A reusable coffee cup is a must for the environment and sustainable living.
The Ecoffee Cup is one of the many choices out there for a reusable coffee cup choice, which by default aim to clean up part of the plastic waste problem.
However, the Ecoffee Cup goes further than this with its eco-friendly credentials in the way that it’s made, used and eventually disposed of.
Let’s get to it with my Ecoffee cup review.
Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links to &Keep who are an ethical and plastic-free website. This review is completely genuine and contains my honest opinion about an Ecoffee cup that I’ve had for a number of years.
Why go for a reusable coffee cup in the first place?
Single use, plastic-lined coffee cups are thrown away in mind-boggling numbers – not just in the millions of cups, but billions! The last estimate suggested that Britain gets through 2.5 billion coffee cups every year.
And it gets worse. Because of their multi-material make up, just one in every 400 single use coffee cups are recycled.
As you can see, single use coffee cups are just not compatible with a sustainable, more eco friendly way of life.
Coffee popularity isn’t dropping any time soon, so we need to change something else to make our habits more environmentally friendly.
Step in the reusable coffee cup.
A bit of background on Ecoffee Cup
I’ve had a few reusable coffee cups over the years, but one that has provided a mainstay is my bamboo made Ecoffee Cup*.
Ecoffee Cup are a London-based company founded in 2014 to tackle the plastic coffee waste problem in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. You can have a look at their website here.
I bought my Ecoffee Cup around 3 years ago from a local coffee roaster and coffee shop in Manchester called Mancoco. A great place who roast ethically sourced coffee.
One benefit is that every time I go back I get 20p off a coffee. It’s not just here though. Many coffee chains and retailers, such as Pret A Manger and Costa, will give you money off your drink every time you use your reusable cup – I used to get a nice filter coffee from Pret every money with my Ecoffee Cup for 49p!
Bamboo Ecoffee Cup Review
So how does the Ecoffee Cup actually get on in real life?
For me it’s excellent.
Lightweight, sturdy, easy to clean and great to drink from.
With the cup itself, I particularly like the feel of the main bamboo body. The wood-like texture feels very natural and when it’s cooled down enough, I like to drink my coffee directly from this part.
With a very hot drink inside, it’s best to use the silicone lid and silicone grip sleeve as the cup container does get hot. Although silicone is not entirely natural, it’s very distinct from plastic. Have a read on the silicone vs plastic debate here.
This food-grade silicone has a rubber-like texture and is completely non-reactive and non-toxic. It does not impact the taste of the coffee at all and has a really good, secure fit, which helps to avoid any spillages.
The bamboo part of the cup is actually a mixture of sustainable bamboo and cornstalk natural fibres. They are bound together with a plant-based eco-friendly resin.
This means the Ecoffee Cup is naturally free from BPA, phthaltes and other petrochemicals, which also lowers both the energy and carbon footprint to make it.
The latest versions are made from 97.5% natural materials. You can find full details on what an Ecoffee Cup is made from here.
Is the Ecoffee Cup environmentally friendly?
In my view, yes the Ecoffee Cup is environmentally friendly.
It is reusable, made from natural and sustainable materials, and has saved millions and millions of single-use plastic coffee cups going to landfill.
It may not be compostable or biodegradable but Ecoffee Cup have closed the loop when it comes to recycling the cup. They have partnered with Terracycle, which means when you’re finished with the Ecoffee Cup for good, you can send it off for free to be recycled. More details on how to do this on their website.
Ecoffees Cups are safe to use. They are sterile, pesticide free, contain no plastic or BPA and can be cleaned very easily. They are safe to use in the dishwasher or just using good old fashioned warm water, some kind of biodegradable eco sponge and washing up liquid!
Do be very careful if you want to push your Ecoffee Cup in the microwave as some models are not microwave safe. The cup will state whether it can go in the microwave on the underside.
How does the Ecoffee Cup look?
I’m not that into colourful designs and like to keep things low key, which is why I went for plain black. Boring, I know!
However, if you are into that type of stuff the Ecoffee Cup has tonnes of quirky, colourful, patterned designs to choose from to add a bit of style to your coffee drinking!
If design is your thing you can go one step further and opt for an Ecoffee Cup from one of the special collections. You can get your reusable coffee cup with a design inspired by Van Gogh, Emma Shipley or William Morris.
On the environmentally front, there’s a Project Waterfall collection and one for Surfers Against Sewage.
Trades and businesses can also get involved and brand up their own Ecoffee Cups. This is why I have a Mancoco Ecoffee Cup!
What size Ecoffee Cup to get?
Ecoffee Cups come in a five main sizes:
- 180ml Espresso
- 250ml Flat White
- 350ml Regular
- 400ml School Run
- 475ml Americano
I have the 350ml regular size and it’s ideal for almost all short journeys and commutes. Until the pandemic, mine was used almost every morning for my pre-gym caffeine fix.
The reason it’s great for short journeys is because it’s not insulated. It’s much more like a regular ceramic mug than a thermos and will keep your drink hot for about 45 minutes.
Where to buy an Ecoffee Cup?
All in all, I think the Ecoffee Cup is a fantastic, environmentally friendly, reusable coffee cup choice. It’s very practical for shorter journeys, lightweight and well-made.
I’ve had many for around three years and it has been an excellent buy.
Not only does the product perform very well, but the company behind the cup are also have great sustainability credentials.
Now all that’s left for you to do if get rid of the single use coffee cups for good.
You can buy an Ecoffee Cup from a number of places. Directly from their website shop or from a local business partner with their own Ecoffee Cups.
You can also buy your Ecoffee cup from andkeep.com*, a sustainable and plastic-free website. They do a great range of colours, styles and sizes, as well as stocking a large collection of other ethical home products. You can get 5% off all products by using the code ANDKEEP5.
If you liked that, you’ll like these blogs on ethical coffee…
I’m the Creator and Editor of Tiny Eco Home Life. I write and publish information about living a more sustainable, environmentally friendly life. Away from the laptop, I love spending time in nature and with my young family (plus Murphy the dog!). I write and send out the Eco Life Newsletter.
