In previous posts, I have mentioned my love for bubble tea. Aside from the expense, the one thing I resent about my tea drinking habit is the environmental impact it has. Bubble tea comes in single use plastic cups with a single use plastic lid and a single use plastic straw (yes I know, I cringe at the straw too). Every time I consume this delicious beverage it’s tinged with guild and a little sadness. I struggle to justify that something I enjoy so much is so bad for the environment. I don’t want my delicious drink to contribute to landfill as much as it does.
So what did I do? I researched. Initially I was on the hunt for a re-usable bubble tea straw thinking that this was my only option. It wasn’t a terrible alternative, after all it meant I wasn’t using disposable straws. However, it also meant that I would still have a need for the plastic cup and flimsy plastic film that is used on top. So I kept looking.
After a lot of research I found there are multiple different bubble tea cups you can buy on the internet. I’m not a fan of glass (purely because I’m concerned I would manage to break this quite easily) and also because of the weight, glass after all is heavy. I want something I can throw in my handbag on the way out of the house, in a hurry. I’m also not a fan of metal straws. I don’t want to hurt my teeth or my lip and I don’t like the fact that they are so opaque and once again, heavy.
However, after much research and countless glass cups and metal straws, I think I may have found one of the few companies that actually make a re-usable plastic bubble tea cup that also includes… a plastic straw. Enter: Bumbler!!! I picked out what I wanted and received it as a Christmas gift and have since used it three times! I have to say, I love it. My cup is pink and came with a white straw, along with a straw cleaner. If you so desire, you can also personalise your cup! One thing I loved about unboxing this on Christmas day is that the box contained no un-necessary plastic single use packaging surrounding the cup. The cup was literally inside a cardboard box. However please keep in mind that as I received this as a gift, I cannot comment on how the box itself was shipped (and whether any plastic was used at that stage).
My bumbler cup is easy to clean, not too heavy in my handbag and easy to drink from. I can’t recommend it enough (and no this is not an affiliate post/I’m not being paid to write this). I love that now I can buy a bubble tea without the single use plastic and can still enjoy the drink I love so much. I’ve also found multiple times I’ve paid for a small and received a large size (the cup only comes in large).
The cup is super stylish and I’m very proud to be seen walking around with it. After all, re-usable coffee cups are a thing- so why not a re-usable bubble tea cup? There concept is the same.
Have you purchased a re-usable bubble tea cup? Or is it something you are considering?
This is Minimalism 