Very sturdy, match perfectly with my tea pot. Because they are cast iron, heat transfers and can be hard to hold so my wife will not use them. Fine for me as I like my tea to remain hotPerfect tea cupsI thought I had bought cups for life but after one use while washing up I bumped the tap and they chipped off. But they are pretty ...No words can decrease the High Quality ... I have my Japanese Kettle ... while belong to different brands ...Look lovely on display - good value.Very nice cups but the packaging looks very cheap and ugly so I had to buy new boxes as it was a giftbeautiful looking set,only trouble is the cups you cant pick them up with the tea in ,as they nearly burn your fingers fully off?,i would still reccomend though,even if the cups are for decoration