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?

[RebeccaCloud9]

YANBU
For me: tea

1. Emma Bridgewater Mrs mug
   
2. Large white mugs
   
3. Large blue mug
   
4. Wash one of the above
   

Coffee:

1. Smaller white mug
   
2. Cup with decoration on the base
   
3. Cup with coffee words round the side
   
4. Wash one of the above

[Antigon]

YANBU! That's batshit but I love it. What happens when one rung of the hierarchy dies? e.g. both Particular Brown Mugs die? (God forbid).

It sounds like your DGPs are the only people in the world who would have benefitted from those hideously twee 'his' and 'hers' mugs.

[BarbaraofSevillle]

YANBU.

We have dozens of cups and glasses and I'd say only about 5-10% of them actually get used apart from the one day a year when we host a regular family event. The rest are unsuitable for one reason or another.

We need to have a cull because, despite not buying any new ones for years, that I can recall, there is a whole shelf of mugs and 2 of glasses plus overspill and there are only 2 of us that live here .

[mediumbrownmug]

Antigon that's why I have more than one Particular Brown Mug. I used to have three, now there are two. The store still sells them, so if they both died I'd go back and buy another (hopefully!). Otherwise I'd have to hunt for another Special Mug which can take ages dithering at the store so DH is extra careful with them in the wash.

[vinegarqueen]

definitely yanbu. There is a mug hierarchy and it must be followed. The problem does arise that OH has a different mug hierarchy and will give me his favourite mug (which is not my favourite, iyswim) to show me how much he loves me because he is giving me what he feels is the best mug. Simultaneously lovely and upsetting.

[JanetLovesJason]

YANBU.

[SnugglySnerd]

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. DH has similar.
Sometimes when my mum is here she will make me a drink and uses the wrong mug at the wrong time of day which then messes up the whole system. I'm too nice to say anything but it really stresses me out!

[Mominatrix]

YANBU.

Coffee:
I only have one cup in the morning - a very large cup. I have a set of 500cc cups with saucers which are used for my morning tankard.
If a friend is over and wants a coffee, I have pastel mugs in the Swedish Grace pattern by Rorstrand for this. I also use these for tea mid-day

Tea:
See above for ordinary tea
I have a set of bernardaud china which I use if I am feeling down or having people over for tea

Hot chocolate:
I have smaller volume mugs for this

Drinks:
I have all sorts of wine glasses - full bodied red, white, champagne, liqueur, port/dessert which are used with meals when we have people over (except the champagne ones which I uses for the obvious purpose).

For everyday wine drinking, I got sick of breaking the stems off my glasses and replacing them (they are crystal), so I have a set of small french drinking glasses (stemless) which I use for my everyday glass.

Water - I have a carafe set with matching water glasses for meals. Otherwise, I have both tall and shorter glasses for water and other drinks.

[OscarWildesGreenCarnation]

Oh thank fuck. I thought I was being unreasonable!!

Huge first thing coffee mug (think French hot chocolate mug size). Carries on for an unhealthy three or four goes through the morning til my cups of tea in the pm. And god help anyone who's purloined my tea mug....

Juice, water, beer and wine all have specific glasses too. Why wouldn't they? Can't imagine drinking wine from a tumbler or pint glass.... Oh, hang on, back track to student days...

[tsonlyme]

simultaneously lovely and upsetting

Haha that made me laugh.

I am very specific about acceptable mug characteristics and didn’t realise until reading this thread that I fairly consistently use different ones at different times of day but I suspect that’s down to favouritism vs dishwasher schedule more than anything else.

I had s full fairly recently and was feeling pleased that the majority of my mugs were to my taste until
A) my daughter gave me a hideous monstrosity on her return from Greece

B) I discovered a unicorn cup. A feckin’ unicorn! It has a head in it and everything and is pink and rainbowy. Urgh. Turns out it doesn’t even belong to anyone who lives here but to my other daughter’s friend who decided she wanted her own coffee cup in my house. Jeez Louise.

[Shockers]

Morning coffee must be served in my ‘Dobby is a Free Elf’ mug.

It empowers me.

[speakout]

I can't abide a mish mash of mugs.

All my mugs are the same, plain white from Ikea. Same with crockery, plain white.
If something breaks it is replaced with the same.

Visitors and family use the same mugs.

I like the simplicity.

No one buys fancy mugs or gives as gifts. If on the rare occasion I may be given a mug as part of a hot chocolate set for instance it is taken to the charity shop.

[mediumbrownmug]

Morning coffee must be served in my ‘Dobby is a Free Elf’ mug.

It empowers me.

[ShatnersBassoon]

YANBU. My mug system is baffling, even to me.

I once kicked off a row between my friend and her husband because he'd stood by and watched me make myself an after dinner coffee in her Sherlock Holmes mug, which 1) was a tea mug and 2) was for morning use. She kept saying to me "You weren't to know, this isn't your fault," when I tried to calm things down

[leaveituntiltomorrow]

YANBU

My DP consistently makes my hot drinks in not preferred mugs. I’m working on it. But it’s a slog. His thought seems to be that i should only own preferred mugs. That’s my long term aim. But at £20 a pop it’s a work in progress.

[aussiemum8]

You're all batshit and I love it. 

[SagelyNodding]

YANBU. DH is like your DH and has no concept of the 'RIGHT' mug when he makes a hot drink
Even the kids know to check which mug it should be if they aren't sure!!

I also have an issue with gift mugs until they find their rightful place in the hierarchy

[SureIusedtobetaller]

YANBU
Luckily, DH has his own hierarchy. We both respect our differing mug preferences. I make his morning tea in his preferred option and he knows to make my first coffee in the correct mug.
It’s an important thing. Occasionally we get it wrong and the alternative mug will be accepted with a small disappointed sigh, but the contents still drunk gratefully.

[StrumpersPlunkett]

I have this.
However I live with a dh who was bought up with drinking vessels all being equal.
Hot and cold can be taken from any shape (except wine) of glass, cup or mug.
When the in-laws come and have a tea cup of orange juice or tumbler with coffee it is terribly upsetting. 😁

[sackrifice]

Yup.
weekday coffee in my big gardening mug, which gets refilled through the day [i work from home].
weekend coffee, for both of us, in matching coffee cups, but new cups through the day.

evening tea, in one of my manics mugs [from manics gigs through the years].

squash in the daytime, in a Rob Ryan enamel mug, so if doesn't get knocked over at my desk.
squash in the evening, in a mini Robin enamel mug or i'll be up all night.

water, in a clear squat glass.

hot chocolate in my Mr Grumpy mug.

[ludog]

Yanbu. I and my daughters have a hierarchy of favourites for drinking from (each of us have our favourites). Dh doesn't drink either tea or coffee and does not understand why I don't like my tea out of someone else's favourite mug or out of one of the random mugs at the back of the cupboard.

[Ollivander84]

Yep. Tea in one of 2 giant mugs

I work as a home carer and say 75% of people have mug preferences. There's lots of "not that one love, that's for coffee only/DH/neighbours"

[369thegoosedrankwine]

Yanbu.

I have a tea mug that I've had for 11 years and that is my mug but for tea only.

Coffee I like out of a blue floral mug UNLESS I'm drinking with others then we all have matching large white mugs from the 'set'.

I also keep two outside mugs. I don't use these but keep them for when making drinks for people like the window cleaner or builders who will take the mugs outside.

DH is worse than me he has morning tea cup and a night time mug.

Glasses I have juice glasses and vodka glasses.

[369thegoosedrankwine]

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

[Unescorted]

Absolutely have a preferred mug. Tea in the stripy Whitards and coffee in the blue ones. All other cups and mugs are for decorative purposes only...or guests who know no better. It took me 12 years to find the perfect mugs.