Material Girl: I’m *not* a paper cup.
It’s no secret, I like green. I like all sorts of green… the color, recyclable, spring time, eyes, beer (maybe?), eco-conscious stuff; I could go on and on. So it should come as a surprise that I like to buy “green” housewares.
My most recent purchase was “I’m not a paper cup.”
I’ve waited several days after receiving “I’m not a paper cup” to write my Material Girl review because I was a bit disappointed at first.
Yes, the cup is awesome. It’s ceramic, it looks like a paper cup but it’s not, and it holds the perfect amount of warm beverage without scalding your hands like a real paper cup. But here’s my beef: the silicone top. Usually, I’m a fan of silicone. I have some silicone muffin tins (can you really call them tins if they’re made of silicone?), I have silicone ice trays, and I have a silicone iPhone case. But the top of the “I’m not a paper cup” doesn’t thrill me.
First of all, I should say what’s nice about it:
- The top fits snugly, which surprised me. You can actually hold “I’m not a paper cup” by the top and jiggle it lightly around and it won’t come off.
- The feel of the top against your lips isn’t offensive. There are no sharp edges (duh, it’s silicone).
- There’s a little venting hole that makes sure that a little hot air can escape and your drink can cool to an appropriate temperature before drinking.
- Haven’t had problems with the top leaking or liquid “escaping” from the lid when traveling.
And here’s my one beef:
The smell.
I’ve waited so many days to review this because I thought I would give the lid a chance to break in. I thought that maybe after several washings that industrial “silicone” smell would go away. However, I’ve been using “I’m not a paper cup” for about a week now and have washed it at least once a day, but the smell is still there.
Luckily, I’m not completely offended by these types of smells. For instance, I actually like the smell of my yoga mat. But I know that there are many people out there who aren’t crazy about any kind of industrial type of smell. So that could be a real deal-breaker for them. I’m willing to over look the smell because I really adore this little cup. It’s stylish. And if I can find eco-friendly + stylish, I’m all for it.
All in all, it gets 
½
If you don’t care about the smell of silicone, you can buy your very own “I’m not a paper cup” at Delight.com.
Update 3/6/2009 18:58 — For what it’s worth, my mother laughed at this cup when she finally saw it in person. She calls it an “adult sippy cup.” She’s not wrong. That’s exactly what it is!
Update 3/12/2009 15:30 — I am pleased to say that it’s been almost a full week since my last update and the silicone smell is almost entirely gone from the lid of “I am not a paper cup.” It does however, have a lingering chai smell since I made chai tea in my cup somewhere around this past Monday. I’m not sure if that will ever go away….
The best silicone products we ever had were given to us by Whitney.