A study published in the open access journal Achievement in the Life Sciences found that there is a reason it’s so easy to spill coffee while walking—and it’s because we’ve been holding our coffee mugs the wrong way. According to Smithsonian, physicist Jiwon Han took it upon himself to find a more efficient and stable way to hold a coffee mug. Although Han found that coffee slosh is partly to do with the shape of the coffee mug, the way the consumer grips the mug is also important. Rather than hold the mug by the handle, Han suggests that the most efficient way of holding a standard coffee mug is by grasping the rim “with a claw-like clasp,” the source writes – keeping the mug’s center of gravity relatively stable.
Han also found a similar stabilizing effect happened when he walked backwards while holding the mug by the handle.
Editor’s Note: Does your vending, micro market or OCS operation have a newsletter or a “Fun Facts” digital signage area at locations? Try posting this fun and interesting new coffee study—not only will it get the consumer thinking, it will also encourage them to get a cup of coffee and try it out for themselves.
