Lucky Cat Porcelain Tea Mug Set

A maneki-neko painted on the side of a porcelain mug is a cheerful thing to meet first on a weekday morning, and this set puts one on each of four colourways — red, white, army green and blue. It is a three-piece kuai ke set: the mug, a ceramic strainer that seats inside the rim, and a lid to keep the heat in while the leaves work.

The porcelain is fine and hard-fired, thin enough at the rim to drink from comfortably and dense enough not to hold flavour between teas. The cat is hand-finished over the glaze, so the line work varies slightly between pieces. The strainer sits deep in the mug rather than perching at the top, which gives the leaves room to open properly, and its pierced base clears fine leaf without clogging.

The set is compact enough to keep at a desk or pack for travel, and the lid doubles as a coaster for the wet strainer. Hand wash in warm water without abrasive detergent to protect the painted surface, and dry before stacking. Not suitable for the dishwasher or the microwave. The four colours are drawn from traditional maneki-neko palettes, so a pair or a set reads as a deliberate collection rather than as four unrelated mugs.

• Three pieces: porcelain mug, ceramic strainer, lid
• Colours: red, white, army green, blue
• Hand-finished lucky cat motif
• Deep-seated strainer for full leaf expansion
• Lid doubles as a strainer rest
• Compact set for desk or travel
• Hand wash only