There’s nothing better than having a hot cup of coffee with you when you’re on the go. So, when you’re looking for the perfect travel mug for taking your coffee, you’ll want to find one which will keep it at the right temperature (read: hot), and at the same time look good and be held with ease. You’ll also want it to hold a sizable amount of coffee, of course.
Your coffee travel mug is a personal item that you should want to show off. How the mug looks is never going to be the most important thing when it comes to its design, but it’s obviously a huge plus to have one that you can be proud of.
What to Look for in an Insulted Mug or Thermos
You will want to think about your budget first. Do you want to spend more for a mug that will last for years, or less for one that might only make it a few months? You will also need to figure out what specific features are most important to you.
Remember that if you want a travel mug that can be cleaned in the dishwasher, you’ll need a plain stainless steel one without any paint which would otherwise be ruined by the abrasive salts in the dishwashing process. Also, remember the obvious: you can’t put metal in the microwave. So, if your travel mug of coffee does go cold (but you’d really have to be busy to let that happen) then you can’t just place it in the microwave to warm it up. Of course, you should never do that anyway if you care about how your drink tastes, but it’s probably something we’ve all done at one point in our lives.
Also, if you care a lot about the entire coffee experience, then be sure to look at the travel mugs which have wider openings, which permit you to take in the aroma of your caffeinated beverage.
Reviews of Our Top Choices
There are a lot of options out there. Most will work for you for a short trip no matter how cheap. But, if you want something a little nicer, read these reviews to help you make an educated decision.
Contigo AUTOSEAL West Loop Travel Mug
This is a very futuristic looking travel mug. It’s just perfect for coffee with its easy-clean lid and vacuum insulated stainless steel design to keep your coffee at a constantly hot and drinkable temperature. The lid pivots allowing it to be easily opened and cleaned; it’s just what you need for washing out any remaining coffee from the drinkware.
Also, the lid has its own lock system which stops the lid seal button from being pushed by accident when you’re out and about in a busy environment and maybe not prioritizing your coffee vessel’s lid as much as you should be. Having the AUTOSEAL’s lid prevents you from accidentally spilling your coffee when you’re holding the mug, while also preventing any leaks from when you’ve put the Contigo in your bag.
MAJOR FEATURES
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- Capacity: 16 oz.
- Color: Biscay Bay, Bright Lavender, Stormy Weather, Black, Deep Blue, Grayed Jade, Latte, Matte Black, Monaco, Monaco Trans Matte, Polar White, Radiant Orchid, Radiant Orchid Trans Matte, Stainless Steel, Watermelon, Violet
- Dimensions: 2.5” x 2.5” x 8”
- Weight: 8 oz.
PROS & CONS
- The Thermalock vacuum insulation retains the heat of your coffee up, allowing you to drink it at your leisure
- Intuitive lid prevents spills and leaks, and is easy to clean
- Ergonomic shape allows you to drink with one hand
- Lid open-and-close button can be difficult to get to grips with
The greatest draw for this coffee travel mug is its unique lid, designed with the customer’s needs in mind. The lid makes it easy to clean out your Contigo mug, and simplifies the process of drinking from the product. While, it can take some time to get used to the different design, after a brief period you’ll be wondering why other travel mugs don’t have the same lid.
Thermos Stainless King Travel Tumbler
This is a very unusual looking travel mug, and comes from a company which is renowned for its thermally insulated products.
Thermos historically have taken the top place in the market for portable drinkware which is able to keep your beverages at a constant temperature. With this brilliant coffee travel mug Thermos have again designed and engineered a top-end product which is able to keep liquids hot for 7 hours, meaning your coffee will be drinkable for the vast majority of the day. The fact that it’s dishwasher safe is also a huge plus. Note that this is quite a tall travel mug.
MAJOR FEATURES
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- Capacity: 16 oz.
- Color: Electric Blue, Matt Black, Midnight Blue, Raspberry, Red, Smoke, Stainless
- Dimensions: 3.3” x 3.3” x 7.6”
- Weight: 13.6 oz.
PROS & CONS
- The Thermos vacuum insulation technology maximizes temperature, keeping the temperature of your coffee up, allowing you to drink it at your leisure
- A built-in tea hook means that if you choose to have something instead of coffee once in a while, this travel mug makes it convenient
- Shaped to fit in the vast majority of car cup holders
- Hard to clean as the lid is complex and requires disassembly before washing
The common consensus is that Thermos brand drinkware is among the best on the market for their heat retention, always keeping your drinks at the correct temperature, often seeming to be able to do this much more effectively than competitor’s products. Whether that’s true or not, this travel mug’s ability to keep your coffee hot would certainly seem to agree with the popular conception. However, those looking to buy should make a note of the difficulty which they might face with when wanting to clean the travel mug. The lid has three separate units which have to be taken apart in order to clean the Thermos in its entirety. However, this one set back really shouldn’t be enough to put you off this fantastic choice for holding your coffee.
The sheer ease with which the Thermos keeps your coffee at the right temperature means it’s all too easy to slip into a false sense of security when going back to other drinking vessels.
Better for You Stainless Steel Coffee Mugs
This product is different from the others reviewed in that it is a set of two coffee mugs rather than a travel mug to carry your coffee out and about.
Therefore, you’ll want to keep these inside, maybe in your kitchen cupboard alongside all your other “non-specialized” coffee mugs. Then, when you have your morning cup of coffee, you don’t need to worry about drinking it quickly before it goes cold.
MAJOR FEATURES
- Capacity: 13.5 oz.
- Color: Technically these are all stainless steel colored but are available with “Literal Colors”: Black White, Blue Pink, Purple Orange, Red Green, Yellow Green
- Dimensions: 2.5” x 2.5” x 8”
- Weight: 5.1 oz.
PROS & CONS
- Double wall stainless steel design keeps coffee hotter for longer than ceramic or porcelain traditional mugs
- Specially designed to prevent burning your hand with an internal air gap between the outer wall and the handle
- Literal colors are a novel way of distinguishing between mugs without the use of paint
- 18/8 stainless steel is solid, durable, and corrosion resistant
- These are stainless steel mugs so they obviously cannot be used in a microwave
If you’re one of those who has a lot going on in the morning, and maybe you make yourself a cup of coffee but then tend to forget about it, then these coffee mugs are definitely for you. No more will you come back to a forgotten cup of java only to find that your once delicious hot brew has turned a horrible lukewarm or even stone cold.
These coffee mugs certainly aren’t meant to be used outside, and they’re not intended to compete with the travel mugs being reviewed here. But what they are good at is keeping your coffee at the right temperature at home.
Contigo SnapSeal Superior Travel Mug
If you’re a left-handed person frustrated with the number of products available that seem to be designed purely for right-handed people, then the Contigo provides a much needed left hand mug. With its symmetrical handle and a lid which can be placed on the travel mug either on the left or right, this product seeks to accommodate both the left and right-handed customer.
Besides this, the travel mug is one of the best at keeping your drinks hot for a long time, and looks great too, although there are only a limited range of colors available to purchase.
MAJOR FEATURES
- Capacity: 20 oz.
- Color: Gunmetal, Vivacious
- Dimensions: 4.5” x 3” x 7.5”
- Weight: 9.6 oz.
PROS & CONS
- Great minimalistic design and aesthetics
- Handle is ergonomic for both left- and right-handed users
- Lid position can be adjusted for your handedness
- Slim and fits into the majority of car cup holders
- check-circle-oLifetime guarantee gives you peace of mind that you have a high quality product that won’t let you down
- Very limited range of colors
A very solid choice of travel mug to hold your coffee on the go, whether you’re right handed or left handed.
Thermos 16-Ounce Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug
Thermos are well known for their top end temperature retention.
So, it’s no surprise that their travel mugs do a great job of keeping your coffee hot. This particular model is no exception, and keeps drinks hot for five hours; that’s plenty of time for you to enjoy your coffee without the stress of knowing that it’s soon going to be cold.
MAJOR FEATURES
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- Capacity: 16 oz.
- Color: Black, Plum, Teal
- Dimensions: 3.5” x 5” x 8”
- Weight: 1.1 lbs.
PROS & CONS
- Patented vacuum insulation keeps your coffee hot for five hours
- Long-lasting stainless steel construction material
- Lid is leak proof with a simple one hand push button operation
- This drinkware is dishwasher safe, making it easy to wash
- The drinking port is difficult to see on the model with the black lid, meaning it’s too easy to pour coffee on yourself
Keeping your coffee hot needn’t be an impossible task. With this Thermos travel mug you’ll be able to have your coffee at the right temperature when you need it. While this mug does a great job of maintaining and keeping the heat in, the possibility of pouring a hot beverage all over yourself is all too likely for this mug to be the best choice.
Final Word
The travel mugs reviewed here all have their advantages and disadvantages. The one you choose should depend on what you’re looking for in the all-important drinkware which holds your coffee.
You want your travel mug to not only hold your coffee, but also be good at keeping it hot over a number of hours. If you make a lot of trips by automobile, you’ll want your travel mug to fit in the car’s cup holder.
With these things in mind, we’ve chosen the Contigo SnapSeal travel mug as the perfect solution if you want to have confidence that your tumbler is well-designed, being solid enough so as not to leak or dent should you happen to accidentally drop it. Plus, the slim shape will easily fit into car cup holders. The stainless steel material is also resistant to corrosion or rust.
The Contigo SnapSeal travel mug looks and feels great. And while there isn’t exactly a brilliant assortment of colors to choose from, those that are available look fantastic.