Why does tea taste better in a teacup?

A well-designed cup to enjoy tea or coffee is important in providing a sensory user experience as well as enhancing the flavour. As such making tea/coffee is equally determining as you would want to savour the drink at its best.

I despise any vessel that is made of plastic or melamine ware to drink tea or coffee, the preference is for ceramic ware - from stoneware to porcelain, or glass. I don’t like the beverage in a mug either if it’s used, the content should not exceed three-quarter of the mug, a full mug is ungainly wholly unsuited to tea/coffee drinking.

When drinking Chinese tea, it is best with a gaiwan bowl (with a lid). English tea cup essentially comes in two shape: a thin porcelain/china cup with a wide rim to cool the tea faster; and a tall narrow one to concentrate the aroma and keep it hot longer.

Porcelain thin cups lose the heat faster while ceramic retains the heat longer than even glass. Cups are fundamental to a good user experience; this Indian style stoneware is perfect for chai. There’s wisdom behind the ergonomics and subtle curves to accommodate the hand and lips - function and form in perfect sync.

A teacup’s style and shape enhance the sensory experience and even optimize the flavour of the beverage. Porcelain tea tasting cup above is ideal for teas due to its large surface area. The subtly curved lip enhances the tactile experience and control the placement of the liquid as you imbibe the liquid. The dramatically curved handle is perfect for holding the cup, functionally designed to protect the fingers from the hot surface of the cup as well as accentuating the graceful design of the cup.