Though the practice has fallen out of habit at many modern coffee shops such as Starbucks, it wasn’t very long ago that just about every roadside eatery and hole in the wall establishment that served breakfast would present the coffee cup to patrons atop a small saucer — this is common knowledge, but have you ever given the thought as to why this is the case when no other beverage is served in these establishments with a saucer?

Though saucers were invented during the medieval times, it became popular to serve them with a cup of hot beverages during the colonial America period in an effort to allow those drinking the tea or coffee to not burn their mouth — the person being served the saucer and coffee cup would separate the two and pour small amounts of the beverage into the saucer plate. The thin layer of steamy drink would then cool considerably faster than the beverage contained in the cup, allowing the person drinking to enjoy warm but not scalding coffee.

This custom was so widely practiced that when the US Constitution was first created and George Washington was attempting to explain to Thomas Jefferson the purpose for having two houses of Congress, he used this practice as a metaphor.

“Upon his return, Jefferson visited Washington and asked why the Convention delegates had created a Senate. ‘Why did you pour that tea into your saucer?’ asked Washington. ‘To cool it,’ said Jefferson. ‘Even so,’ responded Washington, ‘we pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it.'” This exchange has been published by the US Senate.



Over the next century, the practice of drinking from one’s saucers remained common practice in America, well into the 1900s.

A Christian song was even published, giving nod to this ancient practice, the lyrics of which state, “I’m drinking from my saucer cause — my cup has overflowed.”

Today, the sight of a person drinking from their saucer may seem odd, but it’s most probable that anyone with a few gray hairs atop their head can remember a time when their granny would do just this!

I remember my maternal Grandfather 'saucering' his coffee. That was sixty years ago.




Charlie

Interesting. I beleive that was a very common practice 60 plus years ago from the greatest generation era.

Brought back memory. My Father had a friend and every time he came to our house he did that with his coffee.
Thank You for sharing that.

I think it's largely in how coffee is served thanks to lawsuits. Hardly anyone pours a drink to a cup placed on a dining table.

gramma used to drive me nuts doin it.

I'm too much of a putz to do this. I'd dribble all of the table going from cup to saucer then drirlbble down my chin going from saucer to mouth.

I do like the idea of non scalding coffee.

same here,i'd get more on me than in me.

I just pour 2/3 coffee 1/3 milk solves that issue and I can keep it in my 16 oz or 20 oz insulated stainless steel cup with lid that prevents spills when latched down.


Oddly old cars had an ash tray in every door and not a single cup holder , New cars have a cup holder or 2 for every passenger and not a single ash tray.

This is funny.My wife and I had a discussion yesterday on how people used to pour coffee into a saucer.
Part of the discussion came about when our daughter asked my wife what a saucer was.
Being in her 30s,my daughter had never seen anyone pour coffee in a saucer to cool it off.
My grandmother always used a saucer when drinking her coffee.
How times and people change.
Tom

On my dad's side of our family many were Norwegian immigrants and or 1st generation and most drank their coffee using the saucer method. It was strong as well, being thicker it may not have splashed as much!

Bryce

Spoons were not meant to stir Norwegian coffee, but to check for thickness.

ya, ya ya bettcha, good one Tom!

Bryce

Now that's no lie! I recall as a very young boy "helping" my grandma bring coffee out to my grandpa and uncles working out in the hay fields. Hotter than the dickens and here's my grandfather drinking piping hot coffee as thick as 70w oil from a sauser on a hot summer day. Thought for sure the sun had finally gotten to him!

Seen my grandad do it many times.

I still "saucer" my coffee when I make cowboy coffee on the LP stove. Blue enamel pot, water, coffee. No filter, no basket, just grounds in water and apply heat.

I think every cup of coffee Grandma drank was saucer blown. Never saw her fail to do that.

Its funny that I see the same. My maternal grandfather was a Dane, could clean a drive way with his coffee, my mothers coffee was good not too strong not too week, my father of half Yankee half southern made coffee so week it looked red.

Pike River, My maternal grandfather, who I mentioned in my previous post, was a Dane.



Charlie

Grew up doing this, true though I haven's seen it done in a while