence.
General design and functions
Much of the mug design aims at thermal insulation: the thick walls of a mug, as compared to the thinner walls of teacups, insulate the beverage to prevent it from cooling or warming quickly. The mug bottom is often not flat, but either concave or has an extra rim, to reduce the thermal contact with the surface on which a mug is placed. These features often leave a characteristic circular stain on the surface. Finally, the handle of a mug keeps the hand away from the hot sides of a mug. The small cross section of the handle reduces heat flow between the liquid and the hand. For the same reason of thermal insulation, mugs are usually made of materials with low thermal conductivity, such as earthenware, bone china, porcelain, or glass.
Difference from cups Many languages including French, Italian, Polish, Russian, German, and English use two separate words for mugs and traditional cups. Translator Anna Wierzbicka suggested that this is due to a slightly different functionality: traditional cups are designed for drinking while sitting at the table, while a mug is designed to be used anywhere.
History
Early mugs
Though today mugs are associated with hot drinks, milk and soft drinks, many early mugs appear to have been mostly used for beer or other alcoholic drinks, and were often larger than modern mugs. Wooden mugs were produced probably from the earliest days of woodworking, but most of them have not survived or stayed intact. The first pottery was shaped by hand and was later facilitated by the invention of the potter's wheel (date unknown, between 6,500 and 3000 BC). It was relatively easy to add a handle to a cup in the process thus producing a mug. For example, a rather advanced, decorated clay mug from 4000 to 5000 BC was found in Greece.
The biggest disadvantage of those clay mugs was thick walls unfit for the mouth. The walls were thinned with development of metalworking techniques. Metal mugs were produced from bronze, silver, gold, and even lead, starting from roughly 2000 BC, but were hard to use with hot drinks. The invention of porcelain around 600 AD in China brought a new era of thin-walled mugs suitable both for cold and hot liquids, which are enjoyed today. The earliest known use of the word mug for its current meaning occurred in 1664.
Victor coffee mug
During World War II, the United States Navy put out a bid for American companies to design a coffee mug that was resistant to falling over and could survive use on ships. Many designs were proposed, but they ultimately settled on one from Victor Insulators, a high-voltage porcelain insulator manufacturer. Demand for insulators had declined during the war, and Victor branched into making sanitaryware to help support their operations. The company developed a white-glazed, thick-walled mug without handles for naval use, which was well-received by the military. By making mugs from the same porcelain that Victor made their insulators out of, the cups were reported to have excellent insulative properties. After the war ended, Victor decided to continue production of some sanitaryware pieces and created a more commercial-friendly variant of their mug, designed with a handle and gently tapered body, along with expanded color options. The mug's design came to be widely imitated by other manufacturers both within and outside the United States. Eventually Victor faced so much competition from cheaper Chinese-made imitations that the company was forced to cease production of mugs in early 1990. Since then, remaining Victor mugs have become sought after by collectors.
Subtypes
Travel mugs
Travel mugs (introduced in the 1980s) generally employ thermal insulation properties for transporting hot or cold liquids. Similar to a vacuum flask, a travel mug is usually well-insulated and completely enclosed to prevent spillage or leaking, but will generally have an opening in the cover through which the contents can be consumed during transportation without spillage. As the primary mechanism by which hot (not warm) beverages lose heat is evaporation, a lid serves a vital role in keeping the drink hot; even a thin plastic one which conducts heat quite quickly. Mugs with inner and outer walls, but not vacuum treated, are generally called double wall mugs. Usually stainless steel will be used for the inner wall while outer wall can be stainless steel, plastic, or even embedded with other materials.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
