TL;DR: A keep cup is a reusable coffee cup; KeepCup is the Melbourne brand behind the name. We stock the KeepCup Brew Cork in glass and KeepCup Thermal in stainless steel.

A keep cup only earns its place if you reach for it every morning. KeepCup is the original keep cup: a Melbourne-designed reusable coffee cup sized to a real café pour, drafted so it pours cleanly, and slim enough for a car cup holder. We stock two versions at 12oz / 340ml, the glass KeepCup Brew Cork and the insulated KeepCup Thermal, and ship both Australia-wide from Sydney.

Why KeepCup is on our shelves

KeepCup started behind a Melbourne café counter. A brother and sister running a café business from 1998 watched disposable cups take over, and in 2007, after a successful trial of a reusable soup mug, designed their own cup. The thermoses and mugs of the day were the wrong volume and the wrong shape for a café refill, and awkward for the person on the machine. KeepCup was drafted as a barista standard cup from the start, which is why cafés took to it so quickly.

That barista-first geometry is what matters to us. A coffee keep cup that holds a genuine 12oz / 340ml serve, pours easily with the lid on or off, and sits in a cup holder is a cup that gets used rather than left in a drawer. Our team uses and tests the products we sell, and a reusable only works if it fits the daily routine without friction.

The vessel changes the coffee, too. Taste is a blend of flavour, aroma and what you feel in your hand, so a cup that is comfortable to hold makes the same flat white more enjoyable. Glass is the honest choice for flavour because it does not hold on to yesterday's coffee; double-walled vacuum insulation is the choice when heat matters most.

Which KeepCup should you choose?

There are two families in our range, and the choice comes down to one question: do you want to see and taste the coffee, or do you want it to stay hot?

KeepCup Brew Cork: the glass keep cup

The Brew Cork is made from durable tempered glass with a sustainably harvested cork band for a comfortable hold. It is a drafted vessel with a press fit sipper lid, so it is lightweight, easy to carry and lovely to drink from. Materials, from KeepCup:

Cup: tempered glass- Band: cork- Lid: polypropylene alloy #7- Plug: LDPE #4- Capacity: 12oz / 340ml

The KeepCup Brew Cork in Black and Filter (Tan) are in stock now, and Spruce (Midnight Blue) is available on backorder. Stock rotates, so check the live status on each product page. If you were hoping for a ceramic keep cup, the KeepCup models on our shelves are glass and stainless steel; our wider reusable coffee cups range shows the other materials we carry.

KeepCup Thermal: a cup that keeps coffee hot

If your commute is longer than the café-to-desk walk, the Thermal is the one. Double-walled, vacuum sealed insulation keeps your drink hot (or cold) for longer, and the body is 18/8 food grade stainless steel. It keeps the drafted shape and press fit sipper lid of the Brew, so it still fits your hand and your cup holder. The KeepCup Thermal in Latte (Light Brown) is in stock at 12oz / 340ml.

How to decide

Coffee from the café, drunk within minutes: Brew Cork. Lighter, and you can see the pour.- Coffee that has to survive a train trip or a school run: Thermal. Insulated stainless steel.- A car cup holder: both fit at 12oz.

Lids, plugs and KeepCup spare parts

KeepCup lids and plugs are separate components, so a lost or damaged lid does not have to mean a new cup. If you need a replacement lid or plug, ask us before buying a whole new cup, and browse our cups and glassware range for what is on the shelf today.

Complete your on-the-go setup

If you brew on the road with a portable brewer or pack camping coffee gear for weekends away, the KeepCup Thermal is the natural partner: it holds heat between the brew and the first sip. Shopping around? We also carry Frank Green, Sttoke and Huskee reusables, and each takes its own approach to lids and materials. If you are weighing a Frank Green keep cup against KeepCup, the deciding points are KeepCup's barista-standard shape and the glass Brew Cork option. One habit worth keeping with any insulated cup: give it a thorough scrub after each use, because leftover coffee oils go rancid and taint the next brew.

If you ask me, KeepCup is still the reusable that cafés find easiest to work with. The barista can see the fill line through the glass, the volume matches a real flat white, and the cup does not fight the person pouring. My advice is simple: buy the Thermal if the coffee has to travel, and the Brew Cork if you drink it within minutes of leaving the café. Either way, buy the one you will actually carry.

— Pedro Lara

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "keep cup" mean? +

It started as the brand name KeepCup, from the idea of keeping a cup and using it again. In Australia the phrase is now used for any reusable coffee cup, but KeepCup is the Melbourne brand behind the term.

Is KeepCup an Australian brand? +

Yes. KeepCup was designed in Melbourne by a brother and sister who ran a café business from 1998 and released their barista standard reusable cup in 2007.

Is a reusable worth buying? +

If you buy takeaway coffee regularly, yes. A cup sized to a café pour, like the 12oz Brew Cork or Thermal, replaces a disposable every time you use it, and many cafés welcome a reusable at the counter.

How many uses does it take to make a difference? +

There is no single number that fits every cup and every café, so we will not quote one. The benefit builds with daily use, which is why we recommend the model you will actually carry, not the one that looks best in a cupboard.

Where can I buy one in Australia? +

Coffee Parts is a Keep Cup stockist in Pagewood, Sydney, and we ship Australia-wide. Live stock status and lead times are shown on each product page in this category.

Can I replace a lost lid or plug? +

KeepCup lids and plugs are separate components: on the Brew Cork the lid is polypropylene alloy #7 and the plug is LDPE #4. If yours goes missing, ask us before buying a whole new cup.

Which model holds heat the longest? +

The KeepCup Thermal. It is double-walled and vacuum sealed with an 18/8 food grade stainless steel body, built to keep drinks hot or cold for longer than the glass Brew Cork.