They have the beans, the grinder and the opinions. Give them the cup.
The short answer. Give a handmade stoneware mug sized to how they drink: 250 ml for a daily cup or a flat white, 350 ml for a long black or a pour-over, 480 ml for a big latte. At AWIS, from ₱650.
Coffee people spend twenty minutes choosing beans and three seconds choosing what to drink them from. The cup is the part of the ritual they are least likely to buy for themselves, which is what makes it a good gift.
Suggestions to try, not rules. Every piece is high fired stoneware, made by hand in the Philippines.
₱850 · 350 ml
A long black, a pour-over taken slowly. Rust
₱800 · 350 ml
A taller cup for a long coffee. Rust, Sand, Bamboo, Azure
₱700 · 250 ml
The daily cup. Five glazes
₱850 · 250 ml
A compact mug for a flat white. Sand, Charcoal, Azure
₱900 · 480 ml
A big latte, a long morning. Rust, Sand, Charcoal, Azure
₱650 · 250 ml
Strong coffee, held in the palm. Five glazes
For the household that brews for two, or the friend who makes coffee for everyone.
Temperature changes what you taste. Researchers served the same coffee at six temperatures. Between 50 and 62 degrees it read as intense, roasted and bitter; between 31 and 44 degrees, the same coffee read as sweeter and more sour. A coffee does not get worse as it cools. It becomes a different drink.
Warm the mug first. A cold mug has real mass and takes heat from the first pour, which is the pour where the aroma carries. Rinse it with hot water, empty it, then pour. It costs four seconds.
The rim matters. The material and softness of a rim change both how a drink tastes and how hot it seems.
Stoneware keeps nothing from yesterday. Fired to maturity, it is vitrified and absorbs almost no water, so it holds no flavours from the last cup.
A mug with a bag of beans from a roaster they like is a complete gift: arabica from Benguet or Sagada, or barako from Batangas. Add our gift box and it is ready to give.
Every piece is wrapped in kraft paper and sent in a kraft paper bag, at no charge. For a gift, ask for our gift box: boxed and tied with a ribbon, ready to give, ₱150 a box. One box holds one mug or cup, or a pair for one person. Two people, two boxes.
We ship anywhere in the Philippines, from ₱300 in Luzon, Metro Manila included, and from ₱400 to Visayas and Mindanao, or you can collect for free in Pasig. Pieces are prepared within three to five business days after payment. If a piece we ship arrives broken, we replace it or refund it. For Christmas, reserve early.
To order, message @awis.ph on Instagram or write to hello@awis.ph with the pieces and glazes. You can also add pieces to a reservation and send it when you are ready.
For more on choosing, read What to Look For in a Mug and What a Handmade Mug Costs.
Sources: Steen et al. 2017, Food Chemistry; Kamihori et al. 2025; Fuchs, Schreier and van Osselaer 2015, Journal of Marketing.
They usually have the beans, the grinder and the method sorted. What most coffee people have not chosen with the same care is the cup. A handmade stoneware mug sized to how they drink is a gift they will use every day. See the pieces by drink.
One that suits the drink and keeps it warm. Stoneware fired high enough to vitrify holds no flavours from yesterday. A cold mug takes heat from the first pour, so rinse it with hot water first, empty it, then pour.
As a guide to try: a flat white or a daily cup sits well in 250 ml (Briseo 250, Amado); a long black or a pour-over in 350 ml (Briseo 350, Duke); a big latte in 480 ml (Floresca).
They do different jobs. A stainless travel mug keeps coffee hot on the move. A ceramic mug is for drinking at home or at the desk, where the weight and the rim of the cup are part of the coffee. Warm a ceramic mug first and it holds the heat.
A bag of Philippine coffee from a roaster they like: arabica from Benguet or Sagada, or barako from Batangas. Add the gift box for ₱150 and it is ready to give.
Yes, anywhere in the Philippines: from ₱300 in Luzon, Metro Manila included, and from ₱400 to Visayas and Mindanao. Or collect it for free in Pasig. Pieces are prepared within three to five business days after payment.
Yes. They are high fired stoneware. The one thing to avoid is a sudden change in temperature, such as boiling water into a cold cup.
