Mugs or cups?

I definitely agree with china cups for tea, the tea always tastes so much better. However, mugs for coffee, I find that I only enjoy my coffee when a mug has a white inside.

Now if we can find mugs with "hand panted periwinkles" that would be socially acceptable

Now that made me chuckle Esmay!

Btw I’m sure you meant ‘genteel’! 😂

My grandfather had a giant cup and saucer for his tea. He never drank coffee. He poured tea into his saucer to begin with and drank from it, he said it cooled more quickly.
As tribute and in memory I bought a Cornish Blue cup and saucer many years ago which I use for first cup of the day from time to time. It holds just over a pint so a second cup is rarely taken!

I only use China mugs .

We all seem to prefer mugs and not cups these these days .
I think it's because we like hot tea .
Cups are more gentile of course .
Now if we can find mugs with "hand panted periwinkles" that would be socially acceptable .

I meant to say, 80 year old ladies, I'd offer them the choice, nice cups and saucers or equally nice mugs. I know what you mean about really small cups OP, the cups I inherited with the coffee set are as you describe, very after dinner dinky ones, maybe not large enough for a decent sized cup of coffee, but if you have the coffee pot, well you could keep topping them up.

Depends who's doing the washing up for me. Mugs come on their own but china cups without a saucer doesn't seem right- so with cups you already have twice the washing up!

I inherited two bone china tea sets, one with a tiered cake stand and one coffee set from my late mother-in-law. Unfortunately they languish in the cupboard most of the time.I love getting the tea service out when we have guests, my o/h is prone to say the cups are way too small, I disagree I think they're perfect, we are not great tea drinkers, but the right receptacle, and they are it, makes the tea taste much better imo.

We have a selection of china mugs some with a William Morris pattern, well his designs get everywhere plus some nice ones from the NT gifted from house guests. Plus a couple of Bart Simpsons, my sons' had from their teen years, not bone china I hasten to add For our coffee we use white cups and saucers bought for us as a parting gift from our Polish cleaner when we left our old neck of the woods, again they're perfect for our morning coffee, not to big, not too small. I don't really like big cups, I think the flavour of whatever is in them, becomes too diluted. When occasionally I buy a coffee out, it would always be fairly small, such as M&S's Magic Coffee, quality over quantity every time. I certainly don't want mine in a cup the size of a soup mug.

Show them both mugs and cups and ask them which ones they want.

grandMattie

Mugs every timer, and the bigger the better!
My parents were rather unconventional and adopted mugs very early despite them being considered infra dig…

Snap.

Mugs every time. The bone china cups never left the display cabinet in my childhood days, not for anyone. but we didnt have any sort of "ladies" who like bone china small cups around for a cuppa, anyway.

I like my big pottery mug now for tea and coffee. Got a good solid base.

I can't knock it over accidentally!

67notout

I have essential tremor that’s not noticeable until I go to pick up a cup and then I either have to put it down or it spills over. It’s always nice to be asked which I would prefer. A full mug is a problem too but more manageable.

My late mum had this problem too 67notout ‘essential tremor’. She too liked a mug but only two-thirds full. However we used to tease her that she could manage a full glass of wine, no problem - never spilled a drop! 😁

You are using a coffee table to serve on so go for china mugs. Had it been on a dining table, cups and saucers eould be appropriate. Sure your guests will be delighted no matter how the beveridge is served.

I would offer them the choice, but for myself I always drink from a bone china worcester white mug. I even carry one with me when I go out (in a bag to keep clean of course) so that I have the pleasure of drinking from china. Being yorkshire I also like the fact that I get a point towards a free coffee, by bringing my own mug. But to get back to the point, being offered the choice is very good I think

Margaret Thatcher didn’t get blown up at The Grand hotel Brighton. It was the Conservative conference week and the middle was blown out of the hotel. Margaret Thatcher was unharmed as it was the early hours of the morning and she was writing her next days speech. Had she been in bed she might have been blown up as that room was badly damaged.
The Grand do a very nice afternoon tea and not as expensive as you might imagine. My friends and I go sometimes and it does feel a bit special.

DO you know if they take sugar? Saucers for spoons

Like Witzend we have only mugs, including some nice (smaller) china mugs, which are kept for visitors. These mugs can be served on an (odd) saucer, if needed!

I usually offer China mugs if being posh but most of the time I offer glass mugs because I have a nice set and my grown family have herbal teas which look lovely in a glass mug and my DH prefers black tea with honey and lemon which also looks nicer in a glass mug.

Where I was brought up in a Lancashire mill town mugs would be offered most of the time and back in the day every brew was handed over with two sugars, nobody was asked. My old mum like most women of that generation had a cabinet in the front room filled with a china tea set. She only ever brought it out when the ladies from he church visited.

Reminds me of when my children were little and we went to my aunt and uncle’s for ‘tea’ and were given cups and saucers.
They wanted to know what the ‘little plates’ were for 😊

John Lewis do lovely bone china cups the size of mugs

DM always liked bone china but didn’t mint a dainty mug - DGD had tea in it today 🥲.

Ditto kittylester

Both ladies preferred the mugs. As they were going out later they only took a small slice of cake so I suppose I'll have to finish it myself.

I'm an old lady , who, if invited elsewhere, would be very grateful for whatever is offered, and wouldn't care two hoots what receptacle is used. I'd just be pleased to be invited!!

I give my guests a choice. I prefer my thin porcelain cups, but many others prefer thicker mugs.