Starbucks reusable 16oz coffee cup with lid, $1 and 1.6oz/44g

[Dale Wambaugh]

My wife came home with a reusable cup from Starbucks the other day. It is a plastic version of the paper cups they normally use and it comes with a snap on lid, holds 16 ounces, 6.25" tall with lid, and weighs 1.6oz/44g. The barista said it can be used 30 times. It is marked number 5 plastic, BPA free and top rack dishwasher safe. They don't make a smaller version– a 12 ounce version would be great. The lid is much stronger than the typical plastic ones.

It begs to have a cozy. I have some EVA foam that might be good; otherwise, it might get a Reflectix tuxedo :)

Also, Starbucks will give you a dime off your coffee purchase each time you use the cup.

[Max Dilthey]

I worry you may be addicted to weighing things…

[Ken Thompson]

I'm more concerned that he might actually drink the burnt brown water at five bucks.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I don't think it is cause for worry :-D

I did buy the cup sans liquid refreshment. The rest may be true.

[Tim Heckel]

Thanks for pointing this out Dale. It certainly might work in my kit.
Another point to note, the regular flimsy disposable Starbucks lid will fit on the reusable cup and weighs less.

And for Ken,
Starbucks brewed 12oz is $1.77, $1.67 with the reusable cup.
My local breakfast dive charges $2.19.

[Curt Peterson]

These were piloted out here in Seattle-land but I saw recently that they are going nationwide. Folks who can't find them probably just need to wait until they make to their corner of the country. I would have been all over this a few years ago, but I'm trying to drink all of my beverages out of metal or glass. I had one trip where my Scotch tasted plasticky and I've been scarred for life :)

[USA Duane Hall]

I have a 12oz. plastic cup same recycling # I've been using this winter, weighs .6 oz. no lid. Here I thought Dale was on to something.:( It was a cup given out at work at a catered lunch over a year ago. No lid which is fine, gives me time to get breakfast going and time for the coffee (Via) to cool. I currently use a beer cooler for insulation (1.5oz) though. I'll have to work on that.
Duane

[Konrad .]

I have a very similar cup in black that I received a swag from another company. Mine is double walled and I use it a lot in the winter as part of my winter kitchen to keep drinks hotter for longer. I've been trying to fInd a second one and this may be it

Dale, are these sbux cups double walled? What happens after 30 uses? Seems like such an arbitrary number that it leaves me curious

[Dale Wambaugh]

The cups are single walled. The 30 use info was delivered by the barista. I imagine they don't want a lawsuit over a lap full of hot coffee, but I saw nothing in writing. #5 plastic should be polypropylene.

It's not the end all, just a step up from paper or styrofoam cups. Double wall titanium mugs are nice, but most are small and the price is numbing.

[Anonymous]

"It begs to have a cozy. I have some EVA foam that might be good;"

How about just slipping a liner glove over it from the bottom up? Or a wool sock? Or?

[EndoftheTrail]

Would prefer one that's shorter and wider.

OTOH, I've been pretty happy with my multipurpose ti mug/pot…

[Bob Gross]

"Would prefer one that's shorter and wider."

About 14-15 fluid ounces? I use a plastic container that held dates. It weighs about a half ounce. It's about 3 inches tall and about 4.7 in diameter. I think of it as a combination cup and bowl.

–B.G.–

[Dale Wambaugh]

Ben wrote, "Would prefer one that's shorter and wider.

OTOH, I've been pretty happy with my multipurpose ti mug/pot…"

I think a 12oz version would be good.

My standby has been a small single wall ti mug, the latest being an MSR Titan mug. I can cook with it for solo/minimalist stuff, but there is the lip burning issue as well as cooling too fast— no free lunch!

The Alladin insulated plastic mugs have been in my car camping kit for years. At 4+ oz, they are a little heavy and they are bulky too.

The Starbucks cup is cheap and light and will keep coffee warm long enough. Perfectly imperfect :)

[Bob Gross]

First you stated:
"It begs to have a cozy. I have some EVA foam that might be good; otherwise, it might get a Reflectix tuxedo :)"

Now you state:
"…and will keep coffee warm long enough."

Which is it?

–B.G.–

[Dale Wambaugh]

Both. It will keep the coffee warm okay on it's own and far better than a single wall metal cup, but adding a cozy won't hurt. My thought was that a cozy would improve handling, like the sleeves for paper cups.

We are talking about a $1 bit of gear. Some folk use the thin foam cups and I think this one will survive a little better. I like cups with lids to keep the heat in and the bugs and for needles out.

I like to find a cheap solution once in a while, like the Victorinox paring knife, the Snowpeak Ti bowl, window film ground sheets, Bic lighters and so on. We take this stuff out and live in the dirt with it!

I remember seeing the Inka Ti pen for $35 when I first got into UL gear and being disgusted with the price. Some of the other Ti stuff hits me that way. At some point it is more jewelry than tool. Dropping $35-$40 for a mug to slurp coffee from strikes me the same way.

[Bob Gross]

"We are talking about a $1 bit of gear."

Ahhh, there's the difference. I was talking about a $0 bit of gear.

–B.G.–

[Martin M. Clark]

This cup rules. I picked mine up last week and absolutely love it. Only drawback is that the cup gets extremely hot and will burn hand. easy 0.25oz fix is to take a really lightweight beer coozie and cut the bottom off and use it. It makes a nice hand gripper and insulates your beverage. I could totally see myself taking this backpacking. I would also like to applaud starbucks for trying to make their MANY wasteful customers more aware of their waste and recycling. SOMEBODY had to take some responsibility.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I did make a foam cozy from 5mm foam. It's ugly, but it works and it's just 0.2oz. I tried a beer cozy, which works just fine, but the one I have is really thick neoprene and weighs nearly as much as the cup. I did some surfing and there are silicone cup sleeves, but while searching on the silicon sleeves, I found all kinds of knitted ones. That made me think of *socks*, so I dove into the sock drawer, found an orphan and cut a 3.5" section off the ribbed top. That works great and it is about 0.2oz as well. It is cotton and will unravel with time, but it took 10 seconds to make. I'm thinking the cotton will be good for a pot grabber too. You could do the same with a spare sock from your pack, but you wouldn't be able to set it down.

[jason quick]

"I worry you may be addicted to weighing things…"

…that was weighing on my mind too.

[USA Duane Hall]

Use a hiking sock, fresh off your foot. If folks can use tent stakes as dual purpose on a stove, (what does the tent do in a wind?) where's the harm in going sockless?
Duane

[rowan !]

The Starbucks cold drink cups are also polypropylene (number 5 plastic). They used to be made of number 1 plastic, which deforms if exposed to warmth, but several months ago, I noticed they'd switched materials. They come in 12-ounce, 16-ounce, and larger sizes. They're meant to be disposable but they hold up to reuse and hot beverages just fine. The lids are kind of flimsy, though. I have a small stash of these cups now, that should keep me supplied with cups for a few years!

On a related note, polypropylene deli containers make great bowls.

[Bob Gross]

I agree. The number 5 plastic makes up my own backpacking bowl/mug, and I've used the same one (recycled food container) for about the last three or four years now.

–B.G.–

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