This is an interesting question that’s always been on my mind. Whether coffee is better in a ceramic mug or a paper cup. And when I say better, I am only focusing on the taste and actually enjoying my cup of coffee.
Someone may be thinking – what difference does it make, as long as you’re drinking your coffee. I would make the case that there’s a lot more there than meets the eye when it comes to how I drink my coffee.
For the sake of making a genuine comparison, I thought about placing myself in a neutral place that would allow me to choose between a ceramic coffee mug or a paper cup. And seeing how I spent most of my career in IT, the first place that pops in my head is the office break room.
There’s always going to be coffee, along with a kitchen area, sink cabinets, fridge, tables, and maybe a sofa and television. That means, there’s some level of comfort there – although not as comfortable as your own home – but still some level to allow myself to take a break from working at my desk.
The coffee’s perking, it’s two o’clock in the afternoon, and I walk in with two options in mind – rinsing out my favorite coffee mug in the sink or grabbing one of the paper cups from a package in the cabinet.
Holding a mug versus a paper cup
Drinking coffee from a ceramic mug feels more personable to me than a paper cup. For one, a ceramic mug is usually found in the kitchen area and aside from your office’s break room, MOST kitchens are located in your home. Just that thought alone makes me think “I’m going to sit down for a while and take my time with this cup of coffee” or “What’s the rush? Why don’t I take my time and sip it while I’m reading or taking a break?” When I use a coffee cup, there is plenty of time to relax and enjoy my coffee.
Now if I reach for a paper cup to pour my coffee in, that’s an entirely different train reaction and behavior that’s going to come from this. That paper cup is usually a plain white Styrofoam, or if it’s somewhere that I paid for it, it may actually be a paper cup, but with a brown sleeve over it to protect my fingers from the heat. Either way, it feels so ‘distant’ and as bland and coarse compared to the smooth ceramic texture of a cup.
When you think about it, where do you usually drink coffee in a paper cup? Out and about, or at work, from the gas station before you get in your car, maybe a coffee shop when you’re on the go, or anywhere else except home! Even when I’m in these situations, where I grab a cup of coffee, or Styrofoam cup, my thoughts are elsewhere – like driving, getting to work or wherever – I’m on the go, so I’m not completely enjoying and savoring my coffee and I feel a bit rushed when doing it.
A ceramic mug is more personable
We all have our favorite coffee cups that we like to keep to ourselves. Personally, I don’t mind if anyone else uses my favorite mug – just as long as they don’t break it and wash it thoroughly when they’re done with it.
But on the job, or in the breakroom at work, I usually will keep my own mug at my desk or tucked away. Drinking coffee in my own mug is always special because when I’m done, I still have my mug with me. It will be washed and ready to go for my next cup of coffee, whether that’s later or tomorrow.
In comparison, a paper cup has a short life expectancy and is expected to be thrown away once we’re done with it. That’s not to say that I can’t bring my paper cup back to my desk and drink my coffee or sit in the break room. But you just know that cup’s going into the trash when you’re done, just like finishing off your soft drink from McDonalds. It has that ‘fast food’ stigma attached to it, in a way, making it difficult to really sit and enjoy your coffee compared to a ceramic mug.
In comparison to a paper cup, ceramic is neutral
In my research, one interesting thing that I discovered is that a ceramic coffee cup does not have any significant effect on our coffee. It’s not adding to or taking anything away from the flavor since it’s a solid material for holding the liquid.
Have you ever finished a particular drink in a paper cup and then reused it for a completely different drink? For example, pour some Coca-Cola into a plastic cup, drink it, and then reuse this same plastic cup for a drink of water. Notice a slight difference in the taste of it?
This is one of the most subtle things I’ve noticed all my life when reusing a paper cup. I soon developed keen awareness to either find a second cup for drinking water in, or I would make sure to drink the coke down to the last drop and rinse that plastic cup out as thoroughly as possible.
The issue with reheating lukewarm coffee
Don’t even get me started on reheating your coffee in the microwave. How many of you out there have made the same mistake that I have and reheated your cold, or lukewarm coffee in a paper cup in the microwave? Only to discover that you’ve NUKED it! It quickly reached such an extreme temperature that it bubbled up and over the cup, overflowing and spilling in your microwave tray. Mind you – I didn’t heat it any longer than I would in a ceramic mug without any issues.
If I didn’t have any other option but to reheat the coffee in a paper cup, then I would heat it gradually, in small increments – like 15 seconds, then check it, and repeat if necessary – all the while I’m peeking through the microwave’s glass door, watching that plastic cup like a hawk!
But on the other hand, since a ceramic coffee mug is a solid and neutral material, it does not have any terrible effects on my coffee when reheating it. In fact, I’ve completely learned my lesson to never reheat my lukewarm coffee in a microwave in a paper cup if there’s another cup available.
The aesthetics of a ceramic mug
Can I be completely honest in saying how coffee just looks better in a ceramic mug? Imagine for a minute, attending a five-star restaurant and ordering your favorite meal. I’m just going to go with a personal favorite – Spaghetti and meatballs for me.
The waiter brings it out and it’s served on a nice, fancy porcelain plate, where the spaghetti has been perfectly placed in the center, followed by the meatballs and sauce sitting symmetrically on it. Maybe top it off with a few snowy sprinkles of cheese and perhaps a couple of nicely placed parsley leaves. Just looking at it, my taste buds are salivating long before I get started!
Now imagine the same dinner, but on a paper plate. Or even worse – a Styrofoam carton. Though it’s the same spaghetti, it doesn’t seem quite as appealing. Perhaps you may even need to zap it in the microwave if it’s in a to-go box. In this case, the paper plate or Styrofoam don’t really add to its appeal.
I believe the same could be said about a coffee mug compared to a paper cup. The coffee may even be plain black – but there’s just a little something more appealing in my mind when savoring it from that mug compared to a paper cup.
