Tea lovers, we all love to spend a good time enjoying delicious tea in our favorite teacup. But there's a wide variety of cups available in different sizes. Which one to buy? Let's decipher these famous cups together.
Mug
A mug, i.e. a large cup with a handle and no saucer, generally holds between 25cl and 50 cl. Surprising as it may seem, the mug also has French origins. Once called a "moque" in western France, it is now a synonym for "bolée".
Tea format used Direct infusion with tea bags or a tea ball, as it's difficult to remove the tea leaves directly from the cup. The teapot could also be used.
Situation of use Personal consumption at any time of day.
Our recommendation Our large "Tenmoku" mug with its reactive glaze holds 40cl. Each mug is unique thanks to the reactive glazing technique, which means that the patterns are formed naturally in the ceramic kiln. The walls are thick enough to retain the heat of the tea.
Teacup or mug without handle
A handleless teacup, like the mug, generally holds between 25cl and 50cl. For optimum grip without burning, it is generally thick-walled. This type of cup is very common in Japan for everyday, personal use.
Tea format used : As with the mug, tea bags, tea balls and teapots are also available for infusion.
Situation of use : For personal consumption, but given its smaller capacity, it can also be used as a serving cup, after brewing tea in a teapot.
Our recommendation:
Tea cup with handle
A teacup with handle is a classic and traditional English tea service. With a relatively small capacity, between 20 and 30 clA teapot is generally recommended.
Japanese or Chinese teacup
Centered on conviviality and a sense of sharing, Asian tea cups are very small, ranging from 8cl to 25cl. Considered a social event, Asian tea lovers attach great importance to the utensils used. These range from the small 8cl cups known as "one sip" to the 25cl cups known as "the host cup".
Tea format used : A teapot or "Gaiwan" cup is generally used to brew tea (the "Gaiwan" cup is a cup with a lid and saucer. The tea is poured through a filter using the lid). Tea leaves are used to infuse without tea bags or tea balls.
Our recommendation:
Documentary reference: https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/moque/substantif