My grandfather didn't use a Podstakannik, just a glass. He had a special grip to avoid scalding his fingers: he would grasp the glass by the rim between his thu

My grandfather didn't use a Podstakannik, just a glass. He had a special grip to avoid scalding his fingers: he would grasp the glass by the rim between his thumb and index. Since the tea didn't go all the way to the top and glass is a poor heat conductor, the rim was cooler. Then, as he lifted the glass from the saucer, he would slip his pinkie finger under the bottom of the glass to prevent it from slipping from his grasp of the rim. Because the glass was thicker at the bottom, that location was also cooler.