Coffee mug or tea cup

[eveled]

Anybody have a favorite cup for their preferred hot beverage? I spent my life drinking out of whatever was available.

Some people I know have a mug no one else is allowed to use. Some people have a favorite that never gets washed.

I’d like to see everyone’s favorite and hear the story behind it, or why it’s your favorite.

 

[hhmoore]

View attachment 1545121
It's seen better days; but still keeps my tea hot for hours. I've got a green one with less finish wear (but a few more dents) that stays in my car just in case I leave without this one.
Sometimes I use it at home; just because I don't want to rush to finish my tea while it's still hot. I probably average 5x 16 oz cups/day

 

[Piso Mojado]

Victor coffee mug, the Mil-Spec coffee mug!

Will post a photo of mine tomorrow with a note on Victor Insulators, Inc. of Victor, NY.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

I've been doing a little genealogy research on and off for several years. About a year and a half ago I learned about the location of some property (a 160 acre parcel) that was owned by my great-great-great-great grandparents. Since it is only about 50 miles away and still very much in agricultural use, my wife and I decided to go over and take a look at it. Upon arriving we discovered that a local potter lives right across the road from the property. He has a small, self-service shed set up on the roadside where he sells some of his work. I couldn't resist purchasing something that was made right in the area where my distant relatives once lived. Since then this has been my daily-use coffee cup:

You can see my cup on the middle shelf, right side (partially hidden).
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Also very close by and along the same road is a cemetery dedicated to the daughter and son-in-law of my great-great-great-great grandparents. They inherited the property and added another 160 acres to it.

 

[Piso Mojado]

Victor coffee mug, the Mil-Spec coffee mug!

Will post a photo of mine tomorrow with a note on Victor Insulators, Inc. of Victor, NY.

History of the Victor coffee mug goes back to Fred M. Locke (1861-1930), a pioneer of the American electric industry. Fred invented wet process porcelain insulators for electric power lines. He patented his insulators in 1893 and founded Victor Insulators, Inc. of Victor, NY to manufacture them. Victor became a nationwide business and industry leader, and they closed their original plant until 1935, when they decided to diversify. The Great Depression convinced them that they needed a business not directly tied to the economic cycle, and they reopened their Victor, NY plant to experiment with heavy duty porcelain tableware for restaurants and diners.

In 1943, the U.S. Navy issued a military specification and took bids for an indestructible, handleless and slide-resistant coffee mug. Victor won the contract and filled the Navy's first order for 1 million mugs. The War Department liked the mugs so much, they ordered them for the U.S. Army. This is a wartime photo of Victor's handleless coffee mugs in action:

Before the war ended, Victor modified its Navy mug for the civilian market. They kept the super heavy duty construction, but added a handle and a gentle curve in the style of Streamline Moderne, the Great Depression's successor to Art Deco. The result was the Victor coffee mug we know and love today. Victor made two sizes, a 6 oz. cup weighing 16 oz. and a 7.5 oz. cup weighing 20 oz. Their standard colors were white and white with a green stripe below the lip.

Victor coffee mugs were fired for 72 hours at 2,250º F. The mugs' bottom rim was wiped on a wet rubber mat before firing so it would not stick to the drying rack. This gave it the rough, slide-resistant finish the Navy required. Victor coffee mugs could withstand an electric charge of 765,000 volts, just like Victor's electric insulators.

Victor left the coffee mug business in 1987 because it could not compete with inferior but cheaper Chinese imitations. People still trade Victor mugs on eBay and many of the non-fakes are factory seconds. Victor let each worker in the NY plant take home a dozen seconds every week.

There are lots of Victor reproductions. Run searches on "diner mugs" and "old style navy coffee mugs." Most of them are larger than the Victor mugs because that is what people want nowadays. Try to find one that matches Victor's capacities and weights and IMO you will get a better reproduction. This is mine:

 

[K.O.D.]

I "love" this one.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

The Victor coffee mug history was interesting, and it made me get this one out to check -- it was the favorite of my father, who passed away about 20 years ago, and who used it every day for as long as I can remember. It's not a Victor, but is marked Sterling Vitrified China East Liverpool Ohio. The date code is difficult to read, but I believe it is from the mid-1950s. Sterling was known for their restaurant ware. My father served in the Navy during both WW2 and Korea, so I suspect he liked it because it reminded him of the Navy mugs.

 

[3fifty7]

My every day for about six years


A local company we have bought fuel from for about 35 years. They have been bought out about 3 times as best as I can remember.

 

[Scott321]

I don't have a picture of it right now, but it's a pair of mugs that were probably picked up at a thrift store. It has a rounded belly and flares out where you put your lips. Here's a mug with a similar shape (pic from the web):

 

[eveled]

I started drinking herbal tea to fall asleep at night These are my preferred vessels. David Michael fine bone China. Super thin and light. Handles are just right. The flared rim sits on my lip just right to sip. The right cup really makes a difference.

Did I mention how thin it is? Fine Bone China is amazing stuff.

 

[eveled]

This cup is the inspiration for this thread
It’s my wife’s nobody is allowed to use it, and I pray it never gets broken. It was a gift from me on one of her first Mother’s Days. It came from a florist with a small bouquet of flowers in it.

It’s what made me seek out the matching rooster cups for myself. Don’t you just love EBay?

 

[eveled]

This is the mug I drink my crude oil from (coffee)

 

[skyhorse]

I have a couple of favorites but these get used the most.

 

[Knives&Lint]

I usually drink my tea out of a whiskey tumbler that was my whiskey glass for many years before I switched to a Glencarin. Customarily, after dinner each night I will enjoy some fruit (fresh figs when in season otherwise grapes), followed by a wee dram, followed by a tea with a touch of honey. It has become a bit of an end of the day unwinding ritual for me, and I particularly enjoy it on summer evenings while sitting on the back porch.

For coffee I dig enamel mugs. There's just something about them that gives off a feeling I like. I originally picked mine up for camping, but I enjoy it so much it has become my daily go-to.

Speaking of enamel mugs. This thread is timely, as I just so happen to have this one on the way as we speak. I'll report back when it arrives.

 

[3fifty7]

Nice Case morning mug !
What size is it 12oz ?

 

[Knives&Lint]

Nice Case morning mug !
What size is it 12oz ?

Website says 13oz. It took a few days to get a shipping notification, but it should be here mid next week. It was only $12.99 directly from the Case website (I saw it going for more elsewhere).

 

[Phydeaux]

I use a 24 oz stainless steel Bubba mug that is vacuum insulated. Still have the same one after 5 years plus.

 

[eveled]

I always liked those tin cups until I tried to use one. They get too hot to drink from. The same with the USGI

I like the ones like the Case one shown. Has the look without the burnt lips.

Knives&Lint you took enjoying a cup of tea to a new level. Thanks for the great pictures. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a fresh fig.

 

[Knives&Lint]

I always liked those tin cups until I tried to use one. They get too hot to drink from. The same with the USGI

I like the ones like the Case one shown. Has the look without the burnt lips.

Knives&Lint you took enjoying a cup of tea to a new level. Thanks for the great pictures. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a fresh fig.

Thanks! Yea, figs aren't for everyone, but when they're good they happen to be my favorite fruit. The funny thing is, I don't like dried figs at all.

You're absolutely right about the enameled tin mugs too. They're not that great in practice, and are even too hot too hold except for by the handle. I think I just like something about the camping vibe I get when drinking from them. I'm honestly not a huge coffee drinker, I only started a couple of years ago, and probably average about 5 cups or so a week.

The Case mug came in today and it seems good. I didn't even realize that it is actually ceramic. That splatter paint made me think it was the tin kind, so you're right, the look without the burns. Haven't tried it yet, but the only knock I can give it on first impression in the Made in China sticker.

 

[Knives&Lint]

Thought I'd update with a pic. I've used it, and it holds coffee just fine . One downside is that the lip is a bit too wide in diameter for my clever dripper.