India, Dec. 4 -- Last month, a full-blown brawl broke out at a Texas Starbucks, with cops having to intervene. What was everyone fighting over? A limited-edition, teddy-bear-shaped cup, with a tiny green woolly cap for a lid. The Bearista Cold Cup is cute, no doubt. But throwing punches over coffee cups is such a 2025 moment. We've started emotionally bonding with chonky Stanley flasks. We're flexing our matcha and smoothie habits with see-through, Insta-friendly glass tumblers with bamboo lids and glass straws. Those of us who stick to old-fashioned coffee tote it around in a chic travel mug.

So, wait. Is the coffee cup the new designer handbag?

We've been building up to this. All through the 2010s, being seen with a Starbucks cup in t...