11 oz or 15 oz? Choosing Your Mug Size

Almost every design we sell comes in two sizes, and the choice trips people up more than you would expect. Both are proper mugs, neither is a compromise, and the right answer depends less on how much someone likes coffee than on how they drink it.

The 11 oz: the classic

Eleven ounces is the size most people picture when they hear the word mug. It holds a standard cup of tea or a generous coffee, it fits comfortably under every coffee machine and kettle spout, and it sits neatly in a cupboard without dominating the shelf.

Its real advantage is temperature. A smaller volume stays hot through the time it takes to actually drink it. If you like your tea hot rather than warm, or you tend to finish a cup and make another, this is the one. It is also the safer choice as a gift, because it is the size people are used to.

The 15 oz: the long morning

Fifteen ounces is roughly a third more drink, and it is built for a particular habit: one cup, made once, that has to last. If you sit down to work with a coffee and look up two hours later, the bigger mug means you are not getting up again. It is the desk mug, the Sunday-morning mug, the hot-chocolate-with-everything mug.

The trade-off is that the last inch will be lukewarm, and it takes up more room in a dishwasher and in a hand. It is also a noticeably weightier object when full, which some people love and others find tiring.

Which to buy as a gift

If you know the person drinks large coffees at a desk, buy the 15 oz and you will look like you paid attention. If you are not sure, buy the 11 oz. It is the size that suits the widest range of habits, and nobody has ever been disappointed to receive a classic mug.

For couples and households, mixing sizes works well — one of each covers both moods without two identical mugs competing for the same spot in the cupboard.

Both are printed the same way

Whichever size you choose, the print process, the ceramic and the care instructions are identical. Both are dishwasher and microwave safe, and both carry the same fade-resistant finish. The design is scaled to suit the body of each mug, so nothing gets stretched or cropped awkwardly.

Still undecided? Pick the size of the mug they currently use most. People are creatures of habit, and that habit is usually already sitting by their kettle.