Sniffs, sips and slurps were virtually nonstop for three days last month at the annual SCA Expo in Houston. For all the close attention that was paid to the liquids inside the cups, plenty was also paid to their vessels.
Design, performance, environmental benefit and fundraising potential were all pitched by makers of coffee-centric cups on the show floor.
Below are just a few of the standout cup and mug highlights from the 2025 SCA Expo. (Find all of DCN’s 2025 Expo coverage here.)
Icosa Brewhouse Avensi Wave and Aeresso Go
Glassware maker Icosa Brewhouse took home a Best New Product award for the functional coffee-tasting glassware of its Avensi Wave line of products featuring shapes and interior structures designed to highlight different qualities in brewed coffee.
The company also focused its presence at the Expo to launch the Aeresso Go tasting glass, designed in collaboration with Expo and World of Coffee sponsor Stronghold Roasters, whose booth the company shared. With interior features intended to encourage swirling a beverage and a tapered top to concentrate aromas, the Aeresso Go is meant to serve as a 35ml tasting glass (with a maximum capacity of 75ml) at Expos or anywhere else.
Boxes of Aeresso Go cups. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.
The company promoted the Go through a giveaway program for exhibitors and attendees as a means of also reducing the reliance on wasteful single-use paper cups at Expo while enhancing the experience of tasting the Expo’s fine specialty coffee samples. A limited number of free Aeresso Go glasses were distributed during the event, complete with silicone bands securing them to included wearable lanyards.
Coffee Elf Grinds Americano Cup
Coffee waste upcycler Coffee Elf utilized its booth at the Expo to show off a range of spent-coffee-based fabrics, leathers and harder materials, as well as products made from them such as bags, book covers and containers. Coffee Elf also extracts chemicals and compounds from coffee waste for sale to makeup and pharmaceutical companies and other industrial users.
The Coffee Elf Grinds Americano cup. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.
Central to the company’s display at the Expo was the Grinds Americano Cup, a coffee vessel made from 60% spent coffee grounds — a higher percentage of coffee than many existing coffee-inclusive designs.
Lamose Titanium
Coffee-focused design, retail and wholesale drinkware company Lamose (an acronym for lake, mountain, sea) emphasized its new line of pure titanium coffee vessels. Founded by Chen Deng to provide an alternative to single-use cups, Lamose also runs an online multiroaster coffee marketplace and sells a variety of manual grinding and brewing equipment.
Lamose titanium coffee vessels. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.
Each piece in the titanium line offers a unique visual appearance due to the natural patterns of the material. A 4-ounce espresso cup is available now, and 13- and 16-ounce travel tumblers, mugs and carafes are currently in production. According to Deng, titanium is a strong, lightweight alternative to steel that does not retain aromas or flavors.
“We began experimenting with titanium last year and are thrilled to see its potential in the coffee community — ultra-lightweight, inert, and ideal for coffee professionals,” Deng told DCN. “Titanium has long flown under the radar in the coffee space, but I think its benefits are starting to resonate more broadly.”
Miir Personalized Travel Cup Fundraiser
Among its drinkware, brewing gear and apparel on display, Miir also activated its booth with a fundraising initiative, offering visitors personalized, laser-etched 12-ounce Flip Traveler tumblers on the spot for a suggested donation of $10.
Miir Flip tumbler being customized. Daily Coffee News by Howard Bryman.
Guests were invited to choose one of three nonprofits to benefit: Bean Voyage, which received $1,510 by the end of the weekend; Kula Project, which received $860, and The Chain Collaborative, which got $930.
“A total of 330 of these 12-ounce Flip tumblers were brought to the event and were completely sold out by 2 p.m. on day two of the show,” a Miir representative told Daily Coffee News. “Overall, it was a huge success for Miir and the chosen nonprofits, who are beyond thankful. MiiR will continue to offer on-site laser etching at the next World of Coffee expo in San Diego in 2026.”
Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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