What size copper bottle do you need? From 300 ml to 1.4 litres

Why size matters more than finish

With copper drinkware most people look at smooth or hammered first. That is a matter of taste: the copper is the same in both. The choice you notice every day is the size. A bottle that is too small has you refilling all day; one that is too big stays at home.

In short

• Tumbler, 300 ml: the classic tamra jal ritual on your bedside table, no lid.
• Mug, 400 ml: with a handle, for tea and coffee at the table or the desk.
• Water bottle, 900 ml: the size for the road, roughly two refills a day.
• Jug, 1.4 litres: with a lid, four to five glasses, for more than one person.
• All four are solid copper at 99.21% purity, available smooth or hammered.

How much water do you drink in a day?

A common rule of thumb is one and a half to two litres of fluid a day, part of which comes from food and hot drinks. Reckon on about a litre and a half of water and it works out like this: a 500 millilitre bottle means three refills, 900 millilitres means two, and a 1.4 litre jug has you getting up exactly once.

That is where the size of our bottle comes from. Five hundred millilitres lasts an hour or two and then you are back at the tap. Two litres of solid copper is a bottle you stop taking with you. Nine hundred millilitres sits in between: enough for a morning or an afternoon, small enough for a backpack or a pannier.

The four sizes side by side

The 300 millilitre tumbler is the oldest form of the ritual: no lid, no thread, just fill it, leave it and drink it in the morning. About an ordinary glass of water. Handy on a bedside table, less handy to carry.

The 400 millilitre mug has a handle, so you can pick it up with hot tea in it. There is felt under the base, which protects a wooden table. This is the size for your desk or the kitchen table.

The 900 millilitre water bottle is the only one with a screw cap and the only one really meant to be carried. It comes with a velvet pouch.

The 1.4 litre jug has a matching lid and is good for four to five glasses. This is the household size: you fill it in the evening and pour for everyone at once the next morning.

Weight and use

Solid copper is heavier than plastic and heavier than thin-walled stainless steel. You notice it most in the larger pieces: a full 1.4 litre jug is a two-handed pour. On the bottle and the mug the weight is part of the feel instead. What else separates the materials is in copper vs. plastic vs. stainless steel.

Combining sizes

The most common combination is a tumbler or mug at home and a bottle for the road. The tamra jal ritual is about leaving water standing in copper overnight, not about one specific object: you can fill the tumbler on your bedside table in the evening and use the bottle during the day. How that habit works is in how often a day do you drink from copper and in tamra jal.

Does smooth or hammered change anything about size?

Not for the capacity. On the larger pieces the difference in finish is easiest to see: the smooth surface gives one continuous reflection, the hammered version breaks the light up across small facets. On the tumbler and the mug that difference stands out less than on the jug.

If you are still unsure about the quality of the copper itself, read how to recognise real copper. All the sizes sit side by side in the full range.