Comparison
Strawless sip lid, flat lid or dome lid: which to buy?
Updated
Short answer
Buy a strawless sip lid for iced coffee, iced tea and other thin cold drinks that you carry: you drink from the lid and need no straw. Buy a flat lid with a straw slot for thick or blended drinks. Buy a dome lid when the drink has cold foam, whipped cream or another topping. Oojami's clear PET cups come with strawless sip lids, 100 cups and 100 lids per pack, in 12, 16, 20 and 24 oz, and the 24 oz cup also takes a straw through its wide 4 1/8 in opening.
Side by side
| Strawless sip lid | Flat lid with straw slot | Dome lid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you drink | From a raised opening in the lid | Through a straw | Through a straw, or from the open hole |
| Straw | Not needed | Needed | Usually needed |
| Toppings like cold foam | Little room: toppings press against the lid | No room | Room: the dome sits above the rim |
| Spills when carried | Few: the opening is small, and some lids have a flap that closes | Some: drink can splash out of the straw hole | More: the large hole stays open when you tip the cup |
| Best for | Iced coffee, iced latte, cold brew, iced tea, soda | Smoothies, blended drinks | Drinks with whipped cream, cold foam or drizzles |
Which one to buy
- You drink iced coffee or iced tea and walk or drive with it: a strawless sip lid. You do not carry straws, and the small opening lets less drink out when the cup moves.
- You make thick smoothies or blended drinks: a flat lid and a wide straw. A thick drink does not flow well through a sip opening.
- You add cold foam, whipped cream or a topping: a dome lid. A flat lid or a sip lid presses the topping down.
- You want both ways from one cup: a cup with a wide opening that also takes a straw, such as our 24 oz cup.
- You serve different drinks to many people: use sip-lid cups for the thin drinks and keep a few straws for the thick ones.
What a strawless sip lid is
A strawless sip lid is a lid for a cold cup with a raised opening near the edge. You drink from it the same way you drink from a hot coffee lid, but it is made for cold drinks. Many coffee shops changed to these lids to use fewer straws.
People who prefer straws give a few reasons: ice can hit your teeth when you tip the cup, lipstick touches the lid, and with a straw you can drink with your head upright. People who prefer sip lids say the coffee tastes and smells more like coffee, and there is nothing extra to carry. Both are fair. Choose by the drink and by how you hold the cup.
Can you use a straw with a sip lid?
It depends on the lid. A sip opening is small and shaped for your lips, so a straw often does not go through it, or it bends the opening. If you want a straw, the easier choice is a cup with a wide opening: take the lid off and put the straw in.
Oojami cups: the strawless sip lid option
Oojami makes clear PET cups with snap-on strawless sip lids, in 12, 16, 20 and 24 oz. Each pack has 100 cups and 100 lids. The cups are BPA-free and recyclable. They are for cold drinks only.
- The lid snaps onto the rim. A flap opens for sipping and closes again to cut splashes.
- You need no straw for iced coffee, lemonade, juice, soda or thin smoothies.
- The last sip can collect in the lid. Tilt the cup a little more, or take the lid off for the last drop.
- The 24 oz cup is 6 3/8 in tall with a 4 1/8 in top. Its wide opening takes a straw, for thick smoothies.
The pack has no straws and no dome lids. If most of your drinks have toppings, this is not the right lid for you.
Other cups with lids, and when they are the better buy
- Solo UltraClear cold cups: clear PET cups that pair with flat straw-slot lids or dome lids. Choose Solo when you want a dome lid for toppings or a straw lid for every drink. Buy lids made for the same cup line, because a lid fits a rim, not a number of ounces.
- GUSTO cups with strawless sip lids: clear PET cups with sip lids, like ours. Compare the sizes and the pack count you need.
- Great Value cups with sip lids: sold at Walmart in smaller packs. Choose these if you want a few cups from a store today.
- Hefty Chill-To-Go cups with lids: sold in grocery stores. Choose these if you need cups today and a store is closer than a delivery.
- A reusable tumbler with a straw or a slide lid: the better buy if one person drinks the same cold drink every day.