This Aldi Tea Cup Is Cute, But You Definitely Should Not Drink Out Of It

The Aldi Finds aisle, affectionately known as the "Aisle of Shame" at its namesake grocery store, always feels like a bit of a treasure hunt. Its stock changes regularly, and if you find yourself strolling through that gauntlet of food and home goods, something will inevitably weasel its way into your shopping cart (I swear I went to the store for only one thing!). The concept has so many fans that there are entire social media groups based around it. A user in one Facebook group I follow, the ALDI Aisle of Shame Community, recently posted something very peculiar about what appeared to be an ordinary-looking teacup they found in the Aisle of Shame.

The realistic teacup, which actually ended up being filled with a candle, came with a somewhat alarming warning printed on its ceramic bottom, reading, "FOR DECORATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. NOT FOR FOOD USE. MAY POISON FOOD." Wanting to see this for myself, I went out to our local Aldi (yes, I went home with stuff I didn't need), found the teacup candle, and can confirm — that warning is actually printed on the bottom. The candle inside the teacup already makes it non-functional as a food vessel, but once the candle is burned and gone, this is one thing you'll never want to sip out of nor use to serve small things like nuts or candy; because, well, poison.

Though the exterior packaging doesn't say what the poison might be, commenters on the original post have been speculating. One said, "Probably contains lead paint." Multiple people agreed with that assessment, while a few others thought that repurposing a candleholder to serve food could generally pose as toxic thanks to the wax and the combustion. Fortunately, I don't think most people would use this as a drinking vessel, however, because of one key thing: The cup is fused to the plate so it's one single piece of ceramic. It's not particularly functional.

The most practical solution people have come up with for repurposing the candle is to turn it into a little flower holder, or to grow small plants in it. Fortunately, Aldi sells functioning teacup sets that look nearly identical to the candle version, so you can have your tea party without accidentally poisoning your friends and family. When it comes to buying glassware or mugs, it's always best practice to look at the bottom of each piece to see if it's microwave or dishwasher safe – or in this case, poison-free.