One woman’s reaction to a “coffee trend” she noticed in New York City has prompted input from a Filipino American creator.
On Aug. 28, Brooklyn-based creator Kate (@kateelay) was taken aback by local coffee shop 787‘s paper cup alternative.
@kateelayI need this coffee trend to wrap it up, expeditiously 🫶☕️ #coffee #coffeetiktok #coffeeshop #nyccoffee #nyclife #nyccoffeeshops
“Just went to a coffee shop and they hand me this,” Kate says while holding a plastic pouch of coffee à la Capri Sun. “Respectfully, coffee shops wrap it up…When I say I need my coffee in an IV bag. Not what I meant.”
“But thank you,” she adds.
Avid coffee drinkers have weighed in on 787’s vessel of choice in Kate’s comment section. While many seem equally confused by it, others believe receiving coffee in a bag would enhance their chances of actually finishing it.
“The way this would completely curb my $7 iced coffee habit,” @anthroapologie claimed.
“I love that lol I feel like I’d be so much more inclined to finish it,” @abigailbloomer commented.
“We do this with drinks in mexico everyone wrap it up,” @st1ckys0cks wrote, to which Kate replied, “I love that! Coffee in a bag is just a different vibe to me haha.”
Nikki (@baniknik3), a 24-year-old Filipino American TikTok creator who developed a following, in part, thanks to her comedic and relatable Filipino-related content, stitched her response to Kate’s coffee-in-a-bag video.
“If you’re Filipino you know what I’m gonna say right now,” she says. “I’m not even gonna say it. Read my mind right now. If you’re Filipino, you know what’s in my brain right now.”
“Coke in the to go bag w the straw,” @beeskuhnees commented on Nikki’s video.
“Soda tastes soooo much better in a bag i swear” @waffilia also replied.
While the idea of drinking coffee out of a bag may seem peculiar to some American coffee consumers, this is far from atypical in countries like the Philippines and Mexico, for instance, in part, due to their low cost in comparison to plastic or paper cups.
“Unsurprisingly, cost is a chief driver in the proliferation of bagged drinks: Plastic bags are generally cheaper than heavy-duty plastic containers or paper cups, and in some cases serve as a replacement vessel for plastic and glass bottles,” reported Eater. “In countries like El Salvador and the Philippines, where glass bottled drinks are more common, customers often don’t want to pay extra for a bottle deposit; instead, vendors hold onto bottles to trade in to the manufacturer for reuse, and pour the bottled beverage into a bag.”
@lasacookingyycIFKYK coke in a bag! #philippines #cokeinabag #pinoy #filipino #filipinothin
