When I first heard about Loliware's edible cups while watching an episode of "Shark Tank," I was both dumbstruck and fascinated. I'd never thought that people could one day be sitting around at a meal or party, casually snacking on the cups that had once held their beverages, cocktails, or desserts. Just imagine it.
Friend: Hey, want to try my cup? It's vanilla bean flavored.
You: Sure! You should also take a bite of mine! It tastes like matcha green tea.
This concept of edible cups was just too bizarre to me, and I was determined to test it out for myself. So, a few weeks ago, I hopped onto the Loliware website, preparing to finally satisfy my edible cup curiosity. After weighing my options carefully, I finally decided on the vanilla bean cup flavor over tart cherry, yuzu citrus, or matcha green tea.
About the cups
At $15.99 for a pack of four cups, I certainly wouldn't say that they're cheap, but each cup has a cool vertical-line pattern and comes in a fun paper sleeve, so maybe the artsy design helps justify the price.
The cups aren't practical for everyday use. I think they'd look great on a brunch table, and they'd be fun to enjoy during a party, but I can't imagine people walking around campus with edible cups in their hands.
The cups are biodegr(edible), so you can feel like you're doing your part to help out the environment while you eat them. According to the packaging for the vanilla bean cups, each cup contains 140 calories and 18 grams of sugar. The cups also contain organic tapioca syrup, cane sugar, and seaweed, among a few other ingredients.
Taste test number one
I poured room temperature water into my vanilla bean cup and proceeded to take a sip. I could instantly taste a difference in the water, but it wasn't the delicious, crème brûlée-esque, vanilla bean flavor that I was expecting. Instead, the water tasted both sweet and waxy. I wanted to like it, but I felt like my water had been contaminated, and the edible cups were giving off an unpleasant scent. My friend described it best—the cups smelled like a Pixy Stix factory and cardboard factory had collided.
But I hadn't given up hope yet, it was time for dessert.
Taste test number two
I enlisted a friend to help me out, and provide a second opinion. We filled our cups with vanilla ice cream and chocolate fudge. It was basically dessert in an edible, sweet cup—all of our childhood dreams coming true. I appreciated the fact that the flavor of the ice cream wasn't altered by the flavor of the cup, and it was really fun to eat dessert out of a fancy cup, since the meal didn't stop once the ice cream was gone.
Taste test number three
For test number three, it was time to finally take a bite of the cup. My friend had no problem biting into her cup: it was soft and chewy like a cookie. I, on the other hand, really struggled to bite into mine. Had I been in a public setting, I definitely would have been embarrassed. Once I bit into the cup, my friend and I stared at each other. Both of us were laughing and slightly gagging at the same time.
Unfortunately, my first bite of my edible cup was also my last. I felt like I was eating the wax that orthodontists give their patients to deal with braces-related discomfort, and getting past that type of texture was difficult. The flavor also wasn't quite to par. It was definitely sweet, but it was missing the full-on vanilla bean element that I was hoping for.
Although I didn't enjoy the actual taste and texture of the edible cup, I'll admit that it was a lot of fun. If anything, it was a great way to have a laugh with my friends and to help the environment. Eating ice cream from an edible cup is a unique and enjoyable experience. I wouldn't be opposed to trying the other Loliware flavors in the future, but don't take my word for it—if you're interested in an edible cup experience, go grab a couple of friends and try it out for yourself.