Are you one of those people who have their own small ritual first thing in the morning? For many, this includes drinking coffee in their favourite mug. Small rituals like this seem to give us some time to collect our thoughts, focus, prepare for the challenges of the day that awaits us, even making us feel safe, helping us fight off stress and making us calmer.
One common thing for most coffee lovers is having a favourite mug from which they prefer drinking their coffee every day. Whether it’s at home in the morning or during the day, or at the office, people swear their coffee simply doesn’t taste the same when they aren’t drinking if from their chosen mug. But, is it true? Does coffee really taste differently in different mugs?
There are a few possible explanations for this claim, according to research. Our brain is happy when we like something, so the one possible explanation is that simply by liking the mug, we assign more pleasure to the drink. Furthermore, there are researches that claim that mugs made from different materials affect the taste of coffee in different ways.
Why Do You Have a Favourite Mug?
Coffee lovers can be very particular in many ways, and having a preferable mug is one of them. Even those that don’t have one single mug that’s the only one they’ll drink of, many have a preferred shape, colour, thickness, weight etc. While, for those who have one mug to rule them all, often their preferred mug is chosen simply by taste – a mug they find aesthetical, elegant, unique, funny. Others will choose it based on its meaning – a gift from a dear friend or family member, something they bought while travelling or at a significant time. This is probably one of the reasons why many unique mugs are the perfect gift for any occasion.
It seems illogical when you really think about it, but the majority of us have some object that means a lot to us. Sometimes, it’s something that’s valuable in a financial sense, other times it can very well be something that has no quantifiable financial value, but is irreplaceable nevertheless, or it can even be with a completely inexplicable reason. You may simply like the way it looks or the way it feels.
So, having “your” mug isn’t strange. In fact, people get attached to many different things, and most of them provoke a good feeling in them, by reminding them of a person or a moment in time or simply giving them some type of joy. Scientists, doctors and researchers alike from different disciplines have tried to explain the reason behind people’s likes, dislikes or pleasure. Why do we like or dislike something? Why do you hate leopard pattern pants or green colour for a car, or why do you love black purses? Whatever the answer may be, it’s probably that same inexplicable thing that makes people love their mug and always choose it for their morning coffee.
But being so special, this favourite mug of yours can be quite hard to replace. However, if you ever drop it and you are left without it, even though it’s probably beautiful, and it makes you sad that you can’t use it any more, you should go on a quest for a new one as soon as possible since we need to hold onto those little things in our lives that make us feel calm and happy. Find a nice unique mug that you like, go for a heavier one, since they are considered to be better for coffee, and continue where you left off.
What’s the Magic Behind Your Mug?
Even though you know that the idea of coffee being more flavourful from a handmade mug you got from your best friend, or even from the simplest mug that you’ve had at home for ages, seems ridiculous, even if you see it as a form of superstition at best, if you are someone who has a favourite mug, you know what it’s all about. And if you still don’t, maybe you should give it a try: look at some unique mugs, find one and use it always. And see if the magic happens.
However, is all of it magic? Does drinking coffee from your mug really make your day better? The most plausible explanation of this phenomenon is that when we drink coffee from that mug that we dub ours, the one that no one else is allowed to touch, the mare feeling that it’s just ours, as well as the meanings attached to it (where it comes from, when or where you bought it, or who gave it to you) if there are any, are what tells your brain that the enjoyment is incomparable.
The feeling of comfort, which that ownership or familiarity provokes in us, may also play a part in it. It may make the experience better, more personal, more yours. Furthermore, little personal rituals are known to help people feel calmer and more focused. This is why, though it may seem like a simple case of superstition, sipping your coffee from your favourite bespoke mug, probably does really give a good start, that may influence your entire day. After all, it’s our state of mind the thing that determines how we perceive things around us, and what can colour your day in more beautiful colours, than tasty coffee in the most.
