Tea mug with historical motif

April 20, 2021 1:42 AM

I need a new tea mug for the office, and was thinking "how about a historical tea trade related motif" and was halfway to ordering one with the flag of the British East India Company before I recalled that the EIC was a terrible organization that caused untold suffering that has lasted into the present day. So that's a no-go. So, any suggestions to something along the lines of a flag, logo, stamp or similar that has historical significance with regards to the tea trade but isn't, you know, horrible?
posted by Harald74 to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Best answer: A Cutty Sark mug?
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 3:08 AM on April 20, 2021

Best answer: The arms of Catherine of Braganza, who introduced tea to the Brits, are colourful but a bit in your face. Pursuing the Portuguese theme [caneca azulejo portugues] gets some nice blue and white mugs. Later references to Tea Clippers like Cutty Sark [touché Bloxworth Snout] has choices with less baggage than the EIC
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:16 AM on April 20, 2021

Best answer: The tea trade is hard to disentangle from exploitation, so I wonder if you could find a logo or image from a major tea worker's union?
posted by knapah at 3:24 AM on April 20, 2021 [15 favorites]

The intellectual property associated with the East India Company is actually now owned by a Indian entrepreneur who, at least for marketing purposes, takes a certain amount of pleasure in having repurposed the name.

It doesn't look like they have any mugs with the logo, but I had their biscuits and cookies a couple years back, and they were really, really, really good.
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:49 AM on April 20, 2021 [5 favorites]

Yah the "tea trade" is another word for "colonial extraction," not much traded in exchange (shrug grimace).

So I'm glad you asked.

You could use one of those printing websites to get a picture of Darjeeling or the Nilgiris on a mug, subtle tea theme and plus the landscapes are beautiful.
posted by athirstforsalt at 7:35 AM on April 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

I was thinking more of a Chinese tea mug, but I couldn't find any with tea brand logos or such. :-\
posted by kschang at 8:19 AM on April 20, 2021

Best answer: This Calamityware mug isn't exactly what you asked for, but I feel like it has strong "tea-ishness" while also being interesting and funny.
posted by TheKevinFlynnEffect at 10:20 AM on April 20, 2021 [8 favorites]

Best answer: I found some beautiful images when I searched for antique Indian tapestries. This page has mugs with Indian architecture, art, and maps. Of course, you'd want to think about possible issues with cultural appropriation, but this way, you could consider the Indian source of tea and leave the British companies out of it.
posted by FencingGal at 10:47 AM on April 20, 2021

Best answer: Can't get a better tea mug than the Women's Petition Against Coffee (1674).
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:48 PM on April 20, 2021

Response by poster: Many good suggestions here, people. Thank you!
posted by Harald74 at 3:35 AM on April 21, 2021