A cup of coffee or hot tea throughout the day marks a point of pause and, perhaps just as important, the coming caffeine rush to help get through the rest of the day.\xa0
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The Short Mug has an origin story closely tied with Haand’s origin story. In 2013, we packed up our trusty Toyota van with Haand porcelain and drove across the country from North Carolina to Los Angeles to show our work at Dwell on Design. It was our second big trade show and we won an award.
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Along the way, my then girlfriend (now wife), Hannah and I camped- or stayed in motels in the midwest out of a healthy fear of tornadoes born from 100+ viewings of Twister as a child.
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Every morning, we would make coffee in an aluminum Moka on a camping stove in the back of the van. It was never quite enough coffee for me (I’m a 4 cup plus a day drinker) but it was an important ritual and it meant the day was starting.\xa0
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We had precisely two enamel mugs with us. Chipped, thin steel with horrid little rolled handles. I love them. There is a specific category of object that a coffee cup falls into for me- something you use daily, require to function, and also lose constantly throughout the day. You forget about it, yet you rely upon it. Perhaps there is a German word for it.\xa0
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In my opinion, a mug is a tool. Like a saw or a chisel is to a woodworking project, it is an essential part of crafting a day.