The JOCO cup: a reuseable coffee cup made from glass

It’s not often that I see a product that I think is worth raving about. After all, we can’t save the planet by buying more stuff, no matter how great the eco credentials claim to be. But when I came across the JOCO cup I thought it was worth sharing.

I’ve talked before about how takeaway coffee cups are made from fossil fuels (yep, that’s where plastic comes from) and are creating a huge landfill problem. The same goes for those biodegradeable ones that actually need commercial composters to biodegrade (you can read that post here).

The way I see it, there’s two simple solutions. Dine in, or bring your own reuseable cup.

I bought a KeepCup, which is made of durable plastic. I’ve used it countless times. I was torn between buying the KeepCup, which appealed to me because its cups are standardised sizes (8oz, 12oz and 16oz, the same as disposable coffee cups), and buying a non-plastic alternative. I would rather have purchased a stainless steel one (or even ceramic) but they all seemed to come in bizarre and impractical sizes. (If your takeaway coffee cup is too tall to fit underneath an expresso machine, it rather defeats the point of having it, don’t you think?!)

The downside of the plastic KeepCup is that it does retain the taste and smell of the previous drink. No matter how many times I wash it out. Soaking overnight with a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate does a pretty good job of removing it, but wouldn’t it be better if I could wash it once and be done with it? The plastics used in the KeepCup are polypropylene for the cup (type 5) and LDPE (type 4) for the lid, which are both considered safer types of plastic. They thought that about plastic with BPA and phthalates once though. This type of plastic isn’t easily recycled either, so disposal will be an issue at the end of its life. Reuseable plastic is better than disposable plastic, but the best would be no plastic at all.

So I’ve been quietly waiting for KeepCup to bring out a stainless steel alternative.

It seems like JOCO have beaten them to it. Not with stainless steel, but another non-toxic material – glass. I wish the JOCO cup had been around when I was in the market for one. It truly seems to be the best of both worlds. The JOCO cup is made out of glass, with a silicone band so your fingers don’t get scalded. It’s the only glass coffee cup I’ve ever seen. Plus they come in proper barista sizes: 8oz and 12oz. And they’re easy on the eye, if stylishness is your thing.

JOCO cupThe other thing I love is that they sell replacement glass, bands and lids so if you lose any of the bits (or the glass breaks) you can replace them without having to buy a whole new one. This may seem obvious, but often companies make it very hard to buy replacement parts. If you’ve ever broken the glass in a coffee plunger and tried to buy a replacement you’ll know exactly what I mean.

I don’t have a JOCO cup, and I haven’t tried using one. I won’t be getting one either, because my KeepCup still has plenty of life left and to get rid of it would be wasteful. Discarding old products to buy new ones, however green they may be, is not the sustainable option.

But I know there’s a few people out there who are taking part in Plastic Free July, and maybe haven’t got round to buying a reusable coffee cup of their own yet. In which case, here’s another option for you to consider.

14 replies
  1. Glen
    Glen says:

    I’m quite interested in this. I have a keep cup, which I use all the time, but quite like the idea of glass. I wonder how robust it is…thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. Joe Smith
    Joe Smith says:

    Just to note that KeepCup are releasing a glass version of their reuseable coffee cups in the coming months – so keep an eye out on those. Think there are a few articles online about them already.

    Reply
  3. Coffee lover
    Coffee lover says:

    Just an FYI – I’m pretty sure Joco and KeepCup are the same company, just sister brands. Hence the similar standard sizing, plus both websites are pretty similar in design/aesthetics. And of course, both ship out of Australia so…

    Reply
    • treadingmyownpath
      treadingmyownpath says:

      Hi there, I know it might seem like they are the same, but I’m pretty sure they aren’t. I think that they are both from Australia is just a reflection of the massive coffee culture here! They have different Australian Business Register numbers and different registered locations – and actually KeepCup have just launched a glass range, which would be a strange move if they already owned JOCO CUP! But if you know something that I don’t, be sure to let me know!

      Reply
  4. Heather
    Heather says:

    I have a JOCO cup and it’s great. I ordered the 12oz first to keep my morning coffee in. I typically only drink a cup in the morning and that’s it. It keeps the drink warm for a decent amount of time…about 25-30 minutes. I’m now looking to purchase an 8oz cup for tea and when I want smaller amounts of coffee. The only difficulty is finding a dealer in the US for the 8oz or 16oz versions. Shipping from Australia to the US is just as much as the cup itself.

    FYI They fit in standard cup holders for your drive to work and wash up easily. So far so good.

    Reply
  5. Heather
    Heather says:

    Also wanted to mention that I live in two-person household, so ordering another cup was always on the agenda, but I wanted to try it out first. I loved it so much that I’m getting another.

    Reply
  6. Steph
    Steph says:

    Thank you for confirming what I was trying to find out and was confident in knowing but needed the assurance, if the plastic holds odour! I prefer stainless steel too and have a trusty cup with lid which has been doing an amazing job for years, fits in my cup holder in the car perfectly. The plastic lid is starting to get a bit grubby though so thinking of swapping over for one of these glass versions, just choosing which brand.
    The keepcup looks more appealing as the lid has a seal, the glass looks thicker too vs JOCO no full seal, glass looks thinner, but it looks easier to clean, not so many parts! Decisions, decisions!
    Will be following your blog too, some great writing on here.

    Reply
    • treadingmyownpath
      treadingmyownpath says:

      I now have a glass KeepCup and my boyfriend has a JOCO cup at work, so having seen both, I personally prefer the KeepCup. I don’t really like silicon (I don’t like the way it feels) and i prefer that the KeepCup lid is rigid.

      I don’t know if the glass is thicker, but they are both very substantial and I wouldn’t worry about either being inferior!

      In terms of cleaning, both have a glass cup and a sleeve (I like that my glass KeepCup has a cork band because it’s natural, but probably a plastic one would last longer and need less care). The KeepCup lid is make of two parts whereas the JOCO cup has one, but it’s negligible.

      I’m sure whichever you choose will be perfect!

      Thanks, glad you like my blog! : )

      Reply

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