The right teacup
Is there a "right" drinking vessel for each kind of tea? Like a brandy snifter or pilsner glass, etc? Is the experience of a kind of tea enhanced by a certain material or shape of cup? I've just been using the standard mug but am looking for some teacups to go w/ my yixing teapot (in which i brew oolong).
Feb 24th, '06, 11:19
Posts: 328
Joined: Aug 12th, '05, 14:05
Location: Philadelphia
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klemptor
Growing up, mine was a coffee mug that said "Cup of Joe to Go!" It had a picture of a coffee cup with legs in high heels running around. I ended up breaking it.
Then it was a Thomas Edison State College mug. Which is still in my mother's cupboard.
Then it was a "Bioremediation and Chlorination of Recalcitrant Compounds" mug. And it kinda still is, but it's a small mug. So I also really like my "Pearls before Swine" mug.
I have some of the tulip and luminous cups that Adagio sells but I'm afraid of breaking them so I don't use them as often as I'd like. I also have the Bodum Pavina 9oz cups, which are nice.
Then it was a Thomas Edison State College mug. Which is still in my mother's cupboard.
Then it was a "Bioremediation and Chlorination of Recalcitrant Compounds" mug. And it kinda still is, but it's a small mug. So I also really like my "Pearls before Swine" mug.
I have some of the tulip and luminous cups that Adagio sells but I'm afraid of breaking them so I don't use them as often as I'd like. I also have the Bodum Pavina 9oz cups, which are nice.
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
Feb 24th, '06, 11:22
Posts: 4
Joined: Feb 23rd, '06, 22:31
Location: everything ok! studio, Guelph, ON
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everythingok
oh yes, it's definitely a personal thing. i drink everything out of a gorgeous (but sturdy enough that i'm not terrified of breaking it!) glass mug at home, and my sturdy big travel mug when i'm out, with the name of some hearing aid company on it.
mind you, i still use the dainty cups and saucers i inherited from my gran when i've got fancy company over.
mind you, i still use the dainty cups and saucers i inherited from my gran when i've got fancy company over.
everythingok.etsy.com
Don't tell anyone, but my favorite teacup is... pink. Shhhh.
I like it because it holds 10 oz. This makes it perfect for earl grey (space to add milk). And perfect for white tea (I like it weaker). Yay.
~Yresim~
P.S. Technically, I think it is supposed to be a coffee cup. I don't know for certain: I won it in a rattie costume contest (for Pi-Rats of the Carribean).
I like it because it holds 10 oz. This makes it perfect for earl grey (space to add milk). And perfect for white tea (I like it weaker). Yay.
~Yresim~
P.S. Technically, I think it is supposed to be a coffee cup. I don't know for certain: I won it in a rattie costume contest (for Pi-Rats of the Carribean).
"I know! We could go to the Bronze, sneak in our own tea bags, and ask for hot water."
- Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Reptile Boy, Season 2)
Favorite teas: earl grey, assam, white
- Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Reptile Boy, Season 2)
Favorite teas: earl grey, assam, white
For me, it depends on what I'm making.... if I'm making fine chinese teas, I use my chinese teaware. It just feels right.
Otherwise, anything goes. Right now I've got a couple of favorites at home. One is white with the Kanji for tea in black on one side and TEE on the other. At first, I thought it was just another Japanese version of interesting English (which was why I had to buy it!), but alas no... it's the German spelling.
My other favorite is a bit heavier and has a great cartoonish image of a dog with a butterfly on his nose. The 1/3 of the mug, and the interior are plum in color, and the rest is natural.
Both these mugs are also great when I want to ice my tea.
At work, I've got a dark green Tigger mug, that's been handed down by generations of English teachers at my school.
Cheers!
Maura
Otherwise, anything goes. Right now I've got a couple of favorites at home. One is white with the Kanji for tea in black on one side and TEE on the other. At first, I thought it was just another Japanese version of interesting English (which was why I had to buy it!), but alas no... it's the German spelling.
My other favorite is a bit heavier and has a great cartoonish image of a dog with a butterfly on his nose. The 1/3 of the mug, and the interior are plum in color, and the rest is natural.
Both these mugs are also great when I want to ice my tea.
At work, I've got a dark green Tigger mug, that's been handed down by generations of English teachers at my school.
Cheers!
Maura
The right cup is probably whatever lets the smell get to your nose. Something about the same diameter as a coffee cup, but in whatever shape you want. Coffee cups are nice since they're insulated (hot beverage), and it's wide enough that your nose has access to the vapors. But who cares about proper vessels anyways 
I drink from a lot of different mugs/cups. One of my favorites is my zebra mug from world market. It holds over 16 oz and is black and white, and the handle is the head of a zebra...pretty cool stuff. I also have a glass mug, a world series of poker mug, a golden retriever mug, and a couple other animal striped mugs.
Just let them fit your personality and size requests!
Just let them fit your personality and size requests!
"Make tea not war"
Favorites: Sencha, Dragonwell, White Monkey, Silver Needle, Gyokuro, Kukicha, Darjeeling
Favorites: Sencha, Dragonwell, White Monkey, Silver Needle, Gyokuro, Kukicha, Darjeeling
Heh people should be traditional in my opinion so thank to chinese Shen Nong who discovered tea at first .. we should all drink tea in porcelan chinese cup in his honour : ) 
Not every day , but once in a while we should be traditional.
At least that`s what im trying to promote.
Not every day , but once in a while we should be traditional.
At least that`s what im trying to promote.
"White teas have anti-viral and anti-bacterial benefits"
Teafanatic--I used to have a zebra head mug myself! Mine wasn't black and white; it was yellow and had a little cartoony savannah scene on it. I also had one that was totally zebra striped (I'm a zebra fan.)
I have a gigantic mug with my school's logo on it which I use for when I need a LOT of tea or coffee. Unfortunately it's too big for my ingenuiTEA. Since I got the Clarity Cup I've been using that more. It really shows off the tea nicely; it also makes the display teas easier to see.
I have a gigantic mug with my school's logo on it which I use for when I need a LOT of tea or coffee. Unfortunately it's too big for my ingenuiTEA. Since I got the Clarity Cup I've been using that more. It really shows off the tea nicely; it also makes the display teas easier to see.