the history of teacup and coffee cup


Permission for publication was granted on July 13, 2022.

Author: Kanna Watanabe

A second-year student at the University of Tsukuba


Today, we drink tea or coffee in many types of beverage containers, for example, tumblers, glasses, bottles, and so on. We use them every day, but few people know about the origin of those cups and how they have improved. The history of domination of England and America formed the culture of tea and coffee separately. Therefore, it is easy to think that coffee cups and teacups have developed with each drink. However, does each “cup” has a separate historical background, too? Actually, both cups were originally created in China and Japan but were sophisticated in Europe.


In the mid-16th century, when Europeans started to drink tea, they did not have their own porcelain cup. Therefore, upper-class people use “tea bowls” imported from China or “Yunomi” from Japan. Since those oriental designs were accepted, chinoiserie*1 and Japonisme*2 became popular. As those articles were expensive, many people also used tea sets made of silver. But the silver cup got too hot to hold when it was heated, they poured hot drinks. On the other hand, the history of the coffee cup is similar to that of the teacup up to the 18th century. In the early 17th century, coffee was introduced to Europe. In the middle 17th century, coffeehouses began to attract citizens. They enjoyed talking over coffee in metal containers that looked look like cans. However, those were too hot to hold. Therefore, guests drank coffee after they poured it into a saucer and let it cool. 


In the 18th century, Meissen of Germany made the first porcelain cup by themselves, and after that, teacups and coffee cups evolved rapidly. A few years later, they made cups with handles and saucers. England also followed them and developed “bone china” and “Qqueensware” which continue to be loved until now. After that, teacups and coffee cups evolved into different shapes and designs. Teacups are short and thin in order to cool hot tea to the proper temperature. Conversely, coffee cups are tall and thick to allow coffee to be at the proper temperature so that it is not so hot when brewed. The teacup has a design on the inside of the cup because tea is transparent, but coffee is dark to see through, so the cup has no design inside. After 1830, during Queen Victoria’s accession, teacups began to be designed in a feminine and gorgeous manner. During her reign, afternoon tea became popular among the upper nobility. Since then, England has produced far more types of teacups than coffee cups. Now, the top popular tableware brands include Royal Copenhagen, Wedgwood, Meissen, and other European companies.


When Europeans drank tea for the first time, their cup culture had not matured yet. Therefore, they only imported articles from China and Japan. In the 18th century, they started to make their own teacup. After that, teacups and coffee cups improved into different forms which suited each drink. In conclusion, the two types of cups have similar origins but were improved by tableware brands in Europe to meet the demands of the upper class. Such articles have become the basis for modern cups. In addition, items like “bone china” and “Queensware” have been loved until today.


Notes:

*1 Chinoiserie: a style of art, furniture, decoration, etc. that has Chinese or East Asian influences in the design. It was popular in Europe in the 18th century (Cambridge Dictionary, 2022)

*2 Japonisme: The influence of Japan on European art, especially in impressionism. (The Free Dictionary, 2022)


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