So can we talk mugs? I tend to make a half liter (~17 oz) of coffee in a French Press in the morning. I run into the problem that I get about a half hour to 45 minutes (I’ve never timed it this number might be wildly off) in before the, “Crap! Its getting cold!” moment and feel like I have to accelerate my consumption to avoid cold coffee when I’d prefer to keep going at a leisurely pace. I realize the most obvious solution is a couple of smaller batches but I’m lazy, easily distracted, and have a bit of a cutoff in the morning as my wife hates the smell of freshly brewed coffee and I catch a bit of drama if I’m brewing while she’s awake or just before she wakes up.
I do have a Contigo Autoseal stainless steel travel mug that I use occasionally for cheap tea and it works well for retaining heat. I can sip on hot tea for hours but the lid has all sorts of nooks and crannies that retain coffee oils that is a pain in the ass to clean and it has a very small drink hole limits the orthonasal olfactory pathway (aka you can’t sniff your coffee). The ability to take my drink somewhere is kinda nice but strictly speaking isn’t critical for me.
So anyone mind sharing their experiences with features or even specific recommendations? Don’t worry about if it is available in the US (where I’m located) I can always look at the features your favorite insulated or travel mug so it can still be handy to share. Or you may have a solution so elegant and obviously I’m going to facepalm when you point it out.
Overdue Update: I ended up going with a Carter Move and I’m quite happy with it. I appreciate everyone who gave me ideas and things to think about.
I use a Joeveo Temperfect travel mug. It has a special wax material sealed inside. When you put hot coffee in the wax melts, absorbing heat and reducing the temperature to a drinkable level immediately. Then, over time the wax releases heat as it solidifies, keeping the coffee at the perfect temperature. The only downside is cost and the fact that the mug is relatively heavy. Joeveo
I’ve been through more than I can count. But this one by Zojirushi (yep, the rice cooker guys), which I’ve had for the past 10 years, is the best by far. Keeps liquids piping hot or ice cold for 8+ hours, I put the whole thing in the dishwasher (bottle on the bottom, top/plastic pieces on top, and it has never leaked. I recommend it to anyone who asks!
Love my zojirushi rice maker and I have one of their giant thermoses which is amazing, but I also have this model and my warning is that if you have a giant nose like me the nipple will bonk into your nose when using this and also that cleaning isn’t bad, but it’s also not the easiest as far as mugs go. If pure heat rente ion is your goal, this is the one, but I prefer a. Ceramic mug with a simple silicon sealed lid for daily use and throw it in the dishwasher when I want to.
I’m going to throw you a curve ball and suggest just using the French press to make cold brew coffee. It’s hard to explain the flavor difference between a hot cup of coffee that has gone cold and a cold brew cup that just is that temperature. To me it tastes fresher somehow, more subtle flavors emerge, and it tend to be smoother. I don’t always have time to leisurely drink a cup of hot coffee in the morning. I hate drinking hot beverages when on the go. I’m not a fan of hot coffee that’s gone cold either. Cold brew solved each of those issues for me. Your wife might also appreciate that it doesn’t smell strongly either.
ha, what a great timing of this post! My wife would like to get my some travel mug as I have been talking about it for several years now (have old leaking keepcup atm) and I was always eyeing Carter Move… BUT I have read in the past that it has some smelling problem which the manufacturer were not able to get rid of. So Does somebody know what is the status? I’d like to have a cup coated with ceramic, as I don’t like the taste of coffee when being drank from metal surface… My second to go seems to be Frank Green cup…
BUT I have read in the past that it has some smelling problem which the manufacturer were not able to get rid of.
I know this is quite a bit of a long time to come back to a thread (someone posted a new comment so it has pulled me back) but I find there is a bit of a coffee odor retained even after washing. Nothing rancid or anything but you can tell it gets used as a coffee mug. I find the main culprit is the gasket on the lid. but I’ve found that if I want to make the effort a soak in baking soda water eliminates it but I find when it is full of coffee any new coffee scents aren’t being harmed by the lingering coffee smell. I may just not be very sensitive to such things though.
I’m a big fan of the Fellow Carter Move mugs. They definitely keep coffee hot (or cold) for quite some time. I actually have to cool off my freshly brewed coffee before I put it in the mug if I want to drink it in without waiting a long time. There are a few lid options, but I’ve found that the standard lid and slide lid keep temperature the best. There’s also several sizes available, though the 20oz is listed as a cold mug, it’ll work with the hot lids.
I realize I sound like a shill for the brand, but I just really like the mugs haha.
