Tea Cups Without Handles

[sandyRoe]

Was the thought behind the design that if it was cool enough to lift the contents would be cool enough to drink?

[Tilly2]

I have a tea cup without a handle. It's part of a set that lives in my cabinet. I accidently dropped it when putting it back in after having been washed. I have strategically placed it so that it doesn't show but I am so mad at myself for ruining the set!

[sandyRoe]

Tilly2,

Have you thought of removing the handles off the other ones so they all match?

[DTCwordfan]

it could become a communion set....sorry sandy!

[Tilly2]

No, Sandy. I have not.

[barry1010]

dustypuss, the first and last time i had a coffee in a Starbucks/Costa/Nero it came in a huge bowl of a cup with a teeny tiny handle.

I have big hands and thick fingers, it wasn't pleasant.  Also with the cup being so wide and shallow the coffee soon went cold. Never again.

I've also been served coffee in very tall, slim beakers with a tiny solid triangular handle.   

I'm too big and clumsy for fancy coffee shops. 

[jno]

in olden times tea in China wasn't that hot; my guess would be that handles were added as drinkers came to like hot stuff.

Bowls are an awful lot easier to stack.

[Peter Pedant]

are you talking historically?

Originally, tea was drunk from silver - ouch! - not to slake thirst but as a dainty

THEN they were drunk from ( sociologists will have a field day) from handless cups - which were soft paste and could not stand red hot tea. The tea pot was similar soft paste which cd not withstand heat - and the answer is - - - the tea was made in the kitchen and when cooler, was decanted into the tea pot. The maid then served...

later ( post Botke I think) hard paste porcelain was made 1750