Best Travel Mug In The World – Taylor is a chef, recipe tester and developer, photographer from Southern California. He has worked in food and food media for over 10 years, including at some of the world’s best restaurants, before becoming a freelancer for Food52, Hearst Magazines, Serious Eats and more.
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Best Travel Mug In The World
The best travel mug is the Stanley Quadvac Travel Mug. It has fantastic hot and cold retention, is durable, and easy to use and clean. It also comes with a lifetime warranty. We also recommend several models from Contigo, Zojirushi and Amber, all available on Amazon.
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If you like to take a drink with you when traveling by train, carpooling, or driving your own car to work, a travel mug that can keep your coffee or tea hot (or iced cold) and is contained in one way. indispensable
These days, most travel mugs have vacuum insulation technology that helps maintain the temperature of their contents, prevents the accumulation of condensation on their exterior, and protects your hands. But apart from keeping your drinks hot or cold when you pour them, the perfect travel mug should be able to withstand a scuffle on the floor or in a purse; You should put it in your car’s cup holder; And it should be easy to drink from the trip.
For this review, I tested 17 different travel mugs, putting them through tests based on temperature retention, usability, and durability. Here is what I found.
We recently tested a handful of other travel mugs (from Kinto, Mir, Fellow, Elo, and Yeti) in our lab. Our top picks haven’t changed and you can find our thoughts on each of these five additions at the bottom of this page. We’ve also added our winner from our temperature control mug test to this review because it’s so travel friendly.
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Winners, Best Travel Mugs at a Glance Stanley Legacy Quadvac Trigger-Action Mug Stanley View at Basspro.com View at Amazon View at Cabelas.com
The Stanley QuadWalk Travel Mug passes all our tests with flying colors. If you want the absolute best travel mug, this is it. It also comes with a lifetime warranty.
Best Cheap Travel Mug Contigo SSA100B01 Thermal Camping Hydration Bottle, 20 Ounce Amazon View at Target
At just $11.37, the Contigo SnapSeal performed very well in our cold and durability tests, but fell a little short in the heat retention test. For a bargain, it’s a great choice, especially if you’re an iced coffee drinker.
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Best Open Hands Free Travel Mug Zojirushi SM-SA36-BA Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug, 20 Ounce Amazon View on Target Amazon View
If you’re constantly on the go and need a cup that you can open with just the back of your thumb, consider this Zojirushi model. It performs very well in our heat retention and leakage tests, and it has an attractive appearance. Two caveats to keep in mind: It’s not dishwasher safe and can be difficult to clean, and the slim design means you can only squeeze in one ice cube at a time.
Best Temperature Control Travel Mug Amber Travel Mug² on Amazon View on Amazon View on Williams-Sonoma View on Walmart
If a temperature-controlled travel mug is what you’re after (where you can set and maintain the temperature for an extended period of time), Amber is the one. We’ve tested temperature control mugs separately, but have also added our winners to this review for your shopping convenience.
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We initially decided to only try travel mugs that were stainless steel, vacuum insulated, and at least partially spill proof. This is because, at the very least, we wanted them to be somewhat durable, able to maintain drink temperatures for long periods of time and withstand the inevitable rush of liquid that comes with traveling with drinks.
When testing the mugs, our primary focus was how well they stood up to temperature retention and durability claims. An ideal cup should keep liquid ice cold and chips hot for hours; It should be durable enough to handle small falls without dents or breaks; It should have some features to help prevent spills; And it shouldn’t be difficult to clean it and use it again the next day.
Most people buy travel mugs to bring hot drinks on the go, so I tested heat retention first.
During the heat test, I also complete a leak test by placing the sealed cups on their sides between the temperature readings and noting where, if any, leaks occur. A few cups immediately failed the leak test, dripping and tipping over immediately after being placed on their sides. Mugs are also excluded if their contents cool too quickly or in less time than the manufacturer states.
Oz Non Spill Stainless Steel Coffee Mug
For this test, I filled each mug with 36°F water and recorded the temperature with a calibrated instant-read thermometer. I continued to check every 30 minutes until the fluid reached 60°F.
Any mug whose contents quickly rise in temperature is unsuitable. While mug manufacturers have been making specific statements for some time that mugs can keep drinks cold, I tried this too. Some mugs have different claims for keeping the liquid cold versus keeping the ice in the mug from melting for a certain amount of time. However, I checked to see if the ice was ice or if the cold water stayed cold for the duration of the request.
Ease of cleaning can make a good travel mug the best. After all, if you use your mug every day, you don’t want to spend a ton of time cleaning it every night. To test the ease of cleaning and care, I first put eight ounces of black coffee in each cup, room temperature, regular strength, and for 12 hours. Then, I washed the mugs according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
At this point, I was able to divide the entire group into two: dishwashers or not. If you have a dishwasher, cleaning is as easy as putting the cup in the machine and running the cycle. For the mugs I couldn’t put in the dishwasher, I evaluated how easy they were to wash by hand, whether they needed to use a scrub brush, and how many cracks and crevices the mug (and its lid) had. .
Personalized Rtic 16 Oz Travel Coffee Cup
After cleaning, I gave each cup a sniff test to determine if any residual odor remained. A lingering odor can mean the mug has porous material, which can lead to sanitary problems down the line. Plus, that funky smell will mix with the aroma and taste of whatever drink you put in the next cup. Amazingly, every cup passed.
Dishwasher safe is a big plus for almost everyone, so they were rated better than others. From mugs that I needed to hand-wash, that were particularly difficult to clean (mouths too small for my hands or a scrub brush), I docked the points.
Ease of washing and cleaning became the testing ground, as more than half of the remaining mugs were removed.
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For the durability test, I tried destroying the mug. No, really: I filled them with water, sealed them, then dropped them from various angles onto smooth concrete from a certain height of five feet. I then assessed it for any breaks, cracks, dents or scratches.
Best Travel Mugs Of 2021
Some were strong and some were flimsy, but all the cups that moved or stained were anchor points.
Perhaps one of the most important features of a travel mug is its portability. Is it heavy or light? Does it fit well in a medium bag, bag, cupholder? Is it attractive or utilitarian? Can you handle it with gloves? Open it with one hand? I tested them all by using each mug and bringing it with me to work every day for 11 days. Right off the bat, some failed because they were too big to fit in a medium-sized cup holder.
While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are some that stand out aesthetically. Some come in a wide range of colors, while others offer an elegant design. Since customization is important to many people, mugs with color options were rated higher. Mugs that were uncomfortable to use or fill were ranked lower or eliminated altogether.
Best All-Around Travel Mug Stanley Legacy Quadvac Trigger-Action Mug Stanley View at Basspro.com View at Amazon View at Cabelas.com
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What we like: This is the best travel mug, period. After 40 hours, the ice water still contains solid pieces of ice, and the cup will keep cold liquid without ice at room temperature for more than 12 hours. It keeps our liquids hot at over 140°F for eight hours, which is more than enough for an average workday. It’s dishwasher-friendly and won our durability test with minimal damage even after repeated drops from five feet. It has a one-touch trigger action lid, fits easily in a cup holder or bag, and the Stanley is very secure.
