Buying guide
Cups with lids for juice, iced tea and lemonade
Updated
Short answer
Use 12 oz for juice, 16 oz for lemonade and iced tea with ice, and 20 or 24 oz for a large iced drink. For a lemonade stand or a market stall, stock two sizes: 12 oz and 20 oz. Thin smoothies sip fine through a sip lid; thick ones need the 24 oz cup and a straw. Oojami's clear PET cups come with snap-on sip lids, 100 cups and 100 lids to a pack, for cold drinks only.
Which size for which drink
Ice takes up part of the cup. Our planning assumption is that ice fills about a third of the cup, so a 16 oz cup with ice holds about 10 to 11 oz of drink.
| Drink | Cup size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Juice | 12 oz | Usually served with little or no ice |
| Lemonade | 16 oz | Room for ice and a lemon slice |
| Iced tea | 16 or 20 oz | 20 oz for a large serving with a lot of ice |
| Soda | 12 or 16 oz | 16 oz for soda with a lot of ice |
| Thin smoothie | 16 or 20 oz | Sips through the lid |
| Thick smoothie | 24 oz | Needs a straw |
If you buy only one size for cold drinks at home, choose 16 oz.
Why a sip lid for cold drinks
A lid keeps the drink in the cup when you carry it. The lid on Oojami cups snaps onto the rim, and a flap opens for sipping and closes again to cut splashes. You drink from the lid, so you do not need a straw for juice, lemonade or iced tea. The lid is not leakproof: keep a full cup upright. The last sip can collect in the lid, so tilt the cup more or take the lid off.
The cups are clear PET, BPA-free and recyclable. They are for cold drinks only, because PET softens with heat.
Cold drinks for guests on a hot day
When guests come over on a hot day, they drink more. Plan more cups per guest than on a cool day: our party cup guide uses 2 cups per guest for a hot day.
Make the drinks the night before and chill them. Keep the ice in a cooler near the drinks. Put lemonade, iced tea and water each in its own dispenser, with a stack of cups and lids next to each. Clear cups let guests see which drink is which.
A lemonade stand or a market stall
Stock two sizes: 12 oz as the small and 20 oz as the large. Two sizes are easy to price and easy to explain. Customers can see the difference between them at a glance.
- 12 oz: a small lemonade or a juice
- 20 oz: a large lemonade or iced tea with plenty of ice
If thick smoothies are on your menu, make the large size 24 oz instead of 20 oz. Its wide opening takes a straw for the thick drinks.
Each pack has 100 cups and 100 lids of one size. Buy one pack of each size to start. Fill the cup, snap on the lid, and hand it over: the customer can walk away with the drink and no straw.
Other cups that can be the better buy for a stand:
- Hefty Chill-To-Go or GUSTO cups with lids: cold cups with lids in similar sizes. Compare the type of lid: some come with flat lids and straws.
- Solo UltraClear or Great Value clear cups without lids: a good buy if customers drink at your stall and do not walk away with the cup.
Smoothies at home or at a stand
A thin smoothie, such as a fruit and juice smoothie that pours easily, sips fine through the sip lid. Use a 16 or 20 oz cup.
A thick smoothie, such as one with frozen banana, yogurt or protein powder, does not flow well through a sip opening. Use the 24 oz cup and a straw. Its wide opening, 4 1/8 in across the top, takes a straw. Straws are not in the pack.
At home, you can make a smoothie in the morning, pour it into a cup, snap on the lid and take it with you. If you keep it in the fridge, stand it upright: the lid is not airtight. Stir or shake the smoothie before you drink it, because it can separate.
Supply list for cold drinks
- Cups with lids in the sizes from the table
- Dispensers or pitchers, one for each drink
- Ice and a scoop
- Straws, for thick smoothies only
- Napkins and a bin for used cups
For which clear plastic does not crack, see our PET or PS comparison.