Tea should be drunk from cups!

As most people who met me know, I don’t like mugs. I simply refuse to drink my wonderful tea from anything but a lovely delicate china/porcelain cup and saucer.

My argument is that I am not a builder (no offence to the hardworking builders) but that I like to have a bit of ceremony around my tea.

For some reason, I always thought that mugs are a recent enough invention for greedy tea and coffee drinkers but nothing is further from the truth as the first porcelain mugs appeared around 600AD in China.

Before that, vessels that were mug-like were made from wood, clay or even carved from bone. No one cared back then about the beautiful cups we know now.

Mugs are meant to keep the tea or coffee warmer for longer due to the thicker walls of the mug compared to cups and also has a rim or concave shape on the bottom to reduce the thermal contact with the table or surface it is placed on - hence you have the ring stain when lifting the mug rather than a full circle stain.

While we use mugs as gifts if we can’t think of anything else (or as part of a set), in China mugs are given between a couple to express their love and commitment to each other as the word for mug/cup and one’s whole life have a similar pronunciation.

While researching the history of mugs (it’s not as boring as it sounds), I came across a website that listed five reasons why gifting a mug is a great idea:

1. A morning hug

2. Perfect for work

3. For collectors

4. A personal touch and

5. Excellent value

I was given a large mug once from a colleague with Grumpy (Snow White’s dwarf) and a warning on it such as ‘do not agitate’, ‘do not ask dopy questions’ etc.

I am still not sure why she gave it to me though!

Anyway, I use it not as a mug but a container for my biros, rulers and letter opener and it is still on my desk.

It has travelled with me to a few offices since I got it. Never has it been used as a drinking vessel though.

Once for Christmas, I received a teapot, creamer and sugar bowl with Eoin O’Connor’s design.

I loved it but went to Horgan’s in Blarney to order the cups and saucers. They didn’t call it tea cups but cappuccino cups – tea tastes just as nice from it.

I wasn’t going to buy the mugs although they are very pretty.

The first mentioning of a proper tea cup I was able to find stems from China from the 17th century. These cups had no handles and no saucers and when I go to the Asian markets, most tea sets are still without handles.

Research has shown that tea tastes better from a china cup as the smooth surface stops the tannins from sticking to the surface but mix properly with the tea giving the drinker a better aroma and flavour.

So, it’s not so much that I am a tea snob but science supports me in my habit of only drinking tea from a cup.

Having said that, I have to confess that I am a bit of a tea cup snob and if Mr T didn’t stop me, I would have hundreds of tea sets at home!