Drinking straw

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A drink with a pink bendy straw

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Plastic drinking straws

The drinking straw is a device used for transferring a liquid - usually a drink from one location to another (such as from a cup, to your mouth). The earliest drinking straws were hollow stems of grass, literally made of straw. A thin tube of plastic (especially polystyrene) or other material, straight or with an accordion-like living hinge, it is employed by being held with one end in the mouth and another end in the drink. Muscular action reduces air pressure in the mouth, whereupon atmospheric pressure forces the drink up the straw. The first straws were made by the Sumerians, and used for drinking beer (as to avoid the solid byproducts of fermentation). Argentines and their neighbors use a similar metallic device called bombilla that acts as both a straw and sieve for drinking mate tea. The modern drinking straw was patented in 1888 by Marvin C. Stone.

Early paper straws had a narrow bore similar to that of the grass stems then in common use. It was common to use two of them, to reduce the effort needed to take each sip. Modern plastic straws are made with a larger bore, so only one is needed for comfortable drinking.

In the United States, most straws are plastic. Ted's Montana Grill claims to have "re-invented the paper straw" (not produced in the United States since 1970) as part of its effort to be an environmentally-friendly restaurant.

[edit] Types of drinking straws

A basic drinking straw is straight for the full length.
A bendable straw or "bendy straw" has a concertina-type hinge near the top for convenience.
A "crazy" straw is hard plastic and has a number of twists and turns at the top. When liquid is sucked through the straw, it quickly flows through the winding path, creating an entertaining spectacle.
A spoon straw features a cut-away shape at one end that functions as a miniature spoon. It is intended for slush drinks.
Candy straws, such as licorice straws (or lico-straws).
A miniature straw often comes attached to a drink box.
A wide straw is used for sipping bubble tea. Fast-food restaurants, such as McDonald's, give out wide straws for two reasons: The wide straw used in Mcflurrys is a multifunctional device ; a Spoon and a Straw.
"Sanitary" straws are individually wrapped to avoid contamination. Straws were originally marketed as a means for people to reduce the risk of contracting an illness from improperly washed containers, glasses, or cups.
A hot straw is a straw used for hot drinks. Its purpose is to prevent people from scalding their tongue or lips from the hot drink. The Starbucks' version of a hot straw looks like two green skinny straws stuck together, the McCafé version is like a flatten piece of black straw leaving two holes on the side. A hot straw is often mistaken for a stirrer because of the appearance of the straw. [citation needed]
The Sipahh. A drinking straw that contains flavoured tapioca beads that dissolve as milk passes over them to add colour and flavour.
A recent addition to the straw family is the cereal straw, such as the ones made by Kellogg.