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?

I was upset this morning. Run out of dishwasher tablets, so no one put it on last night. Shit selection of morning coffee mugs.

I have my favoured, which was bought from a charity shop years ago in a pair, one has broken, I have one left. Flared top, white inner, handle good, just the right size. I know exactly how much coffee to put in it.

Most of our other mugs are too small. Not only dissatisfying in quantity but messes up the ratios so things end up too strong or too milky.

DH has a favourite mug too but he is wrong as his is too small for decency. Even though it’s one a friend bought for me, it’s now his.

I have realised I need a clearout and some new mugs. Non shit ones.

I have: Usual Mug, Early Morning Mug, Gardening Mug, Christmas Mug.

DH has: Tea Mug, to be used everywhere at any time of day.

Some family members who visit also have their "own" here and will rummage in the cupboard until they find the one they want.

Irregular visitors either have any old mug which is available, or the posh ones, depending on who they are.

The only distinction I make is big mug for tea and smaller ones for coffee.

When I lived with my mum I had:

A cup for tea
A cup for soup
A cup for lemsip
A cup for hot chocolate
A cup for herbal tea
A cup for hot ribena

Now I live in my own house with much less cupboard space, I only have 1 cup sob it feels wrong using it for any beverage.

Has any research been done on why tea tastes different if served in the wrong mug?

YANBU

I have a special mug for my early morning cup of tea. Only that mug will do. In the past, (when previous incarnations have gone to the great broken china heap in the sky) it has taken me months to find another one that feels right. I'm all at sixes and sevens until the matter is settled.

Knittedfairies there was an Inside the Factory recently about crisps where they showed how big an impact sight and sensation have on taste. So it's perfectly feasible that something like mug thickness would impact on what we think of as the taste of a drink

I don't have your very specific list as I have quite the mug problem and have a LOT but I have very specific A-list and B-list mugs. I must never be given a B-list mug.

From the A-list, there are large and small (aka training mugs), and obviously it's vital that I get the right one. All are fine china, all have designs I like.

Aside to this, I have my first cup of tea every morning in a random mug which meets none of the above criteria, being from Woolworths (shows its age) and rather clunky. It also has a Christmas design, but is used all year.

I freely admit I am a PITA and odd about mugs, but it still irritates me when other people don't get my system. Loads of people buy me mugs too, because they know I like them, but I don't think anyone has ever bought me a mug I'd choose to use and haven't shuffled on to the B shelf.

I have specific mugs, means I can make the right quantity

DH does cause issue as he will drink from absolutely ANYTHING!
Lemonade in mugs, wine glasses, it drives me nuts

I have certain cups that I like to use for coffee, but if they're all in the dishwasher or someone else has grabbed them, I don't mind choosing something different. It's not a big deal. The only thing I don't like is when my husband gives my special 'Mum' mug to the builders or whoever.

Oh and one final element of weirdness......I never drink cold drinks out of mugs....hate it!

That's not weird, it's normal - or at least it is in this house, cold drinks are served in a glass.

We have work day and not work day 'start the day' cups (my 'day' can start at any time if I'm not in the office). There are then cups of coffee, cups for tea and cups for hot chocolate/horlicks/etc. Formal tea and coffee sets are used for more 'special' occasions, not just because we have visitors.

Glassware comes in 2 levels; everyday usage (covers water, juice, red/white wines) and formal (full set of crystal glassware, matching patterns covering all possibilities).

We do have a miscellaneous mug collection from gifts/easter eggs/etc, if it was given to you, you can use it whenever...otherwise keep your mitts off!

YANBU but you are weird.

@tsonlyme I hope you told the friend that while she's welcome to have a mug at your house, it cannot be that monstrosity!

YANBU. I don't have drink specific mugs, but I definite have a mug ranking.

1. Blue Eeyore mug
2. Music quote mug
3. Cat mug

I caught DH using my Eeyore mug a few weeks ago, I genuinely considered asking him to pour into another mug but decided that might be crossing the line and he'd probably think I'd lost what remaining sanity I have

No sensible boring adult mugs here, all a mish mash of designs!

Yanbu. I have a mug for tea at breakfast time and it is wrong to use a different one. I then have a few that are suitable for morning coffee and switch to a different for tea in the afternoon.

This is also me.

ANd I have different mugs for use outdoors, where they might be dropped or knocked onto a hard surface (yes - they are the expendable bachelors of the much world, straight into the front line).

I also never drink cold drinks out of anything but a glass.

I LOATHE plastic cups/mugs, and would rather risk a favourite china mug or cup outside than use plastic/ acrylic or similar shite - I would drink out of my hands first!

Cups for drinking chocolate are altogether separate from tea and coffee cups, and are not used for anything else.

DH just picks the first mug or cup he lays his careless hands on and drinks pretty much any sort of crap out of it - however, he has particular whiskey glasses for blends and for single malt.

NEVER put a single malt in a blend glass!!!!!

NEVER put anything except single malt into a single malt glass no matter how desperate you may be for gin.

Now I live in my own house with much less cupboard space, I only have 1 cup

My mum and partner came over to our gaff once and collected cups out the cupboard for tea. Somehow I ended up having my tea in a mug that DH got one Father's Day with "Best Daddy" or something on it. I tried to be blasé and insouciant about it, but inside I was trembling slightly. DH's mug! Not mine! (I don't have a commemorative mug lauding me to the heavens, bit insulting but that's just how it is.) I think I may have mentioned it tentatively in a "Well how weird to be drinking from DH's cup!" but everyone was terribly British and pretended they hadn't heard. However I did catch a slight glance of understanding from my mum, who inherited a mug from my gran when the latter passed away (1986) and has used it ever since.

Some of our mugs - and we have legion - have been demoted to pen pots, since I have feel odd about a room that doesn't contain a) a clock b) scissors c) bookmarks and d) at least two ballpoint pens. So pen pots are somewhat common in our house, and they are usually promotional ones from work and have tedious logos and slogans on. The only exception to this is my hand painted one I did myself, which is of course utterly stupendous, but they messed up the glaze before firing and it's not reliably watertight.

I have found my people!
I have a work cup hierarchy and a home cup hierarchy!
Tea at work must be in pretty blue cup.
Coffee at work must be in large festive gingerbread ceramic travel mug that has long since lost its travel lid.
Tea at home must be in blue in mug (for continuity from work blue tea cup)
Instant coffee at home is only served in black mug as the contents must also be black.
Tassimo drinks of any variety are to be served in the specially bought mini mugs with the big handles because they fit the exact amount that the tassimo dispenses. - normal mugs are not to be used at all for tassimo as it's a sad serving otherwise and is met with sarcastic statements about the tide being out!
Massive gin glass for big gin requirements.
Small gin glass for lesser gin emergencies.
Tall tumblers for any kind of soft drink.
"Guest" mugs in grey to match the front room for guests.

@ApollO88 There is no such thing as a lesser gin emergency

We've got Newer Smarter Bigger mugs (preferred) and Random Old Survivors used only when none of the others is available.

I secretly love the Octonauts mug someone gave to DS but it is not big enough.

YANBU OP, you are being civilised and organised. Just like me.

Tea at work must be in pretty blue cup.

Don't get me started on cups at work! Just don't. Just bloody don't get me started!

I used to take my own cup in and people would use the bastard even though I had a sign on it saying Schadenfreude's PERSONAL cup - do not use - and even worse they wouldn't wash it and would just leave it on the end of their desk I started off being polite, and I'm afraid a timesI became a bit stabby shouty.

The I hid it in my desk - it was safer there, but not totally. I came back from holiday one time to find that SOME BASTARD HAD BEEN INTO MY DRAWER AND BORROWED MY CUP AND LEFT IT ON THE WINDOWSILL IN THE COMMUNAL KITCHEN AND IT HAD A FRIGGING ECOSYSTEM GROWING IN IT!

On one occasion I was asked to bring some papers into boss's office when he was in a meeting with another department head and the visiting fucker was DRINKING OUT OF MY CUP! When I felt I couldn't say anything because the Honour of the Department was at stake.

It wasn't that they were targeting me because I was precious about it - they did it with all cups - no respect for the porcelain. Any and every cup was fair game.

Twats.

Yes!
We have mug / cup hierarchy in our house too!
We have 2 different sets which we use daily. we have 8 PiP Studio mugs all from the same range (shape) but different patterns. We use these for proper coffee in the mornings. In fact coffee at any time but only coffee.

We also have a set of 8 Burleigh blue & white floral mugs, again all the same range but different patterns and these are used for tea.

When we also have a smaller number if teacups and saucers in both ranges and use these for guests after dinner when we want to be posh! But only for tea. Coffee is served in the PiP mugs.

I also have a vast range of glasses - red wine, white wine, champagne, gin balloons, champagne coupe glasses, whiskey glasses and random but beautiful glasses we use for water daily and full sets of 12 each in various shapes and sizes for dinner parties / gatherings.

It gives me immense pleasure to have the correct vessel for the correct beverage for any occasion.

I have a similar problem with serving platters / bowls and dinner & side plates....

Oh and I have an oversize bone china cup and saucer for tea on Saturday mornings.

DH hasn't quite got the memo as he sometimes gives it to me on a Sunday morning. Sigh.

I have a mug hierarchy.

Tea must be served in my "If you don't get my Harry Potter references, there is something Siriusly Ron with you" mug.

If for some mad reason this isn't available, then my arctic hare mug will suffice. If that isn't available (and to be honest, if neither of those mugs are available, then there is something seriously wrong somewhere) then I will be satisfied with my Bristol City mug.

I don't drink coffee.

My husband has a complicated rota-based system with his mugs, they each get a certain amount of time, but I'm never sure how it works so I just use whichever one is on the draining board, and if there isn't one, select whichever is closest in the cupboard.

Cold drinks are served in my Hogwarts Houses glass, and if that isn't available then my Gloucestershire Cricket Club plastic pint cup I stole from the cricket. If that isn't available (and my children are rather partial to it) then my Bristol Bears rugby cup will do. I don't drink from plain glasses.

My mother bought her own mug to keep at mine because she only drinks from bone china. It's very nice but too grown up for me.

My kids have their own cups; indeed, my ASD 5 year old has had meltdowns if he doesn't get his penguin cup and the 2 year old can't drink out of anything that doesn't have a screwed on lid as he spills for fun. Although that's less of a hierarchy and more just good sense.

Oh, and I have a yellow mug with a meme on it that says Men! They're like tyres, it never hurts to have a spare. I try not to get funny about it, but I get twitchy if anyone makes me tea in any other mug.