Sipping on your morning cup of coffee in your favorite coffee mug?
Just lower the mug, turn it around and have a really good look at it. Ask, “How much do I know about you?”
Join me on this ride to find the most interesting history of coffee mugs and coffee cups!
By Lilian.
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When was the Coffee Mug Invented?
The earliest invention of a coffee mug dates back to the Neolithic Stone Age. That’s around 3,900 BC – 1,700 BC!
(Before you bash me, let me acknowledge that at the time, coffee hadn’t been discovered. The mugs were used for drinking water, mead, wines and spirits.)
Charles Darwin called this period the ‘New Stone Age’. Thank God for the Homo Sapiens – at least they invented something we still use today!
Before I digress further (Charles Darwin’s story is a trigger…), let me tell you that these earliest drinking vessels were found in Japan and China.
The mugs were made of animal bone and wood.
Those made from bone used animal skulls.
No kidding!
Before the early man knew how to make metallic mugs, he’d pour his drinks into animal skulls!
After the Animal Skulls, What Next?
A major setback of the animal skulls and wooden pots was that they didn’t come with handles.
So, with time, (I guess the early man also pampered his skin, ha-ha!) could no longer stand the scalding on his hands and fingers. They made clay pots with handles.
But still, the clay mugs were very thick so drinking out of them was a task in itself.
A ray of hope came with the blacksmiths in 3000 BC, when they made mugs from lead, bronze, silver and gold!
I can imagine the relief – from animal skulls to golden mugs! Dope!
Unfortunately, the hype was short-lived because the metals were definitely harmful.
Talk of lead poisoning and the scalding burns when you touch a hot mug…
A wise man once said that necessity is the mother of invention.
With all these shortcomings, there was no giving up!
And then they invented porcelain and ceramic mugs.
The Invention of Porcelain and Ceramic Mugs
Ceramics came along in the Middle Ages – 2000 BC. The mugs were made on pottery wheels. Still, the walls were too thick to comfortably drink out of.
Luckily, around 600 BC, craftsmen in China made a breakthrough when they invented a mug that was just right!
The porcelain mug!
It served well for both cold and hot drinks, was not too heavy and had just the right thickness!
No difficulty sipping drinking out of the mugs.
To date, porcelain mugs remain a favorite for many coffee aficionados.
Another favorite has been the classic diner coffee mug. What do you know about it?
The Classic Diner Coffee Mugs
The diner culture swamped America back in the 1940s.
An American insulator manufacturing company – Victor Insulator – grabbed the opportunity head-on!
He started making the now famous classic coffee mugs – all white in color – for the soldiers in World War II.
The same porcelain Victor used to make insulators was used to make these heavy mugs.
They had a rough bottom to ensure no sliding off the tables in the navy vessels.
The original mugs had no handles, but as they started gaining popularity, Victor introduced those with handles.
You’d find them in restaurants throughout the US and around the world!
Even with diner mugs, there was still a longing for more. Better, unique, beautiful, flashier, name it!
The Craving For Decorated Coffee Mugs
A change is as good as a rest.
So, while Victor’s mugs were all-white, or at most screen-printed with Victor’s name, craving for decorated mugs started kicking in.
Illy was probably the first company to make one! That’s around 1992.
Their cups were smaller than Victor’s (and other mugs in history) and came with saucers.
Their handles ARE tiny, C-shaped.
Yes, I said “are” because they’re still in the market to date!
Starbucks Branded Coffee Mugs and Other Recent Coffee Mugs Inventions
1994 – Starbucks introduced their branded coffee mug. To date, Starbucks coffee mugs are popular like crazy!
They have a variety of designs, including travel mugs, tumblers and reusable mugs.
1997 – Thermos launched insulated travel mugs. Most kids’ lunch boxes still have this drinkware.
Many adults (me included) also have it to keep their coffee hot during those long commutes and muzzy mornings.
2000 – Novelty mugs with interesting shapes, unique designs and bright, bold colors were invented. Rubik’s cube mug is a perfect example.
2018 – Temperature-controlled travel mugs from Ember Technologies were the talk of town!
Coffee aficionados love that they can enjoy their cup of coffee hours later, as hot as it was right after brewing.
Now, away from the mugs, let’s explore the cups. Paper coffee cups to be specific.
When Were Paper Coffee Cups Invented?
That paper cup you walk away with every morning from your favorite coffee shop has been around since 1908. Well, definitely not 100% exactly like that.
A Boston lawyer, Lawrence Luellen, started its journey! Previously, people used communal cups – called dippers – at communal water wells.
Sharing a communal cup raised public health concerns. Luellen rode on this!
He crafted “The Dixie Cup”, a disposable two-piece cup from paper, fusing using wax.
Use it, and throw it away!
That was the start of paper cups in history.
Fast forward to the early 1960s, demand for cups that could hold hot beverages started to rise. The Dart Container Corporation produced Styrofoam cups.
Let me tell you about these cups.
Styrofoam Cups (Also Called Polystyrene Foam Cups)
Styrofoam cups were far much better than the earlier paper cups.
They had better insulation and were a little more rigid.
They served well for over 20 years until concerns were raised on the environmental impacts that come with polystyrene.
For one, polystyrene is non-biodegradable and very difficult to recycle. So, the polystyrene cups caused a lot of littering.
What’s more, besides polystyrene taking more than 500 years to decompose, it also releases dangerous chemicals in the environment.
With all these concerns, the demand for Styrofoam cups went downhill.
That marked the start of paper coffee cups, as we know them.
The Invention of Paper Coffee Cups
Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, is credited for the invention of paper coffee cups.
In 1987, he announced the decision to use paper coffee cups in all Starbucks outlets, rather than the previous Styrofoam cups.
At the time, the paper cups had plastic linings to avoid seepage. Unfortunately, customers were scalded by the hot cups. Holding onto the cups was such a big deal!
One day – Jay Sorenson – a dad dropping his girl at school in Oregon spilled hot coffee on himself!
He couldn’t take it any longer!
The wrath must have pushed him to invent the first cardboard sleeve to protect hands from hot cups.
It was popularly known as the “Java Jacket”.
For better insulation, paper cup companies also started to make double and triple walled cups, an invention that’s present, to date!
Finally, what do you do with those extra coffee mugs in your closet?
Fascinating Coffee Mug Uses (Besides Drinking Coffee)
Here are 10 ideas to make use of those coffee mugs you haven’t even touched in years.
Sound Amplifier
Having trouble listening to music on your phone? Check out Akshata Shanbhag’s simple trick to amplify your phone’s volume using a coffee mug!.
Measuring Cups
Why buy a set of measuring cups with all those old coffee mugs lying around?
Desk Organizer
Organized desk, organized thinking.
Organize those stationeries into old coffee mugs and put them at the desk’s corner!
Soup Bowls
Coffee mugs make small, cozy, sturdy soup bowls.
Plant Pot
Like Balcony Garden Web, make a garden out of those old coffee mugs! You can always grow herbs such as coriander.
Enjoy a daily supply of fresh harvest in the comfort of your house!
Bathroom Organizer
I’ve always used an old coffee mug as a toothbrush holder in the bathroom. Not letting go yet!
Gift/Treat Container
Looking to gift a friend, relative, co-worker, etc.?
Fill up a classic coffee mug with candy, coffee beans, just about anything you prefer!
Tip Collector
Are you a hotel/restaurant owner? Place a coffee mug on the counter to motivate your customers to leave tips before they leave!
Plant Pot
Coffee mugs are the perfect size for growing herbs inside your house!
Candle Holder
Have you thought of how unique it would be to have coffee mugs as candle holders?
Brittany Mullins shares a fantastic tutorial on how to use enamelware coffee mugs to make candle holders.
The bottom of most coffee mugs has a surface that can sharpen your kitchen knives in seconds!
Photos by Lisa Fotios, Anastasia Ankudinova and Caleb Wood
