Buying guide
An iced coffee bar at home or for a party
Updated
Short answer
For an iced coffee bar, set out 16 oz clear cups with sip lids, a bucket of ice, cold brew or chilled coffee, milk and syrups. Plan about 2 cups per guest for a party of 2 to 3 hours: 40 guests need about 80 cups, which is one 100-pack of Oojami's cups with sip lids. Hot drinks need hot cups or mugs; our cups are for cold drinks only.
An iced coffee bar is a table where guests make their own cold coffee. It works at home on a weekend, at a party or at a shower. Set it up in the order guests use it, and keep the ice cold.
Checklist
Coffee
- Cold brew or strong coffee, chilled the night before, in a pitcher or a drink dispenser
- A second pitcher of decaf
Ice
- A bucket or bowl of ice with a scoop
- More ice in a cooler or the freezer
Add-ins
- Milk and one non-dairy milk, in a small pitcher on ice
- Two or three syrups, such as vanilla, caramel and plain
- Sugar and sweetener
- Cinnamon or cocoa to sprinkle
Cups and tools
- Clear cups with lids, in one size
- Long spoons or stirrers
- Napkins and a small trash bin
- A marker, so guests can write their name on the cup
- A tray under the add-ins to catch drips
- A small card that says what each pitcher holds
How to keep it neat
- Put things in the order guests use them: cups, ice, coffee, milk, syrups, lids, napkins.
- Put the trash bin at the end of the table.
- Stand syrups and milk on a tray. Drips stay on the tray, not the table.
- Set out only part of the cups. Keep the rest under the table and refill when the stack is low.
- Keep milk on ice, and change the ice when it melts.
Which cups
For iced coffee, choose 16 oz clear cups with lids. 16 oz leaves room for ice and milk. Clear cups let guests see the drink they made. A lid lets them walk and talk without splashes.
A strawless sip lid means you do not need straws on the table. Guests snap the lid on and drink from the opening.
Oojami's cups are clear PET, BPA-free, with 100 cups and 100 snap-on sip lids per pack. They come in 12, 16, 20 and 24 oz. They are for cold drinks only.
Glass mugs or disposable cups
| Glass or ceramic | Disposable clear cups with lids | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A few guests at home | A party or a shower |
| Washing | Yes, after the party | None |
| Hot drinks | Yes | Only cups made for hot drinks |
| Guests walk around | Can break or spill | Lid stays on |
| Names on cups | No | Yes, with a marker |
Glass is the better choice for 4 to 8 people at home, when you are happy to wash up. Disposable cups are the better choice when there are more guests than you have glasses, or when guests move around the room.
Separate cups for hot and iced drinks
Yes, if you serve both. Hot drinks need mugs or paper hot cups with hot lids. Our cups are PET and soften with heat: use them only for iced drinks. Put the hot cups next to the hot coffee and the clear cups next to the ice, so guests take the right one.
How many cups to set out
Our planning assumption: guests use about 1.5 cups each for an event of 2 hours or less, and 2 cups each for 2 to 4 hours. People put a cup down and take a new one, or try a second drink. If you also serve hot coffee, count only the guests you expect to drink iced coffee.
| Guests | 1.5 cups each | 2 cups each | 100-packs at 2 cups each |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 30 | 40 | 1 |
| 40 | 60 | 80 | 1 |
| 60 | 90 | 120 | 2 |
| 80 | 120 | 160 | 2 |
For 40 guests at a party of 2 to 3 hours, set out about 50 cups and keep 30 in reserve. One 100-pack covers it, with 20 left over.
Coffee bar accessories
Things that make the bar easier to use:
- A drink dispenser with a tap for the coffee
- An ice bucket and scoop
- Small pitchers for milk
- Syrup pumps or bottles with pour tops
- A tray, a cup stack holder and a napkin holder
- Name cards for each pitcher
The cups matter most. If guests have no lid, they spill. If the cup is small, the ice takes the room. Buy the cups and lids first, then add the rest.