Coffee is the one beverage consumed on planet Earth that carries with it a certain verve. There is a spirit and energy that accompanies our daily coffee consumption lacking in other beverages. While coffee is good consumed out of any container, whether from a Styrofoam cup as you navigate life from the front seat of your car, a metallic mug over a campfire in the woods, or something else, coffee is good no matter how you drink it. But for my money, nothing quite beats an old-fashioned diner-type mug when enjoying the world’s favorite brew. And I recently have stumbled upon what is now my absolute favorite coffee conveyance. I call it my new favorite coffee cup, but in truth, it is the heftier version that should properly be called a coffee mug. I am just fond of alliteration, so like saying coffee cup.
My coffee cup consideration began before Christmas as I searched for a small additional gift for my wife. She loves everything having to do with coffee, so there began my search point. Slumped over my computer, I began looking for unique coffee themed must have gifts, and I found one. We both were so pleased with this item that I thought it worth writing about. The gift was the perfect coffee cup, or mug. I ordered two. Now, settled at my desk with our little dog Mac at my feet as I write, I drink out of nothing else. A steaming cup of coffee next to my typewriter makes me feel like Raymond Chandler in the morning. (Chandler loved coffee, drank copious amounts every day, and once described it as “the life blood of tired men” – he would have loved this coffee cup gift.)
Until now, I was in the habit of using just any mug or cup for my morning coffee. We have a wide and varied assortment in our cupboards. Not counting the plethora of steel travel containers, we have heaps of regular ceramic coffee mugs in our kitchen. There are garage sale and gift shop finds, bad birthday gifts, flag waving, hand-painted, Texas themed, sports team, cactus plant shaped, advertising and merch mugs of every stripe (some I had made with my Typewriter Weekly logo on them). There are cracked mugs and joke mugs, movie-themed and broke mugs. There is even one lone Chewbacca mug I’ve lost after hiding it from my wife (correction on the Chewbacca mug – I just now remembered that I gave it to our slew-foot friend Stuart as a wedding gift six years ago – I am not making this up). I think we need to clean house and toss the old stock because we now use our new favorite mugs all the time.
These wonderful new mugs are handmade in Asheville, North Carolina by the East Fork Company. Crafted from iron-rich red-brown local clay, every mug is an object of practical beauty.
The mugs are available in seven enigmatic core colors (Heron, Blue Ridge, Eggshell, Panna Cotta, Morel, Amaro, Black Mountain), along with additional interesting seasonal shades sometimes available (Pollen, Celery, Utah, Big Sky, Thistle, Sepia, Malachite). Each mug is made using a 3/4 dip glaze which shows raw clay at the top and bottom. These mugs are both rustic and elegant.
The mugs are bottom weighted, so even when empty, they are heavy and secure in your hand. The oversized and full handle gives you a stable grip. The mug feels like a comfortable extension of your hand, like a favorite baseball glove at the ready as you await fly balls in centerfield. The chunky shape holds 12 ounces and feels cozy. Thick sides retain heat and are tapered towards the top edge, so agreeable to your lips. This gives a soothing skin to mug feel, making it easy to sip your coffee. These mugs are solid and sturdy, freshly fired and straight out of the kiln, ready to ship to your door.
All products from the East Fork Company are lead-free and dishwater and microwave safe (besides the world’s best mugs, they make all types of pottery and dinnerware and have developed something of a cult following – for good reason).
To upgrade your coffee game with a settling alternative to the worn-out cups and mugs you now use for your coffee, consider a mug from East Fork (go to eastfork.com). They are a bit expensive ($44 as of this writing), but in my warped opinion, they are worth the price. Buy one and you won’t drink your coffee from anything else…
© 2026 Jody Dyer
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