A glass tumbler as a gift: initials, prints and sets of four

The monogram glass: one letter, ready to give

Pick a letter from A to Z, and the monogram glass arrives with it pressed into a cream faux-leather sleeve, tone on tone. A small leather loop on the sleeve gives the glass something to carry it by. Inside the sleeve is our clear 13 oz glass, with its lid, a straw and a straw cleaner.

Everything ships in a pink and white gift box, so there is no wrapping to do on the way to the party. Write a card, set it on top and the gift is finished.

Pass on one tip with it. The glass and lid wash by hand, and the sleeve wipes clean with a damp cloth. Like every glass, it never goes in the microwave or the freezer. The rest of our initial and printed glasses sit together on one shelf of printed and monogram glasses.

A bridal party, one letter each

Every initial is its own glass, so a set for a bridal party is one letter per person. Line them up on the table while everyone gets ready, and each bridesmaid finds her own iced coffee without asking. After the wedding the glass goes home with her and becomes the desk glass nobody else borrows.

Order the letters early and count them twice. A party with two Sarahs needs two S glasses. If your maid of honor goes by a nickname, she may want that letter instead of the one on her license. Hand the glasses out the night before, and they are already full of iced coffee by the first photo of the morning.

A teacher, a sister, a friend who moved away

Teachers go home in June with a bag full of mugs. A glass with their initial and a lid is a different kind of thank you. It stands on the desk all day with water or iced tea, and it still looks like theirs in a staff room full of cups.

The same glass works for a sister, a grandmother or a friend in another city, mailed in its gift box. When you want more than one idea in one place, our gift shelf collects the glasses people tend to give.

The Bon Appétit glass for someone who cooks

Bon Appétit is hand-lettered in red on white strips around a clear 13 oz glass. It looks at home on a breakfast table next to orange juice, or on the counter beside a cutting board while the onions soften.

The print sits on the glass itself, so give a tip with it: wash it gently with a soft sponge, not a scourer, and the lettering lasts. For a cook who likes a quieter look, the same 13 oz glass also comes in an off-white sleeve with a black woven-style stripe. That sleeve comes off when the glass goes to the sink.

Four glasses for a new home

A first apartment tends to have more boxes than glasses. Four of our 13 oz stacking glasses fix that on the first day, and each glass comes with its own lid and a bent glass straw.

Halfway down each glass there is a step that lets one sit inside the next. Four of them take the shelf space of one and a bit, which matters in a small cupboard. Choose clear glass to show the layers of an iced latte, or amber, which hides coffee stains and looks warm on a desk.

Add a note about care, because this is the glass we ask you to wash by hand, lid included. Never microwave it and never put it in the freezer: a sudden jump in temperature can crack any glass. Our care guide covers lids, seals and straws.

The amber sleeved glass for someone who walks

Some people walk every morning with an iced coffee in one hand. For them, the amber glass in a faux-leather sleeve is the better pick. The brown sleeve keeps fingers off the cold glass and catches the drops that run down the outside.

Pick the version with a leather strap, and the glass hangs from a wrist or a bag strap on the walk. Two glass straws come in the box, so one can wait in a drawer at home while the other goes out. Amber is a kind choice for a daily coffee drinker, too, because the tint hides the stains that coffee leaves on glass.

A cup that stands in for paper ones

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency counts about 500 paper cups a year that the average American once threw away. Keeping a reusable cup or mug in your bag, at the office or in your car can have a huge impact, the agency says. A glass with a lid is that cup. Give one to a friend who drinks iced coffee at a desk, and the paper cup drops out of the afternoon.

The same agency calls plastic straws consistently one of the most littered plastic items, and suggests a reusable straw if you need one. Our classic, printed and sleeved 13 oz glasses each come with a glass straw. A four-pack of glass straws with its long brush makes a small extra for any gift.

A water glass for the desk

CDC tips for drinking more water include carrying a reusable water bottle and adding a wedge of lime or lemon. A lidded glass on a desk plays the same part. It sits in plain sight, holds a slice of lemon and gets refilled at the kitchen tap. The CDC also lists plain coffee or teas as low-calorie choices, so the glass can take cold tea after lunch.

Here is the short version of who gets which glass. Sizes and how much ice fits in each one are in our size guide.

Every product named here is part of BLUEPOLAR drinkware.