Mug
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A mug is a sturdily built type of cup often used for drinking hot beverages, such as coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Mugs, by definition, have handles and often hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cup. The standard mug holds approximately 12 fluid ounces of liquid, double a tea cup. In more formal settings a mug is usually not used for serving hot beverages, with a teacup or coffee cup being preferred. Shaving mugs can be used to assist in wet shaving.
Many mugs are made of ceramic materials such as earthenware, bone china, porcelain or stoneware. Some are made from strengthened glass, such as Pyrex. Other materials, including plastic, steel and enameled metal are used where break resistance is at a premium, such as for campers. Techniques such as silk screen printing or decals can be used to apply decorations; these are fired onto the mug to ensure permanence.
Functions
The mug serves many functions which make it especially suited to insulating liquids (only sometimes): or pens and other instruments
- Provides a handle for grasping, and to provide a cool area of the mug that is insulated from the hot liquid by distance.
- Insulates the beverage to prevent it from cooling quickly. Thick walls separate the beverage from the cool external air, and an indented base separates the beverage from the surface upon which the mug is set. The shape of the base forms the characteristic O-shaped coffee stain, so often seen upon desks and documents.
- A Mug can sometimes be used to mic up an amplifer for a guitar or other amplified instrument to provide a phasing flange-like effect. To do this the microphone is placed inside an empty ceramic mug and placed a suitable distance from the amplifier.
Specialist designs
A travel mug is a variation on the traditional mug that is better for transporting hot liquids. It may or may not be a vacuum flask, but is usually well insulated and completely enclosed, with an easily closed opening on the top.
A puzzle mug is a novelty that is counter-intuitive. It will usually have several holes in the rim, making it impossible to drink from in the normal way. Frequently the solution is to cover all the holes in the rim, and then drink via another hole in the hollow handle.
Mug storage
A popular way to store mugs is a wooden pole on a round base with arms to hang 6 mugs by their handles that is known as a 'mug tree'. There are also racks designed for hanging mugs so that they are ready to hand.