I like my coffee with a resting temperature of at least 98.6°F—and in order to make sure my coffee stays at this perfect temperature, an insulated coffee mug is a necessity. Without one, I’m perpetually plagued by half-full cups of room-temperature coffee. That’s because I start with a full mug, drink half of it, top it off with warm coffee, and repeat.
It’s a nonstop cycle that at the end of every morning leaves a half-full cup of cold unconsumed coffee to be thrown out. Drink faster! You’ll say. Pour smaller servings! You’ll insist. But I love a big cup of coffee, so I embarked on a quest to find the best insulated mug that actually keeps my morning beverage warm for more than 10 minutes.
Note: I did not include insulated travel mugs. I reviewed the best travel mugs in a separate test. Instead, I searched specifically for an open-mouth, heat-retaining mug to leisurely sip hot drinks from at home or in the office. I tried a variety of mugs: double-walled ones made of borosilicate glass as well as stainless-steel; thick-rimmed diner-style ceramic; enamelware (FYI: enamelware was the worst at keeping coffee warm); and standard.
Read on to discover the winners and scroll down further for the specifics of how I tested the mugs.
This sleek BPA-free set comes complete with leak-proof lids and is available in different colors, including light purple, light blue, light pink, mint, and matte black (pictured). The Avito mug not only keeps coffee hot, but it can also keep cold brew and iced coffee cold.
$24
at AmazonThis double-walled stainless-steel mug was consistently in the top three in terms of minimum temperature loss. It’s sleek, modern-looking, well-made, and (bonus!) won’t break like any of your ceramic mugs. It also comes with a lid, which I didn’t use in the test as none of the other mugs came with one, but it will undoubtedly keep your coffee even warmer. Because it’s shaped like a standard mug but comes with a spill-proof travel lid (complete with drinking hole), you’ll get the best of both worlds: a mug that works at home but can be taken on the road (although it probably won’t fit in a cup holder). It’ll effectively keep your coffee warm for at least half an hour: After 30 minutes the water’s starting temperature of 205°F had dropped to 127°F. (It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re drinking cold brew, iced coffee, or any other chilled beverage, this cup also can keep your cold drink, well, cold.)
Want to buy these in bulk? These mugs are also available in a set of four for $36, dropping the price per mug down to $9.
$14
at AmazonMany people swear by the thick-rimmed, heavy-duty mugs like those found at Waffle House, but I always thought they were a ruse. How could it be so simple? And yet, the heavy diner mug held up! A weird thing about this mug is that in all three tests right after I poured water from the kettle, the initial temperature was consistently lower than that of the other mugs. Despite using the same kettle, once the water hit the diner mug, its starting temperature ranged from 162°F to 181°F (for all the other mugs, the starting temperatures were between 190°F and 205°F). After the initial drop, however, the water temperature stayed consistent, losing the least heat of any mug. I ended up with a temperature averaging around 118°F.