Kuksa: a cup for life

Posted by Brynn Evans on Wednesday, 7 October 2009

It turns out that the “betacup” has an ancient history! The people in Lapland (Finland) have been using a handmade wooden drinking cup — called a “kuksa” — for thousands of years!

These wooden bowls are usually made of birch, hand carved, treated and cured, and then carried by the belt throughout the day…and throughout people’s lifetimes. They were used for drinking everything: milk, water, tea, coffee. And a well-made cup would last forever.

It’s interesting that these simple, yet unique, drinking vessels became so intimately connected to the people who created them. Perhaps a bond is created when you produce an object with your own hands? (You can make one yourself, even: how to craft a classic kuksa cup.) Perhaps the simplicity of the design and the practice of attaching the cup to your belt made them a necessary part of the everyday culture?

Either way, the betacup team can learn a lot from the kuksa. We hope to create a modern kuksa, but for city-dwellers with fast-paced lifestyles. We want coffee drinkers to feel a personal connection to their betacup; and we want the betacup to become their cup for life.

Posted in: Inspiration | Tagged: cupforlife, finland, kuksa, lapland | 8 Comments