I Just Learned How To Stop Takeaway Coffee Cups From Leaking, And It's So Easy

It takes about four seconds to fix.
via Associated Press

Now that it’s (almost) winter, I’m constantly wearing my favourite scarf ― a pretty fancy hand-me-down cashmere one that just so happens to be pale pink.

That becomes a problem every time I wear it out for a coffee, especially if I’m drinking from a takeaway cup. I think I’ve spilt about two litres of java down its front this year alone.

For some reason, I noticed the spillages were way more plentiful in my favourite coffee shop, which has a station for you to put your cup’s lid on yourself.

Having read an entry from coffee packaging manufacturer MTPAK Coffee, it seems I’m right ― there really is a trick baristas learn, but the public doesn’t know.

Which is?

The inside of your coffee cup has a vertical seam where one side of the strip that forms the cylinder meets the other.

This seam often runs up to the rim of the container, MTPAK Coffee says, creating a small bulge.

When you place the opening of the lid directly over the seam of the cup, that leaves little openings for coffee to leak out of.

So, to reduce your risk of spills, “the drinking spout should always be on the opposite side of the seam on the cup,” the packaging experts say.

That way, you get the added tension from the extra width pulling right across from where you’re drinking, without having to deal with annoying gaps.

You can also get foamy coffees if you’re worried about spills, as the bubbles act as a sort of brakes for the liquid, MTPAK Coffee added.

The packaging experts aren’t alone

A Redditor swears by the trick, saying “This was taught to me as McDonald’s crew.”

Another site user agreed, commenting “This used to be taught to the staff at Tim Hortons.”

Design reviewer and YouTuber Journeyman made a video about it, saying the trick is “enough to make sure this wonderful piece of engineering does its job for you, and doesn’t drip and doesn’t leak.”

It’s a good news day for my scarf...

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