MNN - Mother Nature Network

It didn't happen until I was 30, but when it did, I was hooked, obsessed, totally addicted. Even before I had accepted I was actually a fully-grown adult, my coffee habit kicked in, and ever since, I've been a happy devotee to the bean. I tend towards fair-trade, organic, artisan-crafted macchiatos and cortados, but I'll go to Starbucks for a short, double-shot capp every once in a while when I'm not in NYC or another city where preparing coffee is considered an art. 

 

Whatever your coffee-drinking proclivities, consistently using disposable cups is a waste. But if you're like me, you may have noticed that reusable mugs come in all shapes and sizes, many of which don't fit under the espresso nozzles at many coffee shops. So I bring my great green reusable mugs and notice that some baristas need to use a paper cup (which gets thrown away) and then pour the espresso into my mug, instead of being able to use just the mug. What a waste! And so frustrating when you are trying to do the right thing. 

 

KeepCup to the rescue. Designed by baristas, the cups fit under the espresso nozzle (my two local coffeeshops in NYC, Joe and Cafe Grumpy, both were able to), wasting nary a cup. And I especially appreciate that the cups come in smaller sizes (I like a euro-sized 8oz. cappuccino or even smaller serving, and KeepCup's extrasmall size is 4oz., which is perfect for the aforementioned cortados and macchiatos, and would work for a shot of espresso or a gibraltar as well). The cups also come in 12 oz. and 16 oz. sizes. 

 

Aside from all those obvious benefits, my fave part of the KeepCup is the fact that you can design your own color scheme (mine's a fab purple, orange and red combo that looks like no other coffee cup out there!). Of course the cups are made from BPA-free plastic, and are recylable at the end of their life. Love everything about this smartly-designed, quirky-cool and waste-free reusable coffee mug. 

 

Another great innovation from Australia (the company has European and American offices and distribution though).