reusable cup
Reviewing Starbucks’ $1 Reusable Cup
I spent a bit of time this week making sure that I interacted with the little $1 cup from Starbucks. I’m happy to say that for the most part, this is a great little cup, nothing to be ashamed of carrying to and from your favorite local coffee shop!
CONS: Let’s start with the cons, so we end with the good stuff. First, it’s not the prettiest cup you’ll ever buy. The cup and lid are two different plastics, the cup in a slightly off-white and the lid in bright white. The cup’s off-white to yellow body reminds me of the old PC computers that were all in the slowly yellowing plastic. Remember those? Yeah, not pretty. Secondly, the thin plastic of the cup will heat up and burn your hand. When you first pick it up you think you don’t need the paper sleeve, but ya do.
PROS: Now the good stuff! First, The cup is good for both tall and grande drinks, or small and medium at normal coffee shops. =) I think the first thing I read online the other day said the cup would hold a venti drink, but that would be a big cup, tumbler size. Secondly, the cup is dishwasher safe! I try to hand wash all my cups anyway, to minimize the bump and chip in a washer. But, you can just drop this one in the top rack! Thirdly, and though I haven’t field tested this aspect, the cup says it microwave safe! That’s a plus for reheating water in a pinch. And finally, the satin finish on the cup and printed layout familiar to a paper cup makes it fun to personalize! If you want to, ask them how to mark your favorite drink and save time on your next visit to refill.
I hope the cheap price point and novelty will catch some attention. This is a great alternative to a paper cup and a fun way to start reusing instead of disposing!
Coffee Cup Dare!
I dare you to start carrying a coffee cup everywhere you go, if you’re a coffee drinker! If you’re not a coffee drinker, then go take a nap like the rest of us can’t. And I guess this works as well for the tea drinkers (says I while sipping some herbal tea at my desk).
I was down at one of the four Starbucks in Bethesda yesterday looking for an elusive Yukon coffee cup (the one with a bear on it), but instead found a newly released Guatemala cup! Woot! I visited Guatemala in 2003… stayed a few days in Old Anitgua. It’s a lovely country and totally delightful people!
I’m not sure if we can really ever quantify the waste produced by disposable coffee cups in our country. So carry a cup… to work, to school, to your mosque or your church, and even to the coffee shop!
Here’s the deal about carrying your own coffee cup:
1) You won’t eliminate all the disposable cup waste in the world, but you’ll eliminate some of yours,
2) You won’t save a ton of money, even though most coffee shops give a $.10 discount when you bring your own, and
3) It’s a really nice way to help your community and environment.
Oh, and now Starbucks wants to make this all even easier and cheaper with reusable $1 cups that are rolling out TODAY! How can you beat that?
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