A luxury coffee chain has rocked the internet after switching to ‘colostomy bags’ to serve its drinks instead of the common plastic cup.
The popular coffee chain 787 Coffee, which has locations in New York City, Texas and Puerto Rico, switched to plastic bags in April 2023 and has since delighted in the Internet’s reaction.
Rumors about IV bag lattes exploded last year, when popular TikToker Delaney Ager, 24, raved about them in a video that has since received 620,000 views.
Some commenters loved the bags, while others criticized the aesthetics by comparing them to “colostomy bags,” a small waterproof bag that collects waste from the body after a surgical procedure.
787 Coffee Co, a luxury coffee chain, has rocked the internet after switching to ‘colostomy bags’ to serve its drinks instead of the common plastic cup.
The popular coffee chain, which has locations in New York City, Texas and Puerto Rico, introduced plastic bags in April 2023.
Another TikTok user, Alex Pouloutides, expressed outrage at the coffee chain’s new offering, comparing the pouched drink to the “poop bags” used in hospitals.
“I love New York, but the next time I have coffee in a bag… I’m moving to Georgia,” he said.
‘This shit is ridiculous. “It looks like one of those excrement bags that sick people have to use in the hospital,” he added.
Since 787 introduced the ‘colostomy bag’ coffee, the chain has eliminated plastic cups and exclusively offers the bag in all stores.
Unsurprisingly, coffee drinkers are divided over the new and now fashionable approach: some praise the innovation and others dislike the bags so much that they’re embarrassed to be seen with them.
‘I was very angry when I received this. Plus, the shitty paper straw didn’t even reach the bottom of the bag. For a $6.50 cold brew, give me a cup,” one user on Reddit said of the bag innovation.
‘What is this?? If they want to end single-use plastics, can they just give you iced coffee in a paper cup? another user commented.
American icon Kylie Jenner photographed with iconic 787 coffee in a bag
Actor and model Paris Jackson with bagged coffee from 787 Coffee Co.
‘I experienced this yesterday at 787. It’s a shame because it’s my favorite place there. The straw doesn’t reach and the Ziploc won’t stay closed with the straw there. This will be a legitimate reason why I won’t be back,” added another.
The chain, which grows its beans in the United States, said the change was made with the goal of reducing environmental impact.
“They dissolve faster than hard plastic, reducing their environmental impact,” 787 co-founder Brandon Peña said in a statement.
“They are reusable, allowing customers to reuse them creatively.”
With little public information available on the environmental impacts of the bags, some questioned their ecological impacts, pointing to other chains such as Blue Bottle and Starbucks that offer paper and cardboard cups.
The bagged beverage approach also sets the store apart from its host of competitors, according to Adam Alter, a marketing professor at New York University.
In an interview with GothamistAlter compared the bags to Apple’s switch to white earbuds from the standard black in 2001.
‘Coffee cups are black headphones; Almost all coffee shops use them,” he said.
‘The bags are white headphones; They’re unique, so they stand out and signal that a person is drinking 787.’