Which reusable coffee cup should you buy?
They’ll save you money at top chains – AND help the planet. So . . .
Each year, we coffee-quaffing Britons throw away a staggering 2.5 billion disposable cups and plastic lids.
Despite reassurances from manufacturers and coffee shops that the cups are recyclable, most will end up in landfill or in our oceans and rivers.
In fact, less than 1 per cent are recycled because a mix of plastic lining and cardboard makes them more problematic to process.
Last week, an influential committee of MPs called for all throwaway cups to be recycled by 2023. They argued for a ‘latte levy’ of 25p to be slapped on every coffee sold in a disposable cup to discourage their use, fund recycling — and persuade coffee- drinkers to invest in reusable cups.
On Thursday, in the wake of the Prime Minister’s pledge to end the scourge of disposable plastic, Environment Secretary Michael Gove confirmed the Government was considering the ‘exciting idea’.
Mr Gove had already proved his own eco-credentials in this respect, and was photographed at the cabinet table earlier in the week with a reusable coffee cup made from bamboo fibre, promoting the #ReFillBude anti-plastics charity based in cornwall.
Meanwhile, high Street outlets are starting to do their bit. Sandwich chain Pret a Manger offers customers a 50p discount off their hot drinks if they bring their own cups. at Starbucks and costa coffee, it’s 25p; at Leon it’s 30p and at Greggs, 20p. caffe Nero customers with a reuseable mug earn double loyalty card stamps, which equates to a 22p saving per cup for a regular latte.
It certainly looks as if 2018 is set to become the year we finally cut back on single-use cups and invest in a reusable one — essentially a mug with a lid — and consumers are leading the way. Lakeland, the kitchenware shop, reports that sales of reusable cups have doubled this past month alone compared with December, while argos says sales are up 537 per cent.
So if you are a coffee-lover and want to help the environment and protect marine life from plastic pollution, which is the best option for you?
We put a number of leading reusables through their paces: testing bulk, weight and leakage — probably the most crucial factor, especially when you have to carry around the empty cup, usually with some dregs remaining, for the rest of the day.
We did this by filling the cups full of liquid, fitting their lids, and turning them upside down and giving them a shake. Did any liquid escape after 30 seconds?
We then emptied them and added just one tablespoon of liquid (15ml), to replicate the dregs of coffee usually left, and turned them upside down for 30 seconds and shook the cup with its lid on. Did any drips emerge?
heat retention was assessed by filling each cup with boiling water, putting the lid on and then measuring the temperature 20 minutes later. anything over 85c was pretty impressive, anything below 70c isn’t great.
ECOFFEE CUP
£8.50, from various independent coffee shops, Oxfam or Amazon SIZE: 340ml or 12oz. WEIGHT: 128g.
HEAT RETENTION: Temperature 20 minutes after cup was filled with boiling water was 69c. LEAK WHEN FULL? a little.
LEAK WITH DREGS? No. ThE cup that Michael Gove very publicly clutched on the steps of Downing Street (pictured below).
Made by Ecoffee cup — which produces a large range of stylish designs (including William Morris prints) — it looks good and is lightweight. The eco- credentials are decent, too. ‘Made from one of the world’s most sustainable resources — naturally organic, rapidly renewable bamboo fibre,’ the firm boasts.
The rubber toggle that you push into the sipping hole stops dregs leaking, but it loses heat rapidly, making it uncomfortably warm to hold initially. SCORE: 3/5
POKITO COLLAPSIBLE CUP
£13.97 from Amazon SIZE: 230ml (8oz) to 475ml or 16oz. WEIGHT: 114g. HEAT RETENTION: 71c. LEAK WHEN FULL? Yes, a lot.
LEAK WITH DREGS? No. ThIS is very clever. Most reusable coffee cups, especially the insulated ones, are the size of a clutch bag. This squashes down to a third of a size of the big ones.
You can stretch it or squash it into either a small, medium or large-sized cup. It is also dishwasher safe. But it does feel weird holding a sloshing liquid inside what is essentially a rubber bag that leaks. 4/5
THERMOCAFE BY THERMOS
£13.58 from Amazon SIZE: 400ml or 14oz. WEIGHT: 263g. HEAT RETENTION: 90c. LEAK WHEN FULL? No.
LEAK WITH DREGS? No. aS YOU’D expect from one made by Thermos, this mug is excellent at retaining heat. It is also completely leak-proof — not a single drop escaped the mug despite vigorous shaking, even when completely full.
Unlike most insulated mugs, it’s not too bulky and is fairly easy to hold. The downsides are that when drinking, your nose tends to bump against the lid, an annoying design flaw in an otherwise good mug — and it’s not dishwasher proof. 4/5
KEEP CUP BREW GLASS CUP
£19 from John Lewis SIZE: 227ml or 8oz. WEIGHT: 220g. HEAT RETENTION: 65c. LEAK WHEN FULL? No.
LEAK WITH DREGS? No. KEEP cup is an australian brand that makes a range of different, eye-catching mugs. This is the most snazzy-looking, made from ‘ Barista standard soda lime glass’, as the company describes it, with a cork band to protect your hands. It is blissfully unbulky for those who like espresso or small coffees.
however, it’s quite heavy for such a dinky vessel. It is also hand-wash only, which is tedious. 3/5
LEON BAMBOO FIBRE TRAVEL MUG
£10 from John Lewis or Leon SIZE: 400ml or 14oz. WEIGHT: 142g. HEAT RETENTION: 73c. LEAK WHEN FULL? Like a fountain.
LEAK WITH DREGS? Yes. ThIS is chic-looking and certainly burnishes the eco- credentials of Leon, the upmarket fast-food chain. Made from bamboo fibre, if you take it (or any other reusable cup) into Leon, you get a 30p discount off your coffee. But there is no seal on the sipping hole, it is handwash-only and gets very hot to hold. 1/5
BODUM TRAVEL MUG, GOLD
£30 from John Lewis SIZE: 350ml or 12oz. WEIGHT: 340g. HEAT RETENTION: 90c.
LEAK WHEN FULL? Yes, a surprising amount spills out.
LEAK WITH DREGS? No. ThE Maserati of coffee cups, a distinctly bling beaker, with chrome plating and the heaviest of all we tested. That said, I’m not sure it is worth the £30 or the muscle strain you’ll get after carrying this around for any length of time. 2/5
BODUM TRAVEL MUG
£14.99 from John Lewis SIZE: 350ml. WEIGHT: 328g. HEAT RETENTION: 90c. LEAK WHEN FULL? No. LEAK WITH DREGS? No. a GOOD travel mug which ticks all the boxes: not too pricey, comfortable to hold and drink from, and it doesn’t lose much heat thanks to its double-wall insulation. It is dishwasher safe, being made from stainless steel, and half the price of Bodum’s gold- coloured chrome plated one. If you don’t mind a slightly bulky cup, a good one to go for. 4/5
COSTA REUSABLE MUG
£3 from Costa SIZE: 475ml or 16oz. WEIGHT: 199g. HEAT RETENTION: 80c. LEAK WHEN FULL? Yes. LEAK WITH DREGS? Yes. WELL, this cup
might be cheap, but it’s just not up to scratch — and is bulky and ugly.
Worse, despite a tab that clips into — and supposedly seals — the sipping hole, it’s quite leaky. And it’s another mug where your nose hits the lid when you take a gulp. A case of ‘buy cheap, buy twice’. 1/5
TIGER THERMO CUP
£4 from Tiger SIZE: 475ml or 16oz. WEIGHT: 179g. HEAT RETENTION: 83c. LEAK WHEN FULL? Yes. LEAK WITH DREGS? Yes. Tiger has become known as the posh Poundland, selling cheap, quality homewares and gifts. This is a decent cup for the price — it keeps its heat, is lightweight and really quite attractive. However, it’s rather leaky thanks to the poorly designed sliding tab that is meant to cover the sipping hole, but doesn’t quite fit properly. 3/5
STARBUCKS £1 CUP
£1 from Starbucks SIZE: 473ml or 160z. WEIGHT: 45g. HEAT RETENTION: 70c. LEAK WHEN FULL? gushes out. LEAK WITH DREGS? Yes. noT a practical cup. it gets almost too hot to hold and the lack of any seal on the sipping hole means the dregs would quickly spill out and ruin any bag you put it in after finishing your morning cuppa.
That said, it’s super lightweight and with Starbucks offering a 25p discount on any reusable coffee cup, this is not a terrible budget option. Just make sure you wash and dry it before putting it in your bag and getting on with the rest of your day. 2/5
STARBUCKS THERMOPLASTIC
£9.95 from Starbucks SIZE: 473ml or 160z. WEIGHT: 271g. HEAT RETENTION: 76c. LEAK WHEN FULL? no.
LEAK WITH DREGS? no. HArdlY a looker. A big block of plastic (taller than 8in) that i feel would be more at home in an operating theatre than a coffee shop. Another handwash-only vessel.
But it is completely leak-proof and is decent value for those who enjoy monster-sized drinks. easy to drink from, too. 3/5
THE LAST JEDI R2D2 MUG
£11.99 from Menkind stores or Amazon SIZE: 450ml or 15fl oz. WEIGHT: 240g. HEAT RETENTION: 86c. LEAK WHEN FULL? Yes. LEAK WITH DREGS? Yes. A STAinleSS steel mug that feels so bulky you might as well be drinking out of r2d2 himself, or certainly a plant pot. But is it any more than a gimmick for Star Wars fans? it keeps its heat pretty well. The problem is fitting your hands round it and — if you want to keep the droid design on the surface — you will need to handwash it. 2/5
OXO GOOD GRIPS
£9.99 from Lakeland SIZE: 280ml or 9.5oz. WEIGHT: 205g. HEAT RETENTION: 76c. LEAK WHEN FULL? no.
LEAK WITH DREGS? no. ‘no SPillS!’ is the promise on the packaging, and the company is certainly true to its word. despite shaking, even when full, nothing leaked out of this doubleinsulated mug. it also has a clever design, whereby you click a button to open the sipping hole. The only downside? it’s not dishwasher proof. But it’s good value and a nice size, too. 5/5
MIGHTY MUG UNSPILLABLE MUG
£19.99 from Lakeland SIZE: 320ml or 11oz. WEIGHT: 226g. HEAT RETENTION: 73c. LEAK WHEN FULL? no.
LEAK WITH DREGS? no. THiS is ingenious. However hard you knock this mug, it will not fall over. it’s as if it is cemented to your desk, but still lifts up easily. its ‘Smartgrip’ design uses a type of suction mechanism, but for it to work it must be on a flat surface and the bottom of the mug has to be clean. it’s also bulky and, when you drink, the liquid tends to gurgle out. 4/5