Guide · Cups and mugs
Best reusable coffee cup: barista-friendly cups for your daily takeaway
Reusable cups from KeepCup, Huskee and Circular&Co compared on size, lid, material and weight, for handing over at the coffee-shop counter. UK prices checked 3 Oct 2026.
A reusable coffee cup is a different thing from a travel mug. It’s built for the walk from the counter to your desk: light, sized to match a coffee-shop order, and easy for a barista to fill under the machine. We’ve compared five cups for anyone searching for the best reusable coffee cup UK shops will happily take from you, from KeepCup, Huskee and Circular&Co. We haven’t tested this in person. Our picks come from the makers’ published specs and UK prices checked on 3 Oct 2026 at the retailers named. Read how we compare.
Best reusable coffee cup UK: the short answer
Buy the KeepCup Original Clear 12oz if you want the classic coffee-shop cup at a fair price. It’s £15.00 at KeepCup UK, checked 3 Oct 2026, and the 8oz is £14.00 at KeepCup UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. KeepCup describes it as lightweight Tritan plastic with a splashproof press-fit lid and “barista-standard” sizing, so it lines up with the small and medium sizes cafés pour.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants to throw a cup in a bag with coffee still in it. The lid is described as splashproof, not leakproof.
Get the KeepCup Brew M 12oz if you’d rather drink from glass. It’s £22.00 at KeepCup UK, checked 3 Oct 2026. The body is tempered glass with a heat-resistant silicone band, and KeepCup says the glass keeps flavours clean.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who’s hard on their kit. Glass is heavier and less forgiving than plastic if it’s dropped.
Choose the Huskee Original Cup + Lid 12oz if you like the idea of a cup that feels at home in a café as well as on the go. It’s £12.99 at Cotswold Coffee Company, checked 3 Oct 2026, and Huskee UK sells a 4-pack for £40.00, checked 3 Oct 2026. It’s made from a composite of up to 50% coffee husk and polypropylene, according to the maker’s spec.
Who it isn’t for: commuters who need a sealed lid. The lid is vented for drinking, and no leakproof claim is made for it.
Choose the Circular&Co coffee waste cup if you want one cup that’s leakproof and still fits a café order. The 12oz is £22.00 and the 8oz is £21.00 at Circular&Co, checked 3 Oct 2026. Its lid twists to lock and clicks open with one hand.
Who it isn’t for: anyone on a tight budget. It’s the most expensive cup here, joint with the KeepCup Brew.
Skip the extras if you just want to stop using paper cups. The Circular NOW Cup is £9.95 at Circular&Co, checked 3 Oct 2026, the cheapest cup we could find a current price for. It’s made from recycled paper cups and has a familiar snap-fit lid.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a cup to last a decade. Circular&Co designs it for five years of use.
Reusable cup or travel mug?
Both cut down on paper cups, but they suit different days.
- A reusable cup is light and shaped like a takeaway cup. It’s ideal when you buy your coffee out and drink it within the hour. Most aren’t vacuum insulated, so they won’t keep a drink hot all morning.
- A travel mug is usually double-walled steel with a locking lid. It’s heavier and often taller, which can make it awkward under a café’s coffee machine. If you want coffee hot for hours, or you’re carrying it from home, see our guide to the best travel mug.
Circular&Co’s own figure for its coffee waste cup is 60 to 90 minutes of keeping a drink hot or cold, which is about right for a commute. KeepCup does make a steel Commuter for longer trips, £32.00 for 12oz at KeepCup UK, checked 3 Oct 2026, but that’s really a travel mug.
Who it isn’t for: if you sip one coffee across a whole morning, a reusable cup will disappoint. Get an insulated mug instead.
Sizes that fit coffee-shop measures
Coffee-shop sizes are the main reason to buy a dedicated cup. A cup that matches the café’s measure means the barista can pour your usual drink without guessing.
- 8oz (about 227ml): Circular&Co pairs this size with a Costa Small, Starbucks Short and Pret Small. It suits flat whites and cortados. For the difference between the drinks, see latte vs cappuccino vs flat white.
- 12oz (about 340 to 355ml): Circular&Co pairs this with a Costa Medium, Starbucks Tall and Pret Standard. It’s the size most people will want for lattes and cappuccinos.
- 16oz: KeepCup sells the Original Clear in 16oz for £16.00 at KeepCup UK, checked 3 Oct 2026, if large drinks are your habit.
Height matters too. Circular&Co lists its 12oz coffee waste cup at 166mm tall with the lid on and the NOW Cup at 150mm. Huskee’s 12oz cup is 132mm tall without its lid. If you also want to use the cup at home, measure the gap under your machine’s spout first.
Who it isn’t for: if your usual order changes size day to day, a 12oz cup is the safest single choice.
Glass, plastic, husk or recycled waste?
The specs in this guide come from the makers’ product pages: KeepCup UK, Huskee’s spec as listed by Eight Ounce Coffee, and Circular&Co’s pages for the coffee waste cup and NOW Cup.
- Plastic (KeepCup Original Clear). Light and tough. KeepCup says the Tritan is 50% recycled plastic.
- Glass (KeepCup Brew). Doesn’t hold on to old flavours, but it’s the most fragile choice.
- Coffee husk (Huskee). Huskee says the cup is recyclable by sending it back to Huskee or dropping it at a HuskeeSwap partner café. HuskeeSwap is the brand’s cup-exchange scheme.
- Recycled waste (Circular&Co). The coffee waste cup’s outer layer is made with recycled coffee grounds, and the NOW Cup is made from used paper cups. Circular&Co says both are fully recyclable at the end of their life.
On weight, Huskee lists its 12oz cup at 168g plus a 37g lid. Circular&Co lists its 12oz coffee waste cup at about 200g and the NOW Cup at 210g.
Who it isn’t for: if you want to avoid plastic entirely, the glass Brew is the closest option here, though its lid and band aren’t glass.
Bringing your own cup: UK chain discounts
Pret’s sustainability page says it gives a 50p discount to customers with a reusable cup, checked 3 Oct 2026. Other big chains have given money off or extra loyalty points, but we couldn’t confirm their current terms on their own websites, so check the chain’s app before you count on a saving. Independent cafés often have their own discounts, so it’s always worth asking.
A cup that’s clean and clearly sized makes life easier at the counter. Some baristas prefer to make the drink in a jug or their own cup and pour it into yours.
Cleaning a reusable cup
Coffee oils build up in lids fastest, so take the lid apart if the maker allows it and rinse it soon after you finish. Huskee and Circular&Co both list their cups as dishwasher safe. Huskee’s care advice, as listed by Eight Ounce Coffee, is to put the cup through a dishwasher, avoid packing sharp objects against it, and soak tough stains in hot water with a small amount of espresso machine cleaner. For the KeepCups, check the care guidance on KeepCup UK before you use the dishwasher.
Downsides
- Not every lid seals. Only the Circular&Co coffee waste cup here is described as leakproof. The KeepCup lids are splashproof, and KeepCup’s Commuter Light (£20.00 at KeepCup UK, checked 3 Oct 2026) is its lighter sealed option.
- Limited heat retention. These aren’t vacuum flasks, so drinks cool faster than in a travel mug.
- Claims are the makers’. Heat times, lifespans and recycled content come from the brands.
- We couldn’t price Stojo. The collapsible Stojo cup was out of stock or unavailable at every UK retailer we checked on 3 Oct 2026, so we’ve left it out.
Where to go next
- Best travel mug, for insulated mugs that keep coffee hot for hours
- How to make a flat white at home
- Coffee accessories
- Best milk frother
FAQ
What size reusable coffee cup should you get? A 12oz cup suits most medium coffee-shop drinks. Choose 8oz if you mostly order flat whites or small drinks.
Are reusable coffee cups leakproof? Not all of them. Of these, only the Circular&Co coffee waste cup is described as leakproof. The KeepCups listed here are splashproof.
Do coffee shops give a discount for a reusable cup? Pret says it gives 50p off with a reusable cup. Other chains change their schemes, so check their apps.
Can you put a reusable coffee cup in the dishwasher? Huskee and Circular&Co list theirs as dishwasher safe. Check the maker’s care guidance for any other cup.
Where can you buy these? KeepCup Original Clear at KeepCup UK, KeepCup Brew at KeepCup UK, Huskee cup at Cotswold Coffee Company, Circular&Co coffee waste cup at Circular&Co and Circular NOW Cup at Circular&Co.