fig. 3 - Now the English tea student begins what some think may be the most challenging part of the English Tea Ceremony: rummaging through the mountains of washing up to find a clean tea receptacle, or "mug". Upon finding a suitable "mug" the tea student will give it a cursory "rinse under the tap". This part of the ceremony is purely for show and serves little hygienic purpose. Indeed, the interior of a "mug" in the possession of a true tea master will often contain several decorative - and permanent - sacred brown tea rings.