1800's Tea saucer

This cup and saucer is from the 1800's.  Did you know you would pour your tea into the saucer and drink from that...not the cup?!!

Here is some fun tea trivia for you.....Tea cups and saucers were created in the 1700's from porcelain and clay, imported by the East India Trading Company in China.  Handles were not added to tea cups until 1730.

It was common practice in the 18th century to drink from your saucer.  They would pour their tea into the tea bowl to cool the tea.  This ended in the 20th century...it is even talked about in Laura Ingalls Wilders book, Farmer Boy.

Did you also know why Japanese tea cups don't have handles?  That way they can tell by the touch of the cup if it is ready.  If the tea cup is too hot to pick with their hands, it is too hot to drink.