I've given up on everything but glass. It is easier to clean plus
added visual aesthetics. When you pull the innards from a Tea Press it
makes a nice glass cup. That rim spout makes a wonderful sipping
trough. I also modify the innards and use them as a teapot. My
smallest is 100ml and largest 1.5l. I just wait to find them at
discount. They've just started to appear in Asian stores and much
cheaper than the equivalent Western retail. And I use my share of
styrofoam cups. They also come in various sizes. It's good for
judging color and instant pristine odor/taste free cup. You can only
use them once because tea will leave signature footprint immediately.
I'll sometimes do that to measure the relative strengths of multiple
infusions. A styrofoam cup never forgets. I picked this habit up from
my local tea shoppe because they only use styrofoam for takeout and I'm
too cheap to dinein and pay $1.50 more for a pot.

Jim

pilo_ wrote:
> it occurs to me this morning how crucial the
> drinking vessel can and should be to the tea
> experience. for example, i cannot drink ANY
> tea out of a mug. to drink a delicate green
> from so gross a construction would seem to
> be a bad thing. i've been drinking a lot of
> oolong lately, and for that i use a small, un-
> finished red-clay cup made in india. it adds
> immeasurably. for greens i have a small
> japan-made cup, like a little tea-bowl.
> these encourage sipping and savoring.
>
> i'd be interested to know if the cup you use
> adds to your overall tea experience..........p*