Turquoise Moai Mug, Polynesian Carving, Hand Painted, 700g

For anyone who wants the Moai with more colour in the hand. Turquoise is the colour of water in the tropical imagination, and on a bar where the mugs are on show it makes an immediate contrast with the earth and wood finishes of the rest of the collection: a row of mugs all in brown reads as a block, a row with one turquoise in it reads as a selection.

Against the plain Moai, this version carries carved patterns that call up the tattoos and carvings of the Pacific. Visually they add depth, because the colour gathers in the hollows and creates a light and shade a flat surface does not have. Practically they give grip, which on a heavy mug covered in condensation is not beside the point: 700 grams empty becomes more than a kilo with the drink in it, and a smooth wet surface slips.

• Material: hand painted ceramic
• Subject: Moai head with Polynesian carving
• Finish: turquoise
• Weight: 0.7kg
• Use: tiki cocktails and tropical drinks
• Dishwasher safe: no, hand wash

Take the turquoise Moai if

If you want colour on the bar and a mug that stands out from the earth finishes. If the room is lit very low, the warm tones such as honey give more, because turquoise under amber light goes flat.

Seven hundred grams, and what follows

It is a heavy mug, and the weight wants counting before buying twelve. With the drink in it you pass a kilo, so few of them fit on a tray and the staff notice over a long night. In exchange the weight reads as solidity and value, and it is part of what the guest pays for when ordering a tiki drink instead of a long drink: nobody expects a mug to be light.

How a tiki drink is built in a mug

Crushed ice packed up into a dome above the rim, drink poured before or over depending on the recipe, garnish built upwards. The crushed ice goes in generously: it exposes a great deal of surface and melts fast, so too little of it means a drink that is first too strong and then watery. Tiki recipes count that dilution into the measures, which is why they look strong on paper.

The collection as a list tool

Keeping three finishes of the same subject, honey, turquoise and black, lets you give a different vessel to each drink without buying unrelated subjects. The turquoise Moai is the one that stands out most on a bar dominated by earth tones, and it is the piece noticed first in a row. It is a way of giving the recipes an identity while keeping one visual family.

Care

Hand wash in warm water with a neutral soap, never in the dishwasher. On the carved patterns a soft brush is worth using, because fruit juice and syrup settle in the hollows and set as they dry. Dry completely before putting it away, because ceramic holds moisture in the relief.

FAQ

Is the turquoise Moai more decorated than the honey version? Yes, it has carved Polynesian patterns as well as the Moai subject.

What does it weigh full? Seven hundred grams empty, over a kilo with the drink and the ice.

Does the colour fade? Not with hand washing. In a dishwasher it does, which is why it should be avoided.

How much does it hold? The supplier declares the weight for this finish but not the capacity.

Are the patterns painted or carved? Carved and then hand painted: the colour gathers in the hollows.

The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 pieces -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item.

Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.

For the comparison between subjects and finishes there is the tiki mug guide.