What is tea without a tea cup? The absolute most essential tool for a tea drinker, unless, of course, the trend moves to sipping from your cupped hands. Tea mugs are where I started, because I was drinking mainly bagged teas or loose-leaf English Breakfast and chai tea blends. There is also the tea bottle and tea glass. However, as I moved deeper into my practice, I discovered how important a good tea cup is to the overall experience. Over the years, I have gathered many types of teacups to suit different experiences, whether sipping with friends and family or drinking solo.
A teacup is a work of art. There are many different styles and aesthetics, even down to the feel of the tea cup while sipping. It all adds to what you are experiencing. For example, I like to see the color of my tea through the cup, and I prefer a more rounded edge. I also enjoy a tea cup with a wider rim rather than a traditional cup.
In this post, we will explore the teacup and a few varieties you can purchase!
5 Teacup Suggestions
1. Double Glass Wall Teacup
My favorite and most frequently used teacup, the double-glass-wall cup, checks a lot of boxes. With this teacup, you can see the color of your tea, which is important to the experience of tasting and seeing. I love that I can look at my tea from different angles and in different shades of light, and see how the color changes as I brew it longer. I’m a big fan of the rounded edge. It is great for sipping or for tea tasting if you are working on journal notes. What’s also great about this cup is that I was able to purchase it as part of a teacup set, which may be more appealing to first-time buyers.
2. Chinese Yixing Clay Teacup
As my affinity for tea has grown, so has my love of teacups made from different materials. You will find many teacups out there, made of clay, particularly Yixing clay. What I love about my Yixing teacup is its porous feel and round opening. You will find various sizes; mine is about 80 ml, which is perfect for a single serving. They hold temperature well and are great for impressing guests! As with my Chinese tea cup, I tend to use only darker teas in them, such as heavily oxidized blacks, oolongs, or pu’ers.
3. Ceramic Teacup
It’s always a good idea to have a few solid ceramic tea cups. These are great in any situation, whether it’s you sipping or entertaining guests. I also suggest a few sizes in case you are using teapots that brew a larger single-serving amount. Ceramic teacups come in different shapes and feature various art patterns. I love mine because they have Japanese visuals. You can find what works for you!
4. Yan Hou Tang Ming Dynasty Style Chinese Cup
My Yan Hou Chinese Tea Cup is one of my favorites. This is an example of how tea cups can differ. This teacup is made of clay, and what I like about it is how the shape is more of a well. It still holds about 70 ml of tea, but it just does it differently. It fits well in the palm and has a rounded opening, which I love for sipping. Although you cannot see the color of your tea as well, I still love looking through the tea into the cup. This is a great teacup if you move up from a ceramic one.
5. A Solid Tea Mug
Not exactly a cup, but important to have. A good tea mug is important because, as a tea drinker, you are likely to have bagged tea or loose-leaf that you brew in a teapot for a larger cup. This may be a type of chai or English Breakfast. Maybe something you add milk or cream to, or perhaps you make a latte. Whatever the reason, you want to make sure you have a solid mug to go with your tea cups.
You now have a solid lineup of teacups to consider. All in all, you cannot go wrong with any of them, but you will learn what works best for you based on your experience and situation. The reason you may go for ceramics in the beginning is that it tends to be cheaper than some of the handmade clay tea cups. There are also many teacup sets you can purchase that may include a small teapot.
As you work on your teacup collection, you will also want to consider your teapots. Check out my article on popular teapots and how to use them. Happy brewing!
In this post, you learned about five great tea cups you want for a great experience!
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