Terrance Lazaroff on sun 16 apr 00
Ok it is time for the truth.
I am putting together a list of points that can be used to educate the public
as to the attributes of a good coffee mug. If there is such a creature.
What I feel makes a good coffee mug may not be what others feel. Thus this
poll.
Let's see what the clayart community has to say on this subject.
I will post the results of this small poll once the replies diminish.
Terrance Frank Lazaroff
St-Hubert, Quebec, Canada!!!
Zalt's Web Page
Mary on mon 17 apr 00
I don't know if I can explain this well, but there is a very wonderful
feeling when the hand that is NOT holding the handle (in my case, my left),
has a comfortable area to cradle the mug. I think it's a balance thing I am
trying to describe. My right hand is the working hand, by the fact that it
holds the weight of the mug and has fingers spread out doing their various
jobs of balance, but the left hand sort of carresses it. I have used mugs
that just felt wonderful and had a good surface area for my left hand to
grasp.
Conversely, a mug that is too slender in circumference, just doesn't give
the feeling of comfort.
I know, you're thinking I've lost it!
Mary Barry
Jax. FL.
embee@mediaone.net
Diane G. Echlin on mon 17 apr 00
>
> I am putting together a list of points that can be used to educate the public
> as to the attributes of a good coffee mug. If there is such a creature.
> What I feel makes a good coffee mug may not be what others feel. Thus this
> poll.
> Let's see what the clayart community has to say on this subject.
A good coffee mug (IMHO)=
1. Holds enough coffee to last me a few minutes, but not too much that it will
get cold before I can drink it
2. Has a comfortable handle, either 2 finger or 3 finger
3. Has a comfortable "heft" to it: not heavy, really, but not so light as to fee
insubstantial
4. Has a glaze that pleases me.
Pretty subjective, eh?
Di
donna sparks on mon 17 apr 00
from a recent college student friend rummage through my 'adopt-a-pots': "It
needs a handle you can get your whole hand around, not just a finger or
two."
and of course, being in seattle, it needs to fit in the car's drink holder.
----- Original Message -----
From: Terrance Lazaroff
To:
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2000 3:07 PM
Subject: [CLAYART] A mug is a Mug is a Mug
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Ok it is time for the truth.
> I am putting together a list of points that can be used to educate the
public
> as to the attributes of a good coffee mug. If there is such a creature.
> What I feel makes a good coffee mug may not be what others feel. Thus
this
> poll.
> Let's see what the clayart community has to say on this subject.
> I will post the results of this small poll once the replies diminish.
>
> Terrance Frank Lazaroff
> St-Hubert, Quebec, Canada!!!
> Zalt's Web Page
>
Cindy Strnad on mon 17 apr 00
Terrence,
Maybe you'd like to list specific attributes you're asking about regarding
what makes a good coffee cup if you want to be able to organize your results
into any kind of coherent tally.
That said, basically, a good mug should have a smooth rim, thin enough not
to hold onto drips but thick enough not to chip easily. The base should be
smooth, and if footed, should be well trimmed with a foot in aesthetic
proportion to the cup. The handle should be comfortable to hold and suited
to the individual's preference--I prefer a long, strap handle that I can
slide most of my fingers under. I like it to be thicker in the middle,
tapered to the edges, and not sharp anywhere. That doesn't mean other
handles are bad or unworthy. This is my preference only. There should be no
cracking at either end of the handle. The handle should be well formed and
should be appropriate to the design of the cup. The cup itself should be
round (if the potter meant it to be round) and aesthetically pleasing.
All this "aesthetic" stuff is irrelevant to many people. They haven't the
eye for it, or rather, they haven't *my* eye for it. What seems unbalanced
to me might seem simply wonderful to another, equally artistic person.
I would tell my customers to look for a cup with smooth, uncrazed glaze and
no burs, pinholes, or cracks, a smooth, moderately thin rim, a smooth base,
and a comfortable handle. I would warn them against metallic-appearing
glazes on food surfaces. Other than that, it's really pretty much up to them
and what they like.
Cindy Strnad
earthenv@gwtc.net
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
The Buchanans on mon 17 apr 00
The first attribute of a good mug is a perfect lip, smooth ,rounded and
thick enough to caress the mouth. The shape should not be so bulbous or
collared that it does not let the liquid flow smoothly yet not so flared
that the coffee cools too rapidly. The handle must allow a good four finger
grip preferably low enough to balance the weight easily. The glaze should be
interesting but soothing to counter-balance the caffeine effect. Judi
Buchanan, whose favorite mug is not just a mug.
----- Original Message -----
From: Terrance Lazaroff
To:
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2000 3:07 PM
Subject: A mug is a Mug is a Mug
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I am putting together a list of points that can be used to educate the
public
> as to the attributes of a good coffee mug.Let's see what the clayart
community has to say on this subject.
> I will post the results of this small poll once the replies diminish.
>
> Terrance Frank Lazaroff
> St-Hubert, Quebec, Canada!!!
> Zalt's Web Page
Sheron Roberts on mon 17 apr 00
------------------
Personally, and this is just
my preference, a mug should
hold the amount of coffee I
can drink, comfortably before
it gets cold. I have a potter
friend who can hang on to a
mug of coffee for several
hours, drinking it cold.
(Shudder=21=21) In other words,
not too big, not too little.
It should have a good
weight, not so heavy you
get tired of holding it and not
so light you wave it around while
talking. Just kidding, I can't
talk if you pin my hands down.
But I think most of all, I like
a well made lip on a mug.
Not a big coil, but just a
noticeable concave under the
rim, with the rim smooth
and rounded.
My two cents worth in NC
Sheron
And Knox, if you read this,
your mug =22fits the bill=21=22
Janet Kaiser on mon 17 apr 00
Speaking as one mug to another...
(sorry could not resist that)
I have a list of seven criteria I try to apply rigorously when choosing a
mug. (Sometimes I get carried away and curse when I drink tea/coffee for the
first time).
1. The thermal qualities of the clay/thickness mean that the tea/coffee/soup
stays hot as long as possible.
2. The coffee does not spill down your chin and chest when drinking the last
drop (happens most often with bellied mugs with a flanged rim).
3. It is comfortable to hold*** with enough room to stop index finger
touching the vessel.
4. It holds a half pint.
5. Will it hang on a cup hook or mug stand? Wide handles generally do not.
6. The top is wide enough to drink from without my nose being hit by the rim
and the rim is not too thick... I think about 2 mm is my maximum
7. The base is really smooth and will not make that horrible grinding sound
if served on a saucer.
***I hold a mug right handed: Forefinger/index finger hooked around the
handle with thumb on top to steady and third, ring and pinkie fingers
bunched under the handle in same manner as the index finger, to steady the
handle from below.
If I was starting out with a new collection or commissioning a potter to
make several, I would want them to stack about three high... That is without
fear of them crashing when I open the cupboard or am kneading bread, nor
wobbling precariously each time I add one to the pile.
There are other personal preferences of lesser importance like colour,
style, design/pattern, ease of cleaning, glaze, etc. I like a light or white
glaze inside and some way down the rim on the outside so I can see it is
clean and there is no lipstick anywhere. I do not like matt glazes on cups
or any other domestic ware which is in daily use. Those old dolomite glazes
were the pits!
I could probably go on and on... But that is enough.
Janet Kaiser - drinking out of a 20+ year old mug by an unknown potter with
lovely throwing rings just around the middle and smooth either side at top
and bottom. Tall and thin with plain black glossy glaze inside and out.
Sadly the handle is not quite to my taste: too square, wide and chunky so
that index and third finger have to be inside.
The Chapel of Art, Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales
Home of The International Potters Path
TEL: (01766) 523570
WEB: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
EMAIL: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
Ann Hunter on mon 17 apr 00
>A mug should have a clean and pleasing contour line, exterior and
>interior, and a comfortable handle. But the best answer for me is
>VARIED. I start the day making a pot of coffee then turning around
>to a tray full of mugs from different makers and let the hand
>select its soulmate of the morning. Some are tall, some full and
>rounded; glazes may be fat, matt, decorated, wood-kissed, with or
>without throwing rings or imposed texture.
>---------------------------Original
>message----------------------------
>Ok it is time for the truth.
>I am putting together a list of points that can be used to educate the public
>as to the attributes of a good coffee mug. If there is such a creature.
>What I feel makes a good coffee mug may not be what others feel. Thus this
>poll.
>Let's see what the clayart community has to say on this subject.
>I will post the results of this small poll once the replies diminish.
>
>Terrance Frank Lazaroff
>St-Hubert, Quebec, Canada!!!
> Zalt's Web Page
Diane Mead on mon 17 apr 00
The good coffee mug
takes the user out of
her/his current state
of mindfulness and
elevates him/her
to another place
that is awfully nice--
seems shino always
does that for me...
drip
Diane Mead
Jeri Palmer on tue 18 apr 00
You must love a challenge to try to define the "perfect" mug. To me the
subjectiveness is the problem the mug I like maybe only one in one hundred
will like It depends on your hand, The length of your fingers the thickness
of them the size in general and what are you drinking? Hot chocolate Tea,
coffee? See what I mean. It is a very personal thing. But we potters do
love a challenge. Jeri in Hasting, MN
madwa on tue 18 apr 00
How comforting it feels to have in my hands
How good it feels on my lips
Sharry Madden
from Sweet New Zealand
Elca Branman on tue 18 apr 00
Include in the list of attributes, a lip friendly rim, neither intrusive
nor insipid..rather like a meaningful kiss..
Elca Branman, eyes glazed over from glazing
On Mon, 17 Apr 2000 16:38:49 EDT "Diane G. Echlin"
writes:
>----------------------------Original
>message----------------------------
>>
>> I am putting together a list of points that can be used to educate
>the public
>> as to the attributes of a good coffee mug. If there is such a
>creature.
>> What I feel makes a good coffee mug may not be what others feel.
>Thus this
>> poll.
>> Let's see what the clayart community has to say on this subject.
>
>A good coffee mug (IMHO)=
>1. Holds enough coffee to last me a few minutes, but not too much that
>it will
>get cold before I can drink it
>2. Has a comfortable handle, either 2 finger or 3 finger
>3. Has a comfortable "heft" to it: not heavy, really, but not so light
>as to fee
>insubstantial
>4. Has a glaze that pleases me.
>
>Pretty subjective, eh?
>Di
Elca.. at home in Sarasota,Florida,USA
________________________________________________________________
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iandol on wed 19 apr 00
------------------
And may it remain a mug forever.
Mary has got it right. Those who have had Design training know what she =
means.
And it is not an argument about Style.
For most people, a mug is that inanimate object with which they have the
greatest tactile association throughout their lives. What Mary is describing=
is
an appreciation of space, form, contour, size, texture, balance and several
other factors which we can appreciate without visual contact. Potters who =
may
not be artists, but are good designers know this and incorporate those =
qualities
into their work. Only cats get stroked more often.
Ivor. Who is making mugs this week.
Jean Todd on wed 19 apr 00
More attributes for a good coffee mug.
5. Does not have a foot rim as these hold water if you use a dishwasher.
6. Has a large enough base so the kids (or adults) don't knock it over.
7. A flattish handle so the mug does not roll about on your finger/fingers.
Jean
"Lang may your lum reek"
E-mail mallyree@ix.net.au
----- Original Message -----
From: "Diane G. Echlin"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 6:38 AM
Subject: Re: A mug is a Mug is a Mug
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> >
> > I am putting together a list of points that can be used to educate the
public
> > as to the attributes of a good coffee mug. If there is such a creature.
> > What I feel makes a good coffee mug may not be what others feel. Thus
this
> > poll.
> > Let's see what the clayart community has to say on this subject.
>
> A good coffee mug (IMHO)=
> 1. Holds enough coffee to last me a few minutes, but not too much that it
will
> get cold before I can drink it
> 2. Has a comfortable handle, either 2 finger or 3 finger
> 3. Has a comfortable "heft" to it: not heavy, really, but not so light as
to fee
> insubstantial
> 4. Has a glaze that pleases me.
>
> Pretty subjective, eh?
> Di
Lee Love on thu 20 apr 00
I went to a going away party for my friends Tatsuo and
Apple last night, put on by a bunch of young potter friends (Tatsuo taught
English for Yumito, where these potters work.) It was enjoyable to see a
low table full of cups and mugs and see two MacKenzie and one Willem Gebben
mug standing out like old friends. These mugs were passed around and
everyone appreciated the handles and the unfooted bottoms.
--
Lee Love
2858-2-2 , Nanai , Mashiko-machi ,Tochigi-ken 321-4106 JAPAN
Ikiru@kami.com Voice Mail and Faxes (a USA number): (303) 256-0374
Chris Schafale on thu 20 apr 00
I second the motion about the feeling of the mug in my non-handle
hand. The handle has to feel comfortable in my right hand, but
equally important is the way the body of the mug snuggles into my
left hand. I like the belly to be softly rounded, and I'm willing to
sacrifice a little stability in the service of a nice foot that lifts the
shape off the table. I also like the mug to be slender enough or
shaped in such a way that I can grip it in my left hand without
using the handle, and not feel that I'm going to drop it. A narrowed
waist and slightly flared lip help with this. The lip should be
rounded but not fat, or it will dribble.
It's all very anthropomorphic, isn't it? I've often wondered what
correlation there is between the mug shapes we make and the
body shapes we prefer, in ourselves or in others.
Chris
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I don't know if I can explain this well, but there is a very wonderful
> feeling when the hand that is NOT holding the handle (in my case, my left),
> has a comfortable area to cradle the mug. I think it's a balance thing I am
> trying to describe. My right hand is the working hand, by the fact that it
> holds the weight of the mug and has fingers spread out doing their various
> jobs of balance, but the left hand sort of carresses it. I have used mugs
> that just felt wonderful and had a good surface area for my left hand to
> grasp.
> Conversely, a mug that is too slender in circumference, just doesn't give
> the feeling of comfort.
> I know, you're thinking I've lost it!
> Mary Barry
> Jax. FL.
> embee@mediaone.net
>
Light One Candle Pottery
Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, USA
(south of Raleigh)
candle@intrex.net
http://www.lightonecandle.com
millie carpenter on fri 21 apr 00
after following this thread for a while, I began to think about the mugs that I
and why I like them. I realize that I really have two types with different
purposes. the first group are the mugs that are comfortable for me to use The h
a good lip, (I really liked the kiss analogy that someone used) and they have a
circumference that I can hold comfortably with one hand and /or pick up full wit
one hand, since my hands are rather small this is a real consideration for me.
But I also have a number of mugs that are really eye candy for me. I love the w
that they look. but these are too big for me to handle comfortably, so the
pleasure in them comes from watching my friends drink their coffee or tea.
Millie in Md munching matzahs and greatful for my "glezzel tea" in a mug
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