Will this mug mean the end of the coffee ring? Built-in coaster sits underneath cup and was inspired by bananas hanging on a hook

  • Coffee mug promises to eradicate coffee and tea spillage stains
  • Design idea inspired by image of bananas hanging from a hook
  • But ...clean coffee tables will set you back £22 per mug

By Matt West

PUBLISHED: 11:52 EST, 23 June 2013 | UPDATED: 11:52 EST, 23 June 2013


A new mug design inspired by nature promises to rid world of table coffee rings and the dreadful doily forever. 

The ‘floating mug’ designed by friends Dumi Ndlovu and Tigere Chiriga, comes with its own built-in coaster.

The idea for the mug came after the friends spotted bananas hanging on a hook.

Inspired by nature: The designers of the floating mug say the idea came to them after seeing bananas hanging from a hook

Inspired by nature: The designers of the floating mug say the idea came to them after seeing bananas hanging from a hook

And the pair say it will revolutionise the way tea and coffee drinkers think about mugs adding they expect to see one of their floating mugs to be in every home soon. 

Unlike other mugs, the floating mug's handle bends round underneath it to form a coaster to collect any drips that could form stains on tables and worktops.

 

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But a stain free coffee table won’t come cheap. The floating mug is available from the company's online shop for £22.

Floating mug: The designers believe their new coffee mug will be in every household in the future

Floating mug: The designers believe their new coffee mug will be in every household in the future

The launch of the mug comes after months of work by Mr Ndlovu, a  financial analyst and Mr Chiriga a post office worker, both 34, who grew up together in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Mr Ndlovu, who now lives in Reading, UK, said: ‘A few years ago the idea for the floating mug was born.

‘Tigere got married and moved into a house in North Carolina with his new wife, but wasn't very good at being tidy.

‘He drinks a lot of tea but was terrible at putting coasters under his mugs and so kept leaving stains on the furniture.

‘One day he was looking at a banana hook and the inspiration came to him for a mug that was suspended above a coaster.

The pair turned to a crowd funding website to gain investment for the initial design and manufacture receiving £25,000 worth of funding from small investors within days of listing the project.

‘It is going to change the way people think about mugs,’ Mr Ndlovu added.

‘It may be a bit of a novelty item at the moment but the plan is to definitely get it into every household in the near future.’



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Who does not like their dish washing task a challenge ?

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Will this mug mean the end of the coffee ring?..... Nope! But it will be the start of a very expensive line of replacements as the "stand" part keeps breaking.....and also rising washing costs as collected spills drip onto yourself and your clothes as you tilt the cup towards your mouth when drinking..... There's a reason the drips stay behind in the saucer.... So you don't pour them over yourself!! Duh!

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You don't need a special cup, just dry the ones you have! If you let any liquid run to the bottom of a hot cup etc and then put that cup down on a wooden table... It's the good seal created by the liquid, between the cup and the table that creates the pressure ring.

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Clean the bottom for your mug, before sitting down no rings anywhere, easy!

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so easy to knock over!

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Who cares if its practical or not looks cool !! lol

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I would like to place my stirrer, whenever I have to use one, in a saucer, and I tilt my coffee cup when I drink my coffee which would spill on me from the drip collector. I prefer the cup and saucer. This is not a good design for me.

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PUT TWO METAL RODS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE HANDLE AND YOU HAVE A WINNER.

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PUT TWO METAL RODS THOUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE HANDLE AND YOU HAVE A WINNER.

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Thats pretty cleaver. - Mr.Fitnah, Florida USA, United States, 23/6/2013 18:39 >>> It might be pretty but it's not clever, unless you like to wear your coffee.

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