Coffee Mugs, Andy Rooney Style
Please read this post in Andy Rooney's nasally voice for full effect...
Why is it that it's so hard to get coffee served in a mug these days? I realize the trend in coffeeshop efficiency caters to the oh-my-god-my-blackberry-is-so-full clan. I mean who really has time to sit and sip anymore? (In the interest of full disclosure, since I joined the ranks of freelance writers, I am one of those people who sit and drink coffee while you walk by and ask, "Do those people have jobs?")
Drinking coffee from a mug improves the tactile experience. I like the weight and the way the mug channels the warmth to your hands gently, without needing a paper sleeve advertising tooth whitening. I like being able to slurp the first sip to make sure it's not scalding hot, which is next to impossible with a plastic lid that delivers the burning liquid right to the middle of your unsuspecting tongue if you're not careful.
What gets me even more is when they ask if your order is "for here" or "to go," and you say for here but they still give you a paper cup.
I love Tryst and Open City for their hefty mismatched mugs, but they know you're staying if you're seated. Mocha Hut gave me a mug when I asked. And then there's Whole Foods, which I would think would offer mugs to patrons who could stay in an effort to reduce waste. (Could the water used to wash the mugs be more environmentally damaging?)
Maybe I'm alone in my Rooney-whiny rant. I have a friend who loves the paper cup, blaming it on Starbucks brainwashing. Who out there has great mugs? Care to weigh in with your own thoughts? Whine away.
Comments
As for paper cups, I concur with the previous commentor about Azi's. The cups and coffee are great. I like the simple orange logo and LOVE that there is a retractable cover built into the lids. I imagine that's pretty expensive for her; if not, why don't more places have them?
When I have to take my shot and run i leave off the annoying wrap-around advertisement.
Has the 2nd Juan Valdez shop opened up yet? I'm tired of hoofing it all the way to the OAS.
Where is Azi's?
Not sure about Juan Valdez...
The bitch with this isn't the liquid itself, it's the gap in between the top of the liquid and the top of the cup, a thin buffer of what amounts to superheated steam. Since the air pressure in that gap is increased, it can tolerate moist heat beyond boiling, and sucking in that first sip is like sucking on an espresso steamer. Ouch!
If I recall correctly (been a couple months since I've been there), Java House at 17th and "Q" does the same.
I am surprised/disappointed that more of these hipster/hippie places that like to give off a left-wing vibe (*especially* Sparky's) don't offer a place for customers to recycle paper cups that they drink in the shop (I sometimes end up staying at Sparky's long enough to drink my coffee, even though I had asked for it in a to-go cup but then got caught up talking to a friend, etc.). I always rinse my paper cups and put the paper parts and the plastic lids in their respective recycling bins.
Me, I like the go-cup so that I have the option of leaving to wander around before I am finished with my latte.