Pour-over coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon. If you want a Sharing Cup you'll reach for every day, the similar-looking Alpha Size and Beta Size raise a natural question: what difference does that column inside the cup make to drinking and everyday use?
If serving size matters to you and you occasionally brew drip bag coffee, our first recommendation would be Coffee Stage Sharing Cup Alpha Size. If you'd like to explore how familiar coffee or tea smells at different drinking angles, and you're happy to pour a little less and take a little more care when cleaning, Coffee Stage Sharing Cup Beta Size is another option.
A recessed rim brings smelling and sipping closer together
Leaning down to smell a freshly brewed pot of coffee and lifting a cup for a sip are two separate actions. When we designed Alpha Size, we wanted to address the distance between your nose and the aroma inside the cup.
One side of the rim curves inward to leave a little room for your nose. Drinking from this side makes it easier to bring your nose close to the space inside the cup, above the liquid, so smelling and sipping can become one movement. You'll need to pick up the cup to see how the recess works with your face, nose and drinking posture; there's no need to deliberately press your face into it.
Alpha Size keeps the full interior space available for your drink. We wanted it to be a cup for everyday use: one that lets you pay more attention to aroma while still pouring in your freshly brewed drink and finishing it comfortably.
Beta Size adds a column and another way to experiment
Beta Size retains the recessed rim and adds a central aroma column formed as one piece with the cup. As you pour in a drink or tilt the cup, the liquid can touch the column; its surface may stay wet briefly after the liquid flows over it. This adds a raised surface higher inside the cup that can come into contact with the drink.
We created this design with the aim of making aroma more noticeable. What you experience will vary with the drink, its temperature and your sense of smell. If the aroma seems stronger, whether you enjoy that expression is a matter of your own taste.
Cup shapes are worth comparing, but a single structural feature isn't enough to predict how a drink will taste. UCC carried out a sensory evaluation using the same coffee in different cup shapes. It observed differences in scores and discussed the possible effects of the drinking angle and the distance between the liquid surface and the nose. The study did not test Sharing Cup, so it cannot tell us whether Alpha Size or Beta Size makes coffee taste better. Read UCC's cup-shape research
The image below shows the drinking-angle concept we used when designing Beta Size. To begin, face the recess towards you and take small, natural sips. Then pay attention to where the liquid sits as you tilt the cup; you don't need to follow the diagram to achieve a fixed angle.
Choose with your everyday drink in mind
The central column takes up some of the space inside the cup, and the area around it needs more attention when cleaning. These small details often have more influence on whether you'll use a cup every day than the question of which one produces a stronger aroma.
The two models have the same external dimensions, but differ in usable interior space and everyday use. The figure for Alpha Size is a capacity reference; the figure for Beta Size is the recommended fill amount, not its maximum capacity. Handmade ceramics vary slightly in capacity and dimensions. You'll also need to leave room for tilting the cup as you drink.
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| Everyday considerations | Coffee Stage Sharing Cup Alpha Size | Coffee Stage Sharing Cup Beta Size |
|---|---|---|
| Serving amount | Approximate capacity reference: 230ml | Recommended fill amount: approximately 190ml |
| Interior structure | Full interior space available for your drink | The central aroma column, formed as one piece with the cup, takes up some interior space |
| How you like to drink | Coffee, tea and everyday serving sizes | Exploring aroma and drinking angles with smaller servings |
| Brewing drip bag coffee directly in the cup | Can be used; check the bag shape and actual liquid level | Centring the bag is not recommended, as the central column may press against it |
| Cleaning | Wash the interior and rim | Also clean carefully around the central column |
If your usual brew is more than the cup can comfortably hold and you don't want to refill it in stages, choose a cup with a capacity that suits you first. There's no need to change the way you enjoy your drink every day just to try a design.
Drip bag coffee needs an extra check: even if the cup holds the drink, the bottom of the drip bag may still touch the coffee. Consider the bag's length, how it is supported on the rim and the liquid level after pouring. A single water weight cannot tell you whether every drip bag will fit. For pour-over coffee, pouring brewed coffee from a server into the cup and placing a dripper directly on the cup are two different uses; the photographs here show the former.
We recommend handwashing both models and avoiding sudden temperature changes and knocks. Neither is suitable for a dishwasher, and we do not currently recommend microwave heating. If these conveniences are essential to you, make them a priority when choosing a cup.
To tell the two models apart, look inside rather than at the glaze colour: Alpha Size on the left has no central column, while the column in Beta Size on the right is clearly visible.
Use them for tea too, and find the pairings you enjoy
Both models can be used for coffee and tea. In our everyday use, we also drink Shui Xian, jasmine tea, English-style black tea and mint tea from Beta Size. We find the way these drinks express their aroma in the cup more agreeable than some coffees with very intense aromas. This is our taste experience; we haven't carried out a detailed comparison.
So there's no need to give a cup a single purpose before choosing it. You might enjoy it with one tea but prefer your existing cup for another coffee. You can keep those pairings.
If you're not sure whether differences in cup shape will matter to you, start with two suitable, clean cups you already have:
- Use a brewing method you already enjoy. Brew one pot of coffee or tea, then divide it into similar portions.
- Alternate between the cups as close together in time as possible. Smell first, then take a small sip. Reverse the order in the next round.
- Alongside aroma, pay attention to how comfortable the rim feels against your lips, whether you need to deliberately change your posture, and which cup you want to drink from again.
This is an everyday comparison to help you choose a cup. Temperature, time and expectations can all play a part. Finding very little difference, or finding your existing cup easier to use, is a useful answer too. You don't need to buy both models to complete the comparison.
For everyday serving sizes and drip bag use, see the design and uses of Coffee Stage Sharing Cup Alpha Size. If the central aroma column is what you'd like to try for yourself, take a look at Coffee Stage Sharing Cup Beta Size, considering both cleaning and how much you'll pour each time.
If you need a different serving size or way to use your cup, the Sharing Cup range comparison includes other cup shapes to choose from.
