DIY Espresso Mug

August 31, 2025 4 min read

This step-by-step pottery tutorial will guide you through the process of making a functional espresso mug. Though not necessarily a prerequisite, a helpful blog post for this project is: how to make a slab tumbler. It covers steps 1-16 in this blog post, but with more detailed instruction if you're a beginner.

Since this will be for kitchen use make sure the clay and glaze you're using is food safe.

ceramic clay (this will require a kiln to fire)
cloth canvas or a cut piece of denim to work on
rolling pin or other large cylinder object for rolling (an empty jar or wine bottle works well)
piece of scrap paper
scissors
sharp pencil or pin tool
sponge or soft paper towel
small cup of water

1. Roll out a slab of clay. The larger the espresso mug, the bigger of a slab piece you’ll need.

2. First you’ll create the base, which will act as the bottom of your espresso mug. You can freehand cut a circle, or create a template using a round bottle or existing cup. Simply trace your circular item on a piece of paper. Keep in mind that clay shrinks!

3. Using a sharp pencil or pin tool, use your template to cut your base from the slab.

4. Next you’ll need to cut the walls of your mug. Do this by measuring the circumference of the circular slab base. You can freehand this, but we love using this little trick: make a small mark on the edge of your circular base (like above), and line up the mark with one edge of your slab.

5. Gently roll your base across the slab until you hit the mark again. Mark this spot.This will be the length needed to create your walls. You can then decide how tall you'd like to make your walls.

6. Cut out your wall piece. If you like the look of a visible slab seam, cut slightly longer than your original measurement. This way you can overlap the wall piece and leave a seam. For a smooth and seamless look, cut to the mark you made earlier.

7. Gently check to make sure the newly cut wall piece fully wraps around the circular base. If it does, move on to the next step (attaching). If not, roll out your slab again and cut a new wall piece. We're going for a seamless look, so this piece is perfect!

8. Score (scratch + attach) the edges of your base.

9. Score the three sides of your wall piece. It's not necessary to score the top side (the lip of the mug).

10. Add a tiny bit of water (less is more) along your scratch marks. This will help the clay stick together as you combine the two slabs.

11. Use one hand to hold the base in place, and one hand to guide the walls, then gently press the walls into the base. Work slowly, make sure you’re pressing the walls into the base, and the base into the wall.

12. Keep going until the entire base is attached to the walls. Sometimes it's easier to rotate the canvas that the piece is resting on, instead of rotating your body. At this point you’ll have a wonky looking espresso mug! DO NOT WORRY! This is totally normal and part of the process. As long as your seams are sturdy, we can smooth out the final form.

13. Carefully place the cup on its side. Place one hand near the base and gently roll the cup on your canvas. Move slowly and gently, letting your other hand support the lip! Focus on the base, not the top, the walls will naturally straighten as your base does.

14. Use one hand to gently support your cup walls from the inside, and use the other to gently smooth the seam on the outside. Make sure to smooth in multiple directions to help the clay combine.

15. Lay your cup on its side, seam side down. Using your finger, gently smooth the seam on the inside of the cup. If your cup is very small, you can use a paintbrush or cotton swab to do this.

16. Next take a slightly damp sponge (or paper towel), and squeeze out all the water. Use it to gently smooth your cup edges and seams. Don't go overboard! You can smooth further later!

17. Now that your walls are straight, and your form is smooth, decide where you'll attach your handle. If you want a seamless look, attach the handle at the seam line. If you've opted for a visible slab line (overlapped walls), attach at the opposite side.

18. To make your handle: cut a new strip of clay from your slab. It's better to cut it longer than you need because it's easier to cut off clay, than add more. Try different shapes, and attachment points.

19. One easy mug handle we love is the "slab handle" pictured above. Simply cut a long rectangular strip of clay, drape until you find a desired shape, cut to size, and attach. You can also roll a coil and use that as a handle. For more handle options or attachment help, check out this blog post.

20. Once you're happy with the style and placement, cut your handle to size. Score both ends of your handle, and the points on the cup wall where you'll attach them. Attach the handle and gently smooth the attachment points. More thorough smoothing can be done after the espresso mug has dried to the leather-hard stage.

You're done! You can smooth this further once it is a little more dry. For tight areas like around the handle, you can use a paintbrush or cotton swab.

Allow to fully dry before firing, then paint with a food-safe glaze, and fire once more.

Congrats! You've made your very own espresso mug! You can experiment with different handle styles and shapes to find the perfect one.

Want to stay posted on all our projects? Follow along on Instagram (@carterandrosepdx)

Looking for video tutorials? Watch our entire Clay Time series here.

Ready to try your hand at clay but want some gentle guidance?

Sign up for one of our in-person workshops hosted at our storefront in Portland, Oregon. They're an easy and fun way to learn about clay and connect with your local community.

And remember, it's about the process, not the product!