Having a cup of coffee is a term that has become an expression or phrase to describe that moment that allows you to relax or wake up to start a good day.

An action that continues over time in which you often reuse over and over again the same mug that was once a cheap item of personalized sustainable merchandising but that you now always have on hand.

However, even knowing that there are different tastes, there are reasons for associating drinking coffee from a cup instead of a glass, because the shape and material it is made of can influence the taste, temperature and even depending on whether it is used by a restaurant or a private individual.

In this post today we clarify some doubts about the type of cups and their recommendations for use depending on whether they are used in a hospitality business, privately, or as ecological promotional products for companies . Do you want to know which ones they are to make the right choice?

Then you should keep in mind:

Sustainable glass or reusable cup for serving coffee

Traditionally, cups were made of porcelain or opaque ceramic, while glasses were made of transparent glass, but nowadays, advances in heat treatment allow us to find cups made of glass that fulfill the same function. So we can tell them apart just by their shape, that is, by the handle.

• A glass is a cylindrical container

• A cup is a small or medium-sized container with a handle that allows you to pick it up without burning yourself and is usually paired with a saucer.

But just as cooking in wood, gas or induction ovens is not the same, the choice of container can allow us to enjoy all the qualities that coffee provides us or turn it into a bland drink.

And they are sustainable materials like those found in ecological cups made of porcelain, ceramic, and borosilicate glass, easy to personalize with sustainable printing, the most appropriate for extending a good meal.

In this post we talk about aspects that you should take into account when choosing the most suitable cup according to its use and type of coffee.

We started

Keep your coffee at the right temperature

The temperature of a coffee fresh from the coffee maker can reach 90º, 80º, (impossible to drink without scalding yourself,) the tasting temperature of the coffee according to the analysis published by the Forum Café , would be around 61 or 62 degrees for those who prefer hotter coffee, (three minutes later) if we wait between four and six minutes its temperature would reach 58 or 55 degrees which is the average consumption temperature.

For this reason, it is advisable to choose personalized mugs made from materials that maintain the temperature and lose it little by little, as well as choosing materials that do not alter the flavor of the coffee.

Taking these data into account

What material do I choose to have a good coffee?

If you are one of those who like to prolong conversations while enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee, you will not spoil the moment with a bad choice, so you should know why you should follow the advice, once again from our elders, porcelain, earthenware and ceramic are the most appropriate to maintain the temperature of the coffee and not alter its flavor. Although we can also opt for glass, in which the transparent quality takes into account the presentation of the coffee, senses of sight, smell, taste united in a cup.

Personalized ceramic, earthenware or porcelain mugs

The tradition continues to this day, and the most commonly used materials for coffee are ceramic, earthenware and porcelain cups, which some of us were lucky enough to inherit.

Thick earthenware and porcelain do not alter the flavour and maintain heat for longer, retaining the heat of the drink inside. The touch of this material on the outside does not reach very high temperatures, making it an element along with the handle that helps you handle hot liquids without burning yourself and in a pleasant way.

The small, customizable white ceramic coffee cup, special for the Horeca sector, with a small mouth, is the best option, as it allows the aromas and a thick layer of foam to concentrate, with the U-shaped bottom preventing the cream from falling apart when the espresso coffee is poured.

One drawback is that it is an opaque material, which prevents you from seeing the interior, but this is resolved in cases where the view is through recycled glass cups.

Glass cup or glass

With the arrival of borosilicate glass, the rapid loss of temperature is solved and resistance is gained to withstand high temperatures and washing in the dishwasher.

Borosilicate is a durable, reusable, food-safe glass, a star material in original personalized gifts from sustainable companies , which solves the rapid heat loss of glass.

Some glass cups add a double wall, allowing for a very aesthetic and original presentation that also helps maintain a good temperature of the coffee without it being too hot to the touch.

The qualities provided by glass, or borosilicate glass, allow for a more attractive tasting experience in which taste is added to the sense of sight.

Transparency, combined with thermal insulation, lightness, and a material that is less porous than porcelain and therefore more hygienic, make it a material perfectly compatible with good tasting food.

These cups are widely used for aesthetic reasons, in small cups to highlight the color of black coffee and the larger ones are very good for different layers, such as Irish coffee, Viennese coffee or cappuccino.

Metal coffee mug and reusable thermos for outdoors

Metal is a good conductor of heat, so it is not recommended for drinking hot coffee, as the heat will dissipate quickly, and you will probably burn your hands, and the flavor will be altered.

Therefore, it is not recommended for this use, although it does provide qualities that make it ideal for use in outdoor locations, such as the countryside or in a swimming pool, because they are unbreakable.

But coffee is such an addictive drink that sometimes we need this tasty beverage even when we are away from home. The double wall again solves the problem of rapid loss of temperature.

The sustainable double-walled steel and bamboo mug with a measuring cap is a good example. A safe and comfortable way to transport the drink you love without losing temperature.

Plastic or cardboard cups.

Materials such as plastic are not recommended for drinking coffee because the flavour is altered and they do not retain heat well, but we must understand that fast food requires their use, or on certain occasions when the use of traditional tableware is not convenient.

In these cases, I recommend using more environmentally friendly materials such as those used to make the cups, made of natural cork and bamboo fiber, a sustainable and renewable material that can replace the reuse of the cups with a plant that is abundant on the planet, fast-growing and biodegradable.

Although there are already coffee machines with a “cupless” service option that allow the use of reusable glasses and cups that avoid the generation of waste.

Reusing is the greenest way to help the environment

Ideal cup sizes for every coffee

You're unlikely to be able to serve a latte in an espresso cup or a double breakfast coffee - size does matter here.

The variety of sizes that exist when choosing a cup varies according to the type of coffee or infusion that is served. We will mention three, as they are the most commonly used.

Espresso cup. As it is only concentrated coffee, a small cup of between 40 and 60 ml will suffice, but if the coffee is curdled the size can increase to 120 ml.

Cup for latte or cappuccino. These coffees contain milk and should also contain cream if they are served correctly. These cups should also provide good visibility at the top so that the cream stands out, as sometimes drawings are made on them. For this reason, they should be served in larger cups, with a capacity of between 200 and 300 ml.

American coffee cups. Mug cups are tall, cylindrical cups with a large capacity. They are cups with thick walls so that the heat is well conserved, which is why they are preferred for enjoying filtered coffees or infusions. Their capacity varies according to taste, between 250 - 500 ml.

Differences in material depending on professional or personal use

The use given to a coffee or tea cup for the hospitality industry is not the same as that for personal use, since continued use in the dishwasher and with intensive programs can damage it, so it is recommended to use resistant material, thick porcelain, or borosilicate glass, dishwasher safe, and preferably stackable, qualities to take into account so that they can withstand the pace of use you give them in your business.

If, on the other hand, it is for personal use, you just have to choose the one you like the most and start a good day.