We as a coffee shop felt like we were making a good decision by using polystyrene/polyfoam cups over paper...We have mixed emotions about either of the cups as far as the environment is concerned, both have their evils. Is there a taste difference truly between the two?  We promote bring your own cup and get a discount so we can all truly do our part in environmental preservation...Talk to me!

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Yes.

Depending on the polystyrene cup, you could have lots of PS flavor and aroma or not much. On the flipside, if you use a standard paper hot cup, you'll get a noticeable paper aroma. If you put a lid on it, you smell the lid. I personally find the paper aroma less objectionable than the PS.

I've not had enough experience with the "compostable" options to notice if they had strange tastes or aromas.

Do you use ceramics in-house? We do this, and it saves 20-30 cups a day, every day. People note that they require washing, but if you've already got dishwater going for your pitchers...
Great question. I'd say definitely invest in some ceramic mugs for people that stay. It's the most green option, gives better taste than foam or paper. If you pre-heat the mug so that it doesn't suck all the heat from your milk and espresso, it will keep it warmer than paper or foam will, despite what half of my customers think. And yes, for go drinks, definitely encourage people to bring their own mug or cup. As far as which cup to use for go, I definitely say paper. True, it may kill more trees, but they're biodegradable, and you can always plant more trees. Petroleum is harder to replenish. I think it would be healthier too. Ever hear that it's not good to put hot liquids in plastic, or microwave food in a plastic container? Same concept. At least for someone like me, I'm kinda paranoid to drink hot liquids out of Styrofoam. I feel like it's melting half way into my drink and I'm drinking part of my cup. Just my opinion.

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