The Greatest Mug Ever Made
A meta-commentary on the nature of progress and how easily we can lose it.
I love the Teavana Gold Logo Black mug. I love the shape of it. The way it feels.
I've tried looking for other mugs like it, but I’ve been unsuccessful. And Teavana stopped making them a long time ago.
From a design perspective, they got so many things right. The lip is thick. The mug is heavy. The handle is wide enough so your fingers aren't mushed and accidentally burn against the cup when drinking. Even the surface has a distinct matte look—like something ancient and serene. I'm mesmerized by the beauty of it all.
But it is not symmetrical. Perfect symmetry is for fools who haven't peered below the surface. Symmetry is for fools trying to imitate God. The true aesthetic isn't afraid to bend. The handle of the Teavana mug is slightly curved, because the mug is slightly curved. It's shaped to fit a human hand well. Compare to Ember mugs which were designed by robots for robots.
They got the science right. Forgot about the human. Good for the eyes. Bad for the soul.
The Teavana mug is different though. Its weight alone makes me feel like I'm carrying something precious. I marvel at that.
I'm reminded of the first time you open up an iPhone box. The heftiness of the cardboard, the many steps as you slowly unravel the box. Lends a sense of importance to the whole affair (like something sacred). That's the magic I feel.
It’s sad though. Homo Sapiens have been on this earth for 200,000 years now. You think we would've celebrated the perfect mug. Would've laid down its design for all to mimic and recreate. You'd think mankind would've paused in awe, if only for a moment, to wonder at one of mankind's greatest creations.
But we didn’t.
Now people make all sorts of mugs, but they're no good. They make all sorts of colors. Designs. Shapes that mean nothing. They work hard on the wrong problems and call it progress.
Look on Amazon and weep. All you'll find are meek and fragile things.