Hello, my awe-inspiring friends! I'm hoping you are all enjoying this mini fall heat wave as much as I am, as I do not look forward to the cold of winter that is undeniably coming!
Recently, here at the shop, the question was posed as to whether there is a difference between a tea cup & a mug? It sparked quite the debate, which in turn led to the manifestation of this blog post! When initially asked, I pondered, & came to the conclusion that I believe there is quite a stark difference between the two. This was not the consensus of everyone in the shop, & I am curious on all of your takes on this matter. Please leave us comments!
As I began to delve into the dispute I found that while both are used as vessels to drink our tea, there too, are numerous differences between the two. I will start with a definition of each here to begin our discussion.
mug (noun): a drinking cup, usually cylindrical in shape, with or without a handle, & often of a heavy substance, as earth ware (clay); used without a saucer.
teacup (noun): a cup out of which tea is served, usually of small or moderate size, having a handle, smaller than a coffee cup.
While these initially don't seem too contrasting, if we look deeper we find that they actually have some notable differences. Initially, I held the notion that teacups would have appeared first in history. There is no particular reasoning behind this thought, it is just my novice thinking process. I was surprised to find out that the first mug seen in history dates all the way back to 4000 BC! While this holds true, the first teacups seen were not until the 17th century in Europe! These were exports from the Japanese, suggesting they have been around longer but this is the first recorded history of teacups.
Another notable differences separating the two receptacles is the material from which they are made. As stated in the dictionary, and not of uncommon knowledge, mugs are typically made of a denser or heavier material. Often times this is clay or of a ceramic nature. Teacups, in contrast, are typically made of the much more delicate, porcelain. While this seems silly in comparison to the thicker counterpart, it makes more sense leading up to the next difference between the two. Mugs, typically, hold more liquid than teacups and the denser material allows them to keep their contents warmer for longer periods of time. Teacups are known to hold around 30ml of tea, which is able to be consumed quickly and therefore does not need to be kept warm as long.
Moving forward, another difference I found particularly interesting proves that while mugs are seen both "handled" and "handleless", teacups always have a handle in which to loop your index & middle finger, & consequently, leaving your pinky finger to be raised in the air!
Drawing from my youth experience & days of hosting numerous tea parties, highly attended by American girl dolls & Beanie babies or stuffed animals of all species, another dissimilarity between the teacup and the mug exists that the teacup is often seen with a saucer accompanying it. The saucer allows for catching of any spillage that may occur when stirring milk or sugar into your tea! It also creates a rather lovely table setting atmosphere!
The last difference I will add holds one that I am apprehensive to mention as I am certainly an offender of breaking this rule. While teacups are used traditionally to sip tea, as they suggest, conversely mugs, are more thought of to hold other beverages such as coffee, beer, or chocolate. I say that I am apprehensive because, more often than not, I find myself drinking my tea from my favorite mug!
I will leave you with that thought! My take on the whole debate is that whether you are "cupping", "mugging", or whatever your fancy, you are enjoying our delicious tea & I am absolutely a proponent for that!
I hope you guys get out & enjoy this weather while we still have it & please leave comments on your take on any further differences! Thank you! - Kay-tea :)
Purchase our awesome Mugs & Teacups here!
P.S. Happy Halloween from both us & Miss Morticia Adams!
I don’t know the reason why, but I always prefer to drink tea from either a mug or teacup that is made of delicate, bone china. For some reason, I can better taste the tea this way than if I drink it from a heavier cup or mug.