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Friday, March 4, 2011

Your Guide To Travel Mug

What’s the difference between a mug and a cup? There really isn’t much to differ the two but a mug, is much sturdier than a cup and is the typical or rather ideal object to drink warm liquids or beverages from like tea, coffee and warm milk. Compared to a cup, a mug can also have a handle so that the person holding it does not need to be affected by the heat from the liquid. It also often holds a larger amount of liquid than a normal sized cup. In other words, a mug is far better than a mere cup.

During its origin, it was carved in wood or animal bone or even at times shaped of clay. The first mugs were said to have been used during the Neolithic Stone Age and something similar to mugs were found were found in China and Japan, dating back to 10,000 BCE. Initially these objects had no handles but it was introduced so that the round cup could be held better, thus producing a mug. Mugs made out of clay were somehow difficult to use as the thick walls made it unfit for the mouth and a great disadvantage therefore. In the years to come, the walls of the mug were thinned, and metal mugs were produced created out of bronze, silver, gold and sometimes even lead. But this too proved to be an added disadvantage as hot liquids could not be held. Wooden mugs were not durable, so when the invention of porcelain came around, in the year 600 CE in China, all problems were solved. These are the kind of mugs we use today.

A mug’s design is indeed incredibly creative; designed to keep the liquid continuously warm for as long as possible in comparison to a cup. This is exactly why the walls of a mug are thicker than a cup as well. The design aims at thermal insulation – to keep the liquid warm or rather from getting cold too fast. A travel mug is the ideal example of thermal insulation which also allows a person to be able to transport hot and even cold liquids.

The idea of introducing a travel mug came upon when people wanted to move from one place to another but also enjoy their hot or cold beverages without having to carry a mug itself. To keep it from spilling, and also ensure its temperature stayed somewhat the same, the best invention was none other than the travel mug. A travel mug, which was first introduced in the 1980’s, is quite similar to a vacuum flask.

When looking to purchase a travel mug, make sure you look for one that works for you. Nowadays you’d find all sorts of travel mugs, from different sizes that would hold less or more beverages to ones in a variety of color, others made out of various metals and some with handles, others without. So it’s important you know what you’re looking in a travel mug. Make sure it is just size you want it to be; the color doesn’t seem to be that important as long as it holds and keep your beverage just the way you want it. Pick a travel mug that has a smaller mouth piece and maybe even a handle – it’s a travel mug for a reason so you’ve got to be able to hold on to it when you’re out. And last but not the least, make sure the travel mug you pick is leakage free; for the best types go for ones made out of earthenware or glass.

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