Buying guide
Can you put hot drinks in clear plastic cups?
Updated
Short answer
No. Most clear plastic cups for iced drinks, Oojami's included, are PET (#1), and PET is for cold drinks only: it softens with heat, so the cup can bend and the lid can come loose. Do not put hot coffee, hot tea or warm drinks in a PET cup, and do not microwave it. For hot drinks, buy paper hot cups with hot-cup lids.
The short answer
Oojami cups are clear PET. They are for cold drinks only.
PET is the clear plastic used for most iced coffee cups and cold drink cups. It is rigid when cold, and it softens when it gets hot. A soft cup can bend in your hand, and the lid can come off. With a hot drink, that can spill on you.
So:
- Do not put hot coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate or a warm drink in a PET cup.
- Do not microwave a PET cup, with or without a drink in it.
- Do not pour hot coffee over ice in the cup to make iced coffee. Let the coffee cool first, or use cold brew.
How to know what your cup is made of
Look at the bottom of the cup or at the box. Most plastic cups show a number in a triangle:
| Code | Plastic | Clear? | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 PET | Polyethylene terephthalate | Yes, very clear | Cold drinks only |
| #5 PP | Polypropylene | Cloudy, not fully clear | Some PP cups are made for hot drinks. Check the box says so |
| #6 PS | Polystyrene | Clear PS cups exist; foam cups are also PS | Clear PS is for cold drinks. Foam cups are made for hot drinks |
If a cup does not say it is for hot drinks, treat it as a cold cup. Oojami cups say "cold drinks only" on every listing.
Hot cups and cold cups: what is different
| Hot cups | Cold cups | |
|---|---|---|
| Usual material | Paper with a plastic lining, sometimes with two walls or a sleeve; some PP plastic | Clear PET, sometimes PP or PS |
| Made to | Hold heat and keep your hand from getting hot | Stay rigid with ice and show the drink |
| Lid | A dome lid with a small sip hole, made for steam | A sip lid, a flat lid with a straw slot, or a dome lid for toppings |
| Clear? | No | Yes |
A cold cup's lid is made for a cold drink. Even if the cup holds its shape, a cold lid is not made for steam or for the heat of a hot drink.
When to buy hot cups instead
- You serve hot coffee or tea: buy paper hot cups with hot-cup lids. Use sleeves or double-wall cups so people can hold them.
- You serve both hot and iced drinks: buy two kinds of cups. Paper hot cups for the hot drinks, clear PET cups for the iced drinks. One cup for both is a compromise: paper cups hide the drink, and clear PET cups cannot take heat.
- You want to warm a drink in the microwave: use a mug or a container that says it is microwave safe. Not a PET cup.
- You want warm tea to go: use a hot cup or an insulated travel mug, not a cold cup.
What Oojami cups are for
Oojami clear cups with strawless sip lids are for cold drinks: iced coffee, iced latte, cold brew, iced tea, lemonade, juice, soda and smoothies. They come in 12, 16, 20 and 24 oz, with 100 cups and 100 snap-on lids per pack. The cups are BPA-free and recyclable. The PET keeps its shape under ice and a full pour.
About temperatures
You will see temperature limits for PET on other sites. They do not all agree, and they depend on the cup. We give no number here. Our rule is simple: a PET cup gets cold drinks only, and nothing warm.
Other choices
- Paper hot cups with dome lids: the right buy for hot coffee and tea.
- A reusable insulated tumbler: keeps hot drinks hot and iced drinks cold, if one person uses it every day.
- Solo UltraClear and GUSTO clear cups: like ours, these are PET cold cups. The same rule applies: cold drinks only. For any other clear cup, check the code on the bottom.