To have a hierarchy of drinking vessels?

[mediumbrownmug]

So up until I married, I genuinely thought that certain cups being for tea and others for coffee, etc. was a common practice. I myself have an (admittedly extensive) hierarchy of mugs/cups to be used for each drink. The breakdown is as follows:

Tea should be made in Particular Brown Mug (I have two).
If brown mugs are not available, tea may be made in either of two thin-walled Floral Mugs.
If these aren't available, tea can then AND ONLY THEN be made in one of the Taller White Mugs (we have eight).
If none of the above is available, an emergency dishwasher run needs to take place immediately, and in the meantime one of the bone china tea cups will come out with much fanfare (bone china not being toddler-compatible, they come out but rarely nowadays).

There's a similar hierarchy of coffee mugs. Juice and water also have particular cups, but they're not quite as stringently enforced. DH knows this and accepts it.

The problem is that DH has no Special Mugs. None. He has no issue whatsoever with my hierarchy of tumblers and has even painstakingly learned which ones to grab in various scenarios when he makes the drinks- but he doesn't have a mug that HE prefers. When I ask if he wants tea/coffee I have no idea what to give it to him in.

Wondering if he just hadn't "found the right one yet", I went ahead and purchased a Potential Special Mug for him as a present (he had been dropping hints that he wanted it) and he does like and use it, but refuses to insist that it, or any other drinking vessel, only be used for one particular beverage to the exclusion of all other mugs. I, coming from a long line of Special Mug lovers, find this lack of commitment odd.

By way of comparison, my DF still uses the same Special Mug that he's been drinking from for the past two decades. Even my DGPs each had their own Special Mug marked with nail polish in an inconspicuous spot to differentiate between the two identical mugs so they could tell whose was whose. AIBU to have a Special Mug, and provisions for when the said mug is unavailable?

This is a deeply fascinating thread as I thought I was the only one who did this.

Me:
Morning cup of tea : Olive green, nicely rounded Denby mug with white interior. Second choice is my unbranded supermarket mug, roses and birds on outside, cream interior, chunky base, nicely weighted.

Mid morning tea: rinse and repeat above selection.

Afternoon coffee: Brown vintage 70's Denby mug, with matching saucer. IMPORTANT! : this mug is ONLY for coffee made in the Nespresso machine as it fits perfectly and is NOT to be used for instant coffee! Instant coffee requires my Sainsbury's mug, floral, white interior, with matching saucer.

Hot chocolate : large Mr Tickle mug.

Mathanxiety, my electric kettle is also a tea pot (it has a basket insert that automatically lowers and steeps the tea when the water reaches the correct temperature for whichever type of tea I'm making; it was a birthday gift ). So I "make" the tea in my mug (by adding milk and sugar).

Getting some good mug ideas from this thread! Am now obsessed with getting a Shipping Forecast mug

Morning cup of tea at weekends is in one of my waitrose blue nautical themed mugs.

Any tea in the afternoon must be in one of the white villeroy cups with a saucer

Coffee is espresso which much be in the red le creuset espresso cup. DHs in the blue one. Pink and orange are for visitors if they wish to have espresso.

I have a China cup for my mums tea when she visits - tea to her must be served in as thin as possible cup, and it must be white.

My dad, however, uses mug hierarchy to wind her up. Any mug that’s he can grab, and he also uses mugs for water. For as long as I can remember, he’s been being told off for mugs of water on the dining table. It’s almost as much of a sin as putting the bread bag on the table.

@Esker shipping forecast mug

I am not bothered about mugs these days, I used to have quite a lot years ago,,and only used to use one at all times. I only have six now, but still only use my cat printed one for my tea, I don't drink coffee. I am going to off load four of my six mugs this week leaving me with two, my cat mug,and one with an owl on it. amongst the chucked out ones this week,is a very nice china mug,its got fancy designer shoes in various colours on it, bought for my 40 year old shoe mad daughter, she came to visit a bit ago, and said it was ghastly ha ha, and it cost me £6.50..so very upsetting,as most mugs I have bought,are from the hospice charity shop, usually 75 pence or so,

But you can get addicted to mugs, I was the same years ago, mine had to have wildlife stuff on them, now, I only want two mugs, de clutter is the way to go.

Yes but surely you need to keep enough mugs for visitors?

Odd.
I just grab the first mug out of the drawer for my tea or coffee.No one else I know has certain mugs for certain drinks. I never knew it was a ''thing''

Esker

Also these
www.amazon.co.uk/s/?hvlocphy=1006736&hvptwo&hvnetw=g&keywords=shipping+forecast+mug&hvadid=296407046604&index=aps&hvpone&ref=pd_sl_5djs0n6c3b_e_p46&hvlocint&hvpos=1t1&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt=e&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&hvtargid=kwd-315764649085&adgrpid=64656693492&hvrand=1885593205263471618

Grumpy

Have you consulted your GP?

And therein lies one of your many problems GrumpyOldMare. Firstly, you do not appreciate the usage of the correct vessel for the correct hot beverage. But then.... Then it transpires you keep your mugs IN A DRAWER. This is not the thread for you. Move along. Nothing to see here.

*Grumpy

Have you consulted your GP?*

What for?

I just grab the first mug out of the drawer for my tea or coffee. That'll be why you're grumpy, @grumpy.

I just grab the first mug out of the drawer for my tea or coffee. That'll be why you're grumpy, @grumpy**

Eh? As long as I get my hot drink,it really doesn't matter what vessel it's in. A mug is a mug.Only grumpy if no chai latte or ordinary tea in the cupboard and I have to drink coffee

I’ve found my people

My morning tea mug

A mug is a mug

I too have special cups for tea.

We have three small china mugs, these are my first choice and are known as the special cups. If these aren't clean we have two small Snowman cups that will do. After that all other cups make me a bit sad. I still pine for the original special cup that I pinched off one of the children many years ago. Someone has nearly been forgiven for breaking it.

I saw a Dobbie the house elf mug last week that's going to empower my lovely DIL at Christmas as she likes one that your hands cup.

All perfectly normal

Yes, definite hierarchy of mugs in this house. Also a "lower-archy" - DH has a particularly foul friend who gets his coffee in a really nasty mug (scratched on the inside, given free at some construction industry symposium a couple of decades ago). This mug also gets used for collecting excess fat from a roast and swishing kids paintbrushes. I thought about throwing it away when I had a clear-out but kept it back specifically for serving Hideous Pete his coffee.

I have special cups depending on tea or coffee and Dh knows this but doesn't understand the importance and mixes it up. Obviously I'm polite as he's made me a tea/coffee and he doesn't drink either but inside I'm all "why did he use a tea mug for coffee?!"

I didn't realise others didn't have this. At work I just have 1 mug for everything.

Beautiful design Grey Lady - and the shape is superb, but the mug looks too chinky for my taste.

I thought about throwing it away when I had a clear-out but kept it back specifically for serving Hideous Pete his coffee.

Quite right - don't soil a good cup.

I have a broken handled 'water for toddler painting sessions' mug, a round bottomed 'blending bisto or cornflour' mug, an undersized 'perfect for child's cocoa' mug and three 'birthday present for mum' mugs. After that it's a free for all. I am now wondering if I'm missing out and ought to impose a complex hierarchy just to mess with everybody's head. Possibly I don't care enough as long as the tea keeps coming.

I like a chunky mug. Delicate bone china is not my thing.

My favourite mug, that I'm using now is a Le Creuset mug. I love their stuff but I'm far too weak of arm to heft around cast iron cooking pots so I bought one of their mugs instead. I wish I could justify a whole set, but not at £8 each, even from the outlet shop, when we already have far more mugs than we need.