For many of us, savoring a cup of coffee is the only way to start the day. But that requires more than carefully choosing the beans and the brewing equipment. You need the right mug.

“A good coffee mug is going to enhance your whole experience,” said Emily Davis, the director of education at Counter Culture Coffee, in Atlanta. “When you have the right mug, you’re getting everything: the warmth, the aromatics, the nuances of flavor.”

What makes for an ideal mug — a handmade piece of functional art or something simpler and more utilitarian — is largely a matter of personal preferences.

“It’s about size and temperature stability,” Ms. Davis said, which depends on the mug’s diameter, height and wall thickness.