You can get an induction BialettI! I am also incredibly fussy about mugs and cups, (my husband calls me a cuppist) but after my many years on the planet I have an embarrassment of them, no sets just many and varied.
The correct mug is a huge part of the enjoyment of the beverage. Personally I prefer glass mugs for coffee, bone china for tea. I dislike wide tops (cools too easily); low handles (very unbalanced); and small mugs (not satisfying at all!) The search continues 🙏
I remember when frothy coffee was a thing in coffee bars. I think it started in the 1950s but would have been the late 1960s for me. The coffee was always served in glass cups and saucers. Probably in a Wimpy Bar!
Jane, as a fellow fussy, scalding-hot tea drinker of a decent quantity, may I point you to the Emma Bridgewater half-pint mugs? They are not fine bone china but they will go in the dishwasher and my collection of flower mugs (rotated according to whichever flower is most in season) bring me joy every time I have a cup of tea. And they are made in England.
so, are Emma Bridgewater mugs no longer desirable? I find them perfect, in both the small for coffee and regular (huge) size for tea. But got an inkling that they might have become a tad out of step when watching a rerun of a 1990s sitcom where Judi Dench shares her house with her very cool daughter and all her young city friends (can't remember the name) and the daughter had a WHOLE TEA SET in the splatter pattern: teapot, mugs, sugar and cream. It was like a hectic indigo storm surrounded by overstuffed chintz sofas. The use of Emma Bridgewater in this intergenerational comedy was clearly ironic, even at the time this pattern came out. But they are still wonderfully capacious mugs, solid, wide base, good handles, almost unbreakable, and beautiful to look at. The perfect mug.
I don’t know, Stephanie, but personally I do choose my EB designs carefully. I wouldn’t have the spotty ones or the ‘tea & toast’ type patterns as I think they’re a bit … I don’t know… well, not ‘me’ anyway. I’m sure plenty of people would think the ones I *do* like a bit naff, but I don’t care.
I’ve also got some Orla Kiely mugs but I don’t use them much as they’re too small for tea.
Edited to say that I accompany my mugs with vintage plates and milk jugs, mainly mid-century.
I do sympathise with your 'perfect mug' search as I too am very picky about what I sip tea from as well as what I pour it from (the teapot). I am so glad you toured the Potteries (my home town) as it must be the epicentre for all kinds of particular pottery aficionados like us. I remember shopping with my Mum on Stoke market and every stall that sold teapots (and there were a LOT of them) had a bucket of water on standby so you could test 'the pour'. Fussy lot these Stokies and we still are. I have eaten and drank out at some salubrious places but always turn over the china to check where it's from, especially if it is glassy and smooth, fine and slim, with a good handle in every sense of the word!
I can confirm that Tony Blair does drink a lot of tea. I worked for the Scottish Labour Party in 1996/7 and he came up a few times and does drink tea. He takes milk and two sugars in case you were wondering. I know because I made him tea. PS I love all those mugs. Stunning.
I loved this. I need perfect mugs too - straight sides, plain handle with a good curve, thin porcelain, interesting decoration -nothing cutesy. My favourite mug came from the National Trust shop in Bath at least 20 years ago with a pattern of kitchen garden vegetables by Pat Albeck. It remains in perfect condition and is used and goes through the dishwasher almost every day.
My husband insists on bone china for drinking tea. As a non tea drinker (shock horror) I am more taken by shape and colour. My favourite mugs are an artisan mug from Limoges and the red Cornishware mug I picked up for £2.99 in Oxfam.
Isn't a handle less mug a beaker? Love your new choice, happy tea drinking.
Thanks Jane for this. The search for the perfect mug read like a thriller...I could feed the tension rising towards the end of the piece and felt very anxious...
Oh I am so with you on the search for the ‘right’ mug! Not looking for perfect, although that would be refreshing, as I enjoy a new mug every now and then. My current fixation is the lovely simplicity of the hand thrown utility ware by Devon-based Bethan Jones. No frills just beautifully tactile glazes. Although I still love my curvaceous Polish pottery, in all its chunky glazed glory!
I enjoyed reading views of different types of cups or mugs for different drinks. There's certainly a fashion for serving cappuccino in wide low cups. And as often as not the drink is rapidly moving to lukewarm by the time it gets to your table. I was told once by the waiter that it should never be served hot. Having spent much time in Italy and having Italian friends and relatives this was a new idea to me. Most Italian cafés serve milky coffees in taller narrower cups which ensure that the drink stays hot for the amount of time you'd need to drink it and enjoy your accompanying pasticceria. The low, deep cups favoured in many English coffee shops don't keep the drink hot. But that's only my opinion of course. I know I now have to make sure I ask for my cappuccino to be served with extra shots and extra hot. I still adhere to coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. My afternoon tea, served with cake, has to be served in a cup and saucer.
Ha! This was such a great post. And I loved all the comments. Thank you. Personally I have a (specially commissioned) very large mug made out of a beautiful pale clay by Graham Lovett, a potter and plumber in Tyddewi/St Davids. It has a slightly rough texture and is therefore obviously only suitable for milky coffee at breakfast time. Tea can be in other mugs, but preferably a nice hand thrown one or something from Stoke in bone china.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who distinguishes between tea mugs (thin, preferably white inside) and coffee mugs (can be shorter, thicker, and any colour)
My favourite mug is by Repeat Repeat, but it’s a size and shape they don’t make any more. The pattern is under the glaze, so it won’t fade.
I’ve looked high and low for a back up for my RR mug , and the OK ones looked like they’d fit the bill so I got quite excited, but I resent paying all that money and they aren’t dishwasher proof. It’s been done cheaply, so they just print on the pattern.
In my hunt I have bought one or two possibilities, some quite expensive, but actually the second best I’ve found is the £2.50 IKEA 365 mug. The perfect size for a cup of tea, a sensible handle, feels good when you’re drinking and it’s dishwasher safe. It fits the brief so well I overlook its lack of ‘oomph’.
You can get an induction BialettI! I am also incredibly fussy about mugs and cups, (my husband calls me a cuppist) but after my many years on the planet I have an embarrassment of them, no sets just many and varied.
The correct mug is a huge part of the enjoyment of the beverage. Personally I prefer glass mugs for coffee, bone china for tea. I dislike wide tops (cools too easily); low handles (very unbalanced); and small mugs (not satisfying at all!) The search continues 🙏
I remember when frothy coffee was a thing in coffee bars. I think it started in the 1950s but would have been the late 1960s for me. The coffee was always served in glass cups and saucers. Probably in a Wimpy Bar!
That’s interesting! My mum loves a “frothy coffee” but I’ve never taken milk. I’m retro at last 🤩
Love this and love a good mug. Bone china very important and the Spode William Morris 340ml are my current favourite: https://www.johnlewis.com/search?search-term=Morris%20mugs
Jane, as a fellow fussy, scalding-hot tea drinker of a decent quantity, may I point you to the Emma Bridgewater half-pint mugs? They are not fine bone china but they will go in the dishwasher and my collection of flower mugs (rotated according to whichever flower is most in season) bring me joy every time I have a cup of tea. And they are made in England.
so, are Emma Bridgewater mugs no longer desirable? I find them perfect, in both the small for coffee and regular (huge) size for tea. But got an inkling that they might have become a tad out of step when watching a rerun of a 1990s sitcom where Judi Dench shares her house with her very cool daughter and all her young city friends (can't remember the name) and the daughter had a WHOLE TEA SET in the splatter pattern: teapot, mugs, sugar and cream. It was like a hectic indigo storm surrounded by overstuffed chintz sofas. The use of Emma Bridgewater in this intergenerational comedy was clearly ironic, even at the time this pattern came out. But they are still wonderfully capacious mugs, solid, wide base, good handles, almost unbreakable, and beautiful to look at. The perfect mug.
I don’t know, Stephanie, but personally I do choose my EB designs carefully. I wouldn’t have the spotty ones or the ‘tea & toast’ type patterns as I think they’re a bit … I don’t know… well, not ‘me’ anyway. I’m sure plenty of people would think the ones I *do* like a bit naff, but I don’t care.
I’ve also got some Orla Kiely mugs but I don’t use them much as they’re too small for tea.
Edited to say that I accompany my mugs with vintage plates and milk jugs, mainly mid-century.
If it doesn't go in a dishwasher, I can't be doing with it!
I Love pottery, but not to drink out of. Too thick for mouth feel.
I do sympathise with your 'perfect mug' search as I too am very picky about what I sip tea from as well as what I pour it from (the teapot). I am so glad you toured the Potteries (my home town) as it must be the epicentre for all kinds of particular pottery aficionados like us. I remember shopping with my Mum on Stoke market and every stall that sold teapots (and there were a LOT of them) had a bucket of water on standby so you could test 'the pour'. Fussy lot these Stokies and we still are. I have eaten and drank out at some salubrious places but always turn over the china to check where it's from, especially if it is glassy and smooth, fine and slim, with a good handle in every sense of the word!
I love the idea of having water handy to test a teapot. Too many ceramists make beautiful teapots that are completely non-functional—grrr!
I can confirm that Tony Blair does drink a lot of tea. I worked for the Scottish Labour Party in 1996/7 and he came up a few times and does drink tea. He takes milk and two sugars in case you were wondering. I know because I made him tea. PS I love all those mugs. Stunning.
I loved this. I need perfect mugs too - straight sides, plain handle with a good curve, thin porcelain, interesting decoration -nothing cutesy. My favourite mug came from the National Trust shop in Bath at least 20 years ago with a pattern of kitchen garden vegetables by Pat Albeck. It remains in perfect condition and is used and goes through the dishwasher almost every day.
My husband insists on bone china for drinking tea. As a non tea drinker (shock horror) I am more taken by shape and colour. My favourite mugs are an artisan mug from Limoges and the red Cornishware mug I picked up for £2.99 in Oxfam.
Isn't a handle less mug a beaker? Love your new choice, happy tea drinking.
Thanks Jane for this. The search for the perfect mug read like a thriller...I could feed the tension rising towards the end of the piece and felt very anxious...
The search continues...please keep us informed.
Oh I am so with you on the search for the ‘right’ mug! Not looking for perfect, although that would be refreshing, as I enjoy a new mug every now and then. My current fixation is the lovely simplicity of the hand thrown utility ware by Devon-based Bethan Jones. No frills just beautifully tactile glazes. Although I still love my curvaceous Polish pottery, in all its chunky glazed glory!
Polish Pottery for me!
I enjoyed reading views of different types of cups or mugs for different drinks. There's certainly a fashion for serving cappuccino in wide low cups. And as often as not the drink is rapidly moving to lukewarm by the time it gets to your table. I was told once by the waiter that it should never be served hot. Having spent much time in Italy and having Italian friends and relatives this was a new idea to me. Most Italian cafés serve milky coffees in taller narrower cups which ensure that the drink stays hot for the amount of time you'd need to drink it and enjoy your accompanying pasticceria. The low, deep cups favoured in many English coffee shops don't keep the drink hot. But that's only my opinion of course. I know I now have to make sure I ask for my cappuccino to be served with extra shots and extra hot. I still adhere to coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. My afternoon tea, served with cake, has to be served in a cup and saucer.
Ha! This was such a great post. And I loved all the comments. Thank you. Personally I have a (specially commissioned) very large mug made out of a beautiful pale clay by Graham Lovett, a potter and plumber in Tyddewi/St Davids. It has a slightly rough texture and is therefore obviously only suitable for milky coffee at breakfast time. Tea can be in other mugs, but preferably a nice hand thrown one or something from Stoke in bone china.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who distinguishes between tea mugs (thin, preferably white inside) and coffee mugs (can be shorter, thicker, and any colour)
My favourite mug is by Repeat Repeat, but it’s a size and shape they don’t make any more. The pattern is under the glaze, so it won’t fade.
I’ve looked high and low for a back up for my RR mug , and the OK ones looked like they’d fit the bill so I got quite excited, but I resent paying all that money and they aren’t dishwasher proof. It’s been done cheaply, so they just print on the pattern.
In my hunt I have bought one or two possibilities, some quite expensive, but actually the second best I’ve found is the £2.50 IKEA 365 mug. The perfect size for a cup of tea, a sensible handle, feels good when you’re drinking and it’s dishwasher safe. It fits the brief so well I overlook its lack of ‘oomph’.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/ikea-365-mug-white-80278367/
And the little cork coasters are brilliant and double up as a pin keeper for sewing.
Oh Jane, yet again I agree 100%. I am so fussy about my mugs. You have given me a strong desire to renew my stable. Xx