I have a dotty old uncle who lives alone and drinks his coffee right out of the coffee pot. He doesn't bother to pour his coffee into a cup…maybe washing a coffee cup just makes more work…who knows?

Being unaware of something is not a problem. The problem is not trying to gain knowledge about it. Just read this article on coffee cups and you would avoid making this mistake.

Most people, however, prefer to drink their coffee out of a coffee cup or a coffee mug. It is the civilized thing to do.

When people buy place settings of fine china of just a set of everyday dishes, the thing that determines their choice is the shape and size of the cup. After all, plates, bread plates, soup or cereal bowls, saucers, and other pieces in a place setting or set of dishes are all pretty much the same. They may come in varying sizes and the patterns are different, but still they are all basically the same design. Only the cups are different. The size and shape of the cup and the handles on the cups is most often the determining factor is the selection of dinner ware.

There are different coffee cups for serving different coffees, as well. Most "regular" coffee cups hold between 6 and 8 ounces of coffee. But there are demitasse cups that only hold between 2 and 4 ounces and big coffee mugs that hold up to 20 ounces. Latte coffee cups must be large enough to hold the frothy milk.

Coffee cups can be purchased separately, or as part of a set of dishes or a piece in a place setting of china. Coffee cups don't all have handles either. There are double-walled cups without handles that are used to serve espresso or cappuccino.

Now when you are reading this article about coffee cups, a natural question arises. "Are you gaining something from reading this article?" And we would only be satisfied if your reply is in affirmative.

The thickness of the wall of the coffee cup is the determining factor of how long coffee will stay hot in a coffee cup. Remember those old thick-walled white cups of roadside coffee house fame? Coffee would stay hot in those things all the way through the eating of a meal and beyond. On the other hand, coffee in a delicate fine china cup will only stay hot a very few minutes.

Now that you have read this article, don't you think that it was worth it and that you are better off reading this article?