Not All Ceramic Mugs are Created Equal

In times of desperation, I drink tea from a paper cup. Given a choice, however, I opt for a nice ceramic mug for maximum sipping pleasure. Glass and metal are good options too, but those are topics for another time.

Not all ceramic mugs are equal. Size, shape, type of ceramic material used, and your own personal preferences are factors to consider when choosing a mug. It takes a little experimentation to find your ceramic soulmate.

Size

Generally, I avoid the larger mugs — around 16 oz. or so.  My personal preference is 10–12 oz. This size seems to work well for tea, especially when brewing a tea bag.

More importantly though is the size of the mug’s opening. The smaller the opening, the less surface area of tea is exposed to air resulting in less heat loss from convection. Hot tea gone cold is no fun.

I also prefer a thin wall and rim. And while I’ve read articles to the contrary, mugs with thinner walls seem retain heat just as well if not better than their thicker counterparts (not including the double-walled insulated kind). At the very least, less time and energy is required to heat up a thin mug.

Shape

Ceramic mugs with large openings on top release a lot of heat by design. The idea is to make the heat last which is why I prefer tall and skinny cylindrical mugs.

As stated previously, I like a thin rim. A slight trumpet shape in that thin rim makes will make for an even better sipping experience.

Material

Ceramic is an umbrella term for various categories of clay-made products including porcelain, earthenware, and stoneware. The differences between ceramic categories come down to both the type of clay used and temperature at which the clay is fired.

Earthenware is baked in the kiln at a low enough temperature that it remains porous, so glaze coating is required for waterproofing. It’s the most affordable of the ceramic mugs presented here.

Stoneware is more durable than earthenware, and while it’s created at a high enough temperature to be porous, it’s commonly glazed for aesthetic purposes. Both stoneware and earthenware mugs tend to have thick walls.

Next up on the kiln heat index is porcelain. Distinguished by its thin, white translucent walls, porcelain is coveted for its soft sheen but is lighter in weight and less durable than stoneware.

Bone china shares a similar makeup to porcelain with the addition of bone ash — typically cow from what I’ve read. The use of bone results in an off-white, translucent appearance and makes the mug more durable. Vegans beware.

Environmental Factors

Your environment can also play a factor in which mug you choose. At home, for instance, I mostly enjoy my tea in a bone china mug. Work, however, is a different story.

The mug you lay on a conference room table should have some substance to it, making it harder to accidentally knock over and burn your colleagues with hot tea — unless of course you have a coworker you don’t like. That’s why I tend to use thick, stoneware mugs — the kind companies give away as free swag — in the office.