How to recognize a traditional kuksa from an imitation?

1. The salty taste during initial uses

A genuine kuksa, crafted in the traditional way, will have a slight salty taste at first. It's a natural phenomenon related to how the wood is worked.

During production, kuksas are boiled for 5 hours in salted water to:

• Tighten the wood fibers
• Reduce the risk of cracking
• Make the kuksa more resistant to humidity changes

Salt penetrates slightly into the wood and hardens it, which is why a salty taste is present during the first uses. It is an essential step of traditional Lappish craftsmanship.

This salty taste can be off-putting at first, but it fades quickly and is part of the traditional Finnish experience.

Moreover, if you don't use your kuksa for a long period, small salt crystals may appear on the wood.

This is actually one of the few things that can really indicate the authenticity of your kuksa.

2. A precious wood: the birch burl

The wood traditionally used to make a kuksa is the "pahka" in Finnish or birch burl. It is a growth on the tree that is found on the trunk or branches. The Masur birch wood from Karelia is also commonly used to make kuksas, because it is a typical wood of Lapland: it only grows in harsh climates with very large temperature variations.

3. Unique natural patterns in the wood

Each traditional kuksa displays lively patterns: knots, curves, marbling. These nuances cannot be reproduced by a machine or a mold.

If a cup looks too smooth, too uniform, or lacking depth, it is probably just a simple wooden cup, a kuksa imitation.

Here is a very good example: in the photo on the left you have a traditional kuksa made from birch burl. And in the photo on the right, you have a cup made in China by machines from rubberwood.

4. 100% handmade production

Traditionally, to make a kuksa you have to carve it entirely by hand with carving knives, but this used to take several weeks to make a cup (including drying time). Today, craftsmen in Lapland combine machines and handwork to reduce the manufacturing time by several days. Here are some explanations:

1. Cut the birch burl with a machine to form the cup
2. Boil the cup in a salt bath for 5 hours
3. Dry the cup for 7 days
4. Sand the cup manually to give it a nice shape and a smooth surface
5. Soak the cup in coffee for a few minutes to give it a nice dark color, reveal the wood grain, and make the wood less sensitive to moisture
6. Add reindeer horn finishes manually or not
7. Manually oil the cup with a natural, edible oil

Below is an image gallery showing this long process.

In contrast, an imitation kuksa cup will be entirely made with machines, on an assembly line, or even molded from a wood-and-plastic composite.

5. A maker's mark or artisan's signature

Some artisans in Lapland place their signature or initials on the bottom of the cup or on the back of the handle. However, this is not necessarily a guarantee of quality; it can be a sign of authenticity.

6. A natural color, naturally luminous and oiled

Birch burl wood naturally has a slight, almost satin sheen that reflects light thanks to its dense, wavy grain.

This wood color has nothing to do with the shiny, smooth look of an industrial varnish:

• A traditional kuksa is oiled, never varnished
• Its highlights come from the wood itself, not from a coating
• The surface remains soft and natural, without a "plastic" effect
  

A kuksa whose surface is very shiny, varnished or uniformly smooth is not traditional; it is most likely an imitation.

You can see in the photo below the difference between a wooden cup made in China (top) and a traditional kuksa handmade by a Finnish craftsman (bottom).