Most of these travel mugs take the form of a sippy cup. But if I stay at home, my best choice is the Fellow Carter, which drinks like a normal drinking vessel and is stainless steel—not plastic. It is ceramic coated on its interior to avoid coffee oil build-up or any hint of metallic tang. If you like sippy cups, Fellow also offers good ones 3-in-1 Cover System ($57) and leaf covers and sliders.
What I tend to do is drop a batch of four cups of coffee into the Carter, and turn the lid off and on as I drink. Sixteen ounces of coffee can stay warm for hours without introducing much oxidation or heat. Coffee in an airtight container tastes better, for longer than any coffee that has been exposed to the heat and air of a coffee maker.
That said, while the Carter is prettier than most travel mugs, it won’t be my favorite mug (which, for the record, is a mug. Grinderman tour mug from 2010.) The Carter also doesn’t produce quite as many aromatics as the more open top mug. I could, technically, keep the coffee warm in the Carter and then pour it into another cup I’m more sympathetic to. But in practice, I am not. I just drink from Carter. It’s still a good morning.
Other Coffee Mug Temperatures We Recommend
Ember Mug 2 for $150: Oh, Ember. It is probably the most modern and technologically advanced self-warming mug. It has software. It will light up a little LED or even notify your phone when your coffee is ready to drink. Honestly, one can go back and forth on its virtues and excesses. It will “wake up” when you pour coffee inside. It will sleep when you are not around. And unlike the other options here, it’s a self-heating mug with a battery, and it can travel with you when you walk your dog. But after using Ember for years, WIRED reviewer Simon Hill switched to Ohom Ui 3. Why? In part, it’s that Ember only works with a proprietary cup that isn’t dishwasher-safe or dunk-proof. Replacement mugs and heating elements are expensive. But mostly it was a yen for simplicity: Not everything needs an app, and fat mugs are now cool enough that I prefer them on the go. still, The Ember mug has had a loyal following at WIREDIt’s a nifty device, and its developers are keep working to improve it. Arguably, the people at Ember think more about coffee warming than anyone alive, and I’ll always happily try the next version and the next to see what’s going on.
Bestinkits Mug Warmer for $26: This little cup warmer turns on when you have a cup on it, and turns off when you don’t. The scale is its only “smart” feature. No Alexa, no Siri, no apps. This is a great feature, and great for security. This said, it means that the heat doesn’t start until your cup is on it, versus a heater like the Cosori or Mr. Coffee that can heat up before your cup arrives and thus keep warm immediately. It’s a decision, and it’s yours to make. The cost difference is a little bit between them all.
