Fancy a cuppa? Hong Kong brand Camel introduces a portable vacuum flask

Dec 06, 2023

The family-run company, which has been making glass-lined vacuum flasks since 1940, has brought out the Cuppa28, a portable flask with a plastic shell. Managing director Raymond Leung explains the new range

Where did the idea for Cuppa28 come from? “It came out of customers’ requests. A lot of people like our previous flasks but they wanted something for desk­top use that you can drink straight out of, like a thermal cup.

“We had something in the 1960s that was similar, but it was discontinued in the 80s. Cuppa comes from the English term for tea, 28 is because it’s 28cl – 0.28 litres.”

How is this different from your other flasks? “We still have the glass inner vacuum, but the difference is that this has a wide mouth so it’s easy to drink from. We wanted to keep it light so we went with BPA-free plastic for the shell. The good thing about plastic is that it gives it a little bit of shock absorption, so if you were to drop it from not too high the chance of the glass breaking is less.

“Another thing is it’s pretty watertight. We have silicon gaskets for the lid, so if you close it tight and put it upright in a bag, it should be safe. It’s not for sports use, though.”

What was the goal in terms of the design and styling? “It’s a take on our original 60s product. We’ve tweaked the shape so it’s a little more slender, rather than a straight-down bucket shape. Ergonomically, it’s easier to hold.

“The first four colours we used aren’t too dramatic. There’s pink, light yellow, turquoise, green. But I’m bringing out more summery colours – magenta, bright orange, a sharp green and purple. The magenta and purple will be semi-translucent so you can see the glass inner tube. It gives an idea of the construction.”

What’s the advantage of using glass? “In terms of thermal efficiency, it’s similar to stainless steel because ultimately it’s the vacuum that is doing the insulation. But people drinking coffee and tea often say they can taste the metal, and with glass there’s nothing extra to taste. Cleaning is easy because glass is a smooth surface.”

Where are the flasks made? “They are made in Hong Kong. We have two factories, one in Hung Hom, the other in San Po Kong. The only thing we source from abroad is the glass vacuum because there is nobody left in Hong Kong who can make it.”

Why the name Camel? “It was chosen because the founder, my grandad [Leung Tsoo-hing], liked the character of a camel. It reminded him of perseverance. When he started the factory he knew it would be a tough road ahead.”

Any new designs coming up? “This year is our 80th anniversary. For our 112 models – the smaller 0.45 litre models – we’ve been having new sets of colours every year. This year we will reissue the entire back catalogue of colours.”