Printed Hot Drink Paper Cups for Every Hot Menu

Venues that serve a mix of hot drinks

Not every counter is a coffee shop. Sports clubs, village halls, garden centres and conference venues pour tea, coffee, hot chocolate and hot water from the same urn or machine.

These places need one set of cups that copes with all of it. Ordering a separate cup for each drink would fill a store room and confuse volunteers on a busy afternoon.

Many of these venues are run partly by volunteers or seasonal staff. Simple cups that work for every drink mean fewer questions at the counter and fewer mistakes.

• Sports clubs and pavilions
• Village and church halls
• Garden centre cafés
• Conference and training venues
• School fairs and fun runs
• Visitor attractions and museums

Why heat changes the cup you need

Tea made with water straight off the boil is usually hotter than a milky latte, because steamed milk is served below boiling. That difference matters when someone has to hold the cup.

The longer a drink stays in the hand, the more the outer wall heats up. A quick espresso is gone in a minute, while a mug of tea at a cricket match may be held for half an hour.

So the right cup depends on two things: how hot the drink is and how long people hold it. The table below puts common hot drinks side by side.

Outdoor venues add a third factor, which is the weather. On a cold, windy touchline a drink loses heat fast, so a well insulated cup keeps it pleasant for longer as well as protecting hands.

Double and ripple wall for long holds

Double wall cups trap a layer of air between two walls, which keeps the outside comfortable even with tea poured straight from an urn. They are the safest all-round choice for a mixed hot menu.

Ripple wall goes a step further with a fluted outer layer. It suits large drinks and outdoor venues where people stand and chat while holding their cup.

If you can only stock one wall build, make it double wall. It handles the hottest tea and the longest hold, and it still looks smart for a quick coffee.

Single wall with a sleeve

Single wall cups cost less and take up less storage space, which matters for halls and clubs with a small cupboard. They do need a sleeve for anything close to boiling.

Printed sleeves for hot paper cups slide on in a second and give you a second place to show your name. Keep a stack beside the urn so nobody hands over a bare single wall cup of tea.

Single wall also makes sense for hot water served to people making their own drink at a self-service station. The drink is usually carried a few steps to a table, not walked down the road.

Choosing sizes for a mixed menu

Most venues can cover a full hot menu with three sizes. An 8oz cup handles tea and smaller coffees, 12oz covers lattes and hot chocolate, and 16oz is there for anyone who wants more.

Add a 4oz cup if you sell espresso, or if you offer small tasters of a new drink. We can also quote any in-between size from 2oz up to 20oz.

If hot chocolate is a big seller for you, have a look at our dedicated printed hot chocolate cups. They are planned around toppings and younger customers.

Fewer sizes also make life easier for whoever restocks the counter. Three neat stacks with matching lids beside them are far quicker to manage than six.

Lids that let steam out

A drink served near boiling builds steam under a lid, and a lid with no sip hole can lift off. Choose a lid with an opening that lets steam escape and lets people sip without removing it.

For tea, some customers want to take the lid off to remove the bag. A lid that pushes on and off cleanly, sized to the exact rim, makes that easy. Our guide to choosing lids, sleeves and carriers covers the options.

Outdoor venues should think about wind as well as steam. A lid that seats firmly all round keeps drinks warm for longer and stops gusts blowing them across a table.

Printing one design across all drinks

Because one cup carries many drinks, avoid artwork that names a single drink. A logo, a pattern or your venue name works for tea and hot chocolate alike.

We print in CMYK or matched Pantone on one side, both sides or a full wrap. Send AI, PDF, EPS, SVG, PNG or JPG files and our designers will place them on a free proof, revised until you approve.

If you want staff to tell drinks apart, a small printed box on the side gives room to tick tea, coffee or chocolate. It keeps the main design clean and avoids printing separate cups for each drink.

1. List every hot drink you serve
2. Pick three sizes that cover them
3. Choose the wall for your hottest, longest-held drink
4. Add lids and sleeves where needed
5. Send your logo for a free proof

Tea drinkers have their own needs

Tea is often brewed in the cup, with the bag left in and the string hanging over the rim. That needs a little space at the top, so do not fill a tea cup right to the brim.

Venues that serve a lot of tea, or host afternoon tea events, may prefer paper tea cups with handles. A handle keeps fingers away from the hot wall without needing a sleeve.

Herbal and fruit teas tend to be drunk without milk, so they can be filled a little higher. Chai lattes are usually topped with foam and need the same headroom as a cappuccino.

Common mistakes with hot drink cups

These mistakes often come from venues that order cups only once or twice a year. Each one can make a drink uncomfortable or unsafe to hold.

The first two on the list matter most for safety. A cup that is too hot to hold, or filled too high, is the one that ends up spilled on a lap.

• Using single wall cups for urn tea with no sleeve
• Filling cups to the brim with near-boiling water
• Choosing lids with no steam or sip opening
• Printing a coffee design on cups also used for tea
• Ordering too many sizes for a small store room
• Leaving lids and cups from different makers mixed together

Price, timing and delivery

Hot drink paper cups start from £0.25 per cup, and your written quote gives the figure for your sizes and wall builds. Design help and the digital proof cost nothing.

Printing takes 4 to 6 working days from approval, and tracked delivery adds 2 to 3 working days. Delivery is free to the UK, and if anything arrives misprinted or damaged, photos sent within 10 days get it reprinted or refunded.

Planning for a one-off event or a season of fixtures? Get in touch with our team and tell us your dates.