Ever since I was a little girl, spending lots of time with my friend Leigh and her very British family, I have gained an appreciation for tea and the porcelain (fine bone china) mugs that must be used to enjoy it! My family, being Persian (also a very strong tea culture) drinks black tea out of clear glasses - but the porcelain tea mug is more my style. Milky black tea in a large yet delicate mug. For some reason, I am quite content drinking coffee from a large chunky ceramic mug, but tea..... has to be out of fine delicate porcelain. My porcelain tea mugs are one of the great little pleasures in my life, which I really appreciate. They bring me comfort and make me feel civilized - even on the most harried of days!
TIP! Do you know how to tell if something is porcelain vs. ceramic? If you hold porcelain up to a light, and put your hand behind it, you can see the shadow of your hand through the piece (porcelain is translucent).
Traditional porcelain tea cups are fine (you know, the pinkie up cups that came with your wedding china) - but they hold so very little. I NEED VOLUME to satisfy my desire for a large mug of morning tea to wrap my hands around. My favourites are my porcelain mugs form Harrods (a famous department store in England). They are delicate yet tall (8cm/3inches in diameter and 12cm/5inches high) and hold just the right volume of tea (320ml or 1.5 cups). I bought these on a trip to England about 15 years ago, and I have yet to find a comparable product readily available in Canada (usually size is the issue). Drinking tea from these mugs is one of the true pleasures of my day, and I wish I had more of them (when Leigh's family comes over, as they frequently do, I don't have enough to go around!). I think it is so important to have "little pleasures" in our lives which we can use to ground us and calm us when things are getting a little nuts. These mugs will forever remind me of the countless hours I have spend with Leigh and her family, in their kitchens, enjoying the company of some of my favourite people on the planet.
Has anyone out there come across something that I can source in North America?
Are there any little items in your life which bring you great pleasure - share with your girlfriends!
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