Buying guide
To-go cups for iced coffee: which work best in the car and on a commute?
Updated
Short answer
For iced coffee on the go, use a rigid clear PET cup with a snap-on lid made for it, in 16 or 20 oz, with a strawless sip lid if you drive. Oojami sells clear PET cups with strawless sip lids in 12, 16, 20 and 24 oz, 100 cups and 100 lids per pack, for cold drinks only. If you drink the same iced coffee every day, a reusable tumbler with a sealed lid spills less and keeps the drink cold longer.
What makes a good to-go cup for iced coffee
A to-go cup has to do three things: hold its shape in your hand, keep its lid on, and fit where you put it.
| What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Rigid PET plastic | A rigid cup does not bend when you hold it, so the lid stays on. PET is clear, so you see the drink |
| A lid made for the cup | A lid fits the rim, not the ounces. Cups and lids sold as a set fit each other |
| A lid that closes | A flap or a plug on the opening cuts splashes when the cup moves |
| The right size | Ice takes part of the cup, so iced coffee needs a larger cup than hot coffee |
| The base | A narrow base sits in more cup holders |
Which size to carry
Ice takes up space, so the cup holds less coffee than its number of ounces. A 16 oz or 20 oz cup suits a usual iced coffee or iced latte with ice. A 12 oz cup suits a small drink or a drink with little ice. A 24 oz cup suits a large drink, or a thick drink with a straw.
Check your cup holder before you buy. The Oojami 12 oz clear cup has a 2.4 in base and the 24 oz cup a 2 3/8 in base. The 24 oz cup is 6 3/8 in tall, so it stands high above a shallow holder.
Sip lid or straw lid for driving
| Strawless sip lid | Straw lid | |
|---|---|---|
| How you drink | Lift and tip the cup | Lean to the straw, or lift the cup |
| In the cup holder | The opening is small; a flap can close it | Drink can come up the straw and out of the hole when the car moves |
| Hands needed | One hand, cup lifted | One hand; some people drink without lifting the cup |
| Thick or blended drinks | Do not flow well | Work well |
For iced coffee in a car, a sip lid with a closing flap lets less drink out over bumps. A straw is easier if you want to drink without tipping the cup, or if the drink is thick. Drink when the car is stopped where you can.
How to carry iced coffee without spills
- Press the lid on all the way round until it locks. Most spills come from a lid that is down on one side only.
- Leave space at the top. Do not fill the cup to the rim with coffee and ice.
- Close the flap on the lid when you walk or drive.
- Hold the cup lower down with a loose grip. A tight grip bends a thin cup and can lift the lid.
- Keep it upright. Put it in a cup holder, not on a seat or in a bag.
- For a bag, use a sealed travel tumbler. No disposable cup with a sip opening or a straw hole is sealed.
- Wrap a napkin round the cup if water collects on the outside. That water comes from the cold, not from a leak.
Oojami cups for iced coffee to go
Oojami makes clear PET cups with snap-on strawless sip lids. Each pack has 100 cups and 100 lids, in 12, 16, 20 or 24 oz. The cups are BPA-free and recyclable, and they are for cold drinks only.
- The lid snaps onto the rim and stays on while you walk or set the cup down.
- A flap on the lid opens for sipping and closes again to cut splashes.
- The cup is rigid PET, which keeps its shape under ice and a full pour.
- The 24 oz cup has a wide 4 1/8 in opening that takes a straw, for thick drinks.
- The last sip can collect in the lid. Tilt the cup more, or take the lid off.
The lid is not leakproof. Keep a full cup upright.
Other choices, and when they are the better buy
- A reusable insulated tumbler: the better buy if you make iced coffee at home every day and carry it the same way. It keeps ice longer, it has less water on the outside, and a sealed lid can go in a bag. You wash it each day.
- Solo UltraClear cold cups: clear PET cups with flat straw-slot lids or dome lids. Choose these if you want a straw or a dome for toppings.
- GUSTO and Great Value cups with sip lids: clear PET cups with strawless sip lids, like ours. Great Value is at Walmart in smaller packs, if you want a few cups today.
- Hefty Chill-To-Go cups: sold in grocery stores, if you need cups on the same day.
Disposable cups are the easier choice when you make drinks for other people, when you do not want to wash a cup, or when you forget the tumbler at home.