Ever wonder what progress of science lies behind those brownish badly cut recycle piece of half-a-decent-ring cardboard that coffeee shops use as cup holder for your very warm coffee? Well, I took a look at the ones used by Second Cup (patent of 1995) and Starbucks (patent of 1993). One emphasizes on the value of using an interlocking sheet of pressed paper with « multiple nubbins and depressions » while the other focuses on its environmental friendliness as opposed to the « traditional » materials used such as polystyrene. Both press on the insulation value of the holder. Who knew that so much thought was put into creating the claims piece of recycle paper! And I thought that it was just a step up from using a napkin to hold your hot cup of coffee!