Mazama Ceramic Drinking Vessels
A hand-crafted ceramic collection of cups, mugs, tumblers and serving bottles
From the home of some of the best craft beverages America has to offer—Portland, Oregon—comes a line of cups, mugs and serving bottles with an aim to elevate the drink within. Mazama‘s new hand-crafted ceramic line (now on Kickstarter) has a clean, balanced design of layered glaze and exposed clay and a high quality production that are sure to impress. Whether serving coffee, alcohol or plain old water, this product—hailing from a team embedded in the design world—is well-researched, charming and a fit for any home or office where drinks are served.
Founded by Meghan and Sam Huff, as well as their friends Meagan Geer and Tory Cross, the Mazama team cares about the way drinks are consumed. “While we’re all designers, the term ‘creators’ probably reflects better what we do. We enjoy the process of designing it on paper one day, creating a technical drawing digitally the next, and ultimately throwing the vessel in our clay studio and bringing it to life,” Huff explains. Extending beyond design, there is a tangible execution to their ambition. “While a good portion of the design gets hammered out on the wheel, we’ve also taken a somewhat engineered approach to ensuring that each vessel has a certain weight and holds a precise amount of liquid. It’s a healthy balance of analog and digital,” he notes. The result is both polished and reliable, but clearly the product of hands-on creation.
The team has over 80 years of combined design experience. Each has been producing and selling products native to the Pacific Northwest, as well. And of course, their passion is evident: “We love to drink. Everything. It’s an activity we all do daily. It can sometimes almost feel ritualistic. If there’s something we’re using or interacting with each day, shouldn’t it be the best possible?” asks Huff. He’s right.
This is the team’s first big production run. The Kickstarter allows for the purchasing of raw materials, as well as hiring qualified craftspeople for their studio; the root of something else they hope to achieve—job creation. Mazama makes clear that the best moments are often the simplest, or composed of some of our most familiar sensations. They’re looking to contribute. Huff says it best, “When it comes to enjoying a good cup of coffee in the morning, or sharing a few cups of sake at the end of the day, we found that there was a lack of quality vessels we could get our hands on.”
Support Mazama and pre-order any items from their line on Kickstarter.
Images courtesy of Alex Nguyen
