Ceramic Tea Mugs V/s Glass Tea Mugs

In the 21st century, everyone is running behind money and fame. Time has become more precious. People do not even have time for their loved ones. But what binds the kiths and kins together is a cup of tea. Delightful perfect masala chai or a blazing espresso makes moments with family more cherishable and memorable.

What distinguishes between a good cup of tea/coffee and an average taste-sake cup of tea? It depends on the proportion of mixed ingredients. A slight difference for some could even be the material of the teacup.

The taste of tea in a glass and a ceramic mug is variable, though the taste difference is negligible. However, the appearances of both the cups are easily noticeable. These differences are outlined in detail in the following section.

Differences Between Ceramic Tea mugs and Glass Tea Mugs

The most common and visible difference is in its appearance. One can easily find out that ceramic glasses have different appearances from a glass tea mug. Apart from this, the following differences can also be seen.

1. Cleanliness Requirements

It is essential to serve tea or coffee to the guests in clean cups. A significant difference in both the cups regarding cleanliness is that ceramic mugs are easier to clean than glass tea mugs.

1. Thickness and Weight

Ceramic mugs have a thick coating kind of material, whereas glass mugs are easier to hold. But ceramic mugs are lighter than glass mugs because glass mugs remain pyrex and ceramic mugs have pores that make them light.

1. Heat Retainment

As discussed above, ceramic mugs are thick and heavier; this makes them more resistant to heat. It can retain more heat, and it makes it better to hold ceramic mugs. The scientific reason beyond this is that ceramic mugs contain or trap tiny air pores within the cup. These air pockets function as insulators. As a result, this lowers the pace of heat reduction.

1. Fragility

Once fallen, glass tea mugs can be easily broken down. But this is not the case with ceramic cups. The latter is made with more material that leads to more stiffness and less fragility of such cups.

1. Aesthetic Value

Just like a transparent glass jar, you can add designs to the ceramic cups that will give more visual appeal to the people. Tea mugs have less visual attractiveness than ceramic cups because they cannot superimpose designs or patterns. Also, glass tea mugs make it more vulnerable to having all eyes on the tea because of its transparency.

1. Environment-Friendly

Glass can be recycled, but ceramic material cannot be easily recycled. Although in the long run, some ceramic glasses can be downcycled to give low quality ceramic glasses. Contrasting, ceramic cups are lighter than glass, so that provides fuel efficiency to ceramic mugs transportation. Both the cups have their environmental implications.

Which One to Choose?

Comparing both the cups and their material properties, ceramic cups hold an advantage over glass tea mugs. The only down point of ceramic cups is that in the long run, ceramic cups can cause damage to the environment. Apart from this, these cups provide excellent heating properties and splendid modern designs.

Making of Ceramic Cups

Since ceramic cups are better than glass cups, let’s look at how you can make such cups with several potter’s items. Things required for making a ceramic cup are – the kiln, potter’s wheel, water, pencils, elephant ear sponge, porcelain clay, potter’s glaze, curved and straight wood ceramicist’s rib, needle tools, and cutting wire or strings. Other non-major items include ceramic stands, plaster bat, standard pyrometric cones for clay and glazes, silica sand, different-sized paintbrushes, and three buckets.

The making of ceramic cups requires proper detailing. It requires careful handling of pots and heating/baking at the right temperature. You can make a ceramic cup or pot using the following procedure:

1. Shape or mould the porcelain clay with your hand. This is done to remove air pores from the clay. Separate a certain amount of clay for the cup’s handle and keep the whole matter in an airtight box.
2. Keep a tiny piece of earthenware clay on the centre of the potter’s wheel. Now, attach the plaster bat to it.
3. Place the clay on the bat. Fix your non-working hand on the wheel alongside the wedged porcelain. Keep your working hand or the dominant hand on the top of the pile or mound. The hand’s position must be – palm facing downwards, fingers pointed towards the wheel, and the thumb left free.
4. Start the wheel slowly. Work on the clay substance with both hands. Put pressure on the same with pulling the porcelain in the vertical direction (up and down). Also, keep an eye on the moisture content of the porcelain by repeatedly putting the clay slurry on it.
5. Take the free thumb in the middle to shape the middlemost hole. Gradually, support the same with the help of other fingers. It will shape accordingly.
6. Now, remove the unwanted areas of porcelain slowly along with slowing the speed of the wheel. Do it until the wheel stops.
7. After the wheel stops, you will get the desired shape of the cup. Extract the main body of the ceramic mug.
8. The preparation of the handle starts with the shaping of the handle from the clay that was kept aside in the initial stage of the cup making. Dampen the ends of the handle with porcelain slurry and affix it to the cup.
9. Modify the shape of the handle as per the requirements. After the cup dries, keep it on the kiln on silica sand. According to the pyrometric cone, bake at high temperatures. An ideal temperature for baking would be around 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. After baking the cup(s), remove it from the kiln. Allow the cup to cool down. Remove the excessive dust from these cups using water once they cool.
11. If required, the glazing process can also be further done using paintbrushes.  Use different colours and patterns to give a unique look to your ceramic cups. This way, beautiful ceramic cups can be made.