Pasabahce

With Pasabahce, choose a series first and then a size, because the lines are designed to be fully coordinated. Timeless is the embossed line with vertical ridges: wine glasses of 32 and 33 cl, a 17.5 cl flute, a 16 cl coupe, a 30 cl long drink glass, and a 1.4-liter water jug, some also with a gold rim. Elysia has a rounder, softer design and includes a 50 cl gin and tonic glass Casablanca and Tribeca are the tea glass lines, with glasses ranging from 25 to 40 cl, sometimes with a matching saucer.

As for size, the usual calculations apply. A 25 cl tea glass is the classic size and empties quickly; 31 to 40 cl is more comfortable if you also serve café au lait or latte macchiato in it. For water, choose 30 to 35 cl; for long drinks, 36 cl or more. For hospitality use, pay attention to the packaging unit: many series come in packs of twelve, which is faster to replenish than packs of four or six.

For Turkish tea, the ritual matters more than the glass. First, pour a base of strong tea from the upper pot and top it up with hot water from the lower one, to about the glass's waist. Leave space above the waist, because that's where you hold it. Sugar doesn't go in the tea but beside it, on the saucer.

The larger models serve a different purpose. In the 50 cl gin and tonic glass, pour the tonic over a glass full of ice rather than over two cubes, because only then will it stay cold until the last sip: see the ratio in the gin and tonic. The taller highball glasses are the place for a limoncello spritz, where the relief of the Timeless line brings out the yellow colour even more. And the carafes of around a litre go on the table for water or for wine you want to let breathe for a while.

Most Pasabahce glassware is machine-pressed or blown soda-lime glass: thicker than crystal glass, less fragile and made for the dishwasher. A short glass programme at around 60 degrees is enough, and it is high temperatures in particular that wear the shine away faster. Rinse with clean water if you live in a hard-water area, because limescale settles fastest in the grooves of relief glass.

Two things call for hand work. Glasses with a vapour-deposited gold rim should be washed by hand in lukewarm suds, without a scouring pad. And do not fill handleless tea glasses with boiling water straight out of the dishwasher: let them come to room temperature first, and the risk of thermal shock stays small.

If you know which shape you are looking for rather than which brand, you will find what you need faster on a shape page. The complete tea range is listed under the tea glasses, the embossed models appear under the vintage glasses, and everything used for pouring and kept on the table can be found under carafes. For tall models for soft drinks and mixed drinks, see the highball glasses. If you are looking for a table setting in one consistent style, Timeless is the collection that runs from liqueur glass to water jug.