I recently resumed drinking coffee in the morning and need a good mug for the car. I don’t need a no-spill wide-base model, but one that fits in a traditional cup holder.
Given that morning coffee is a topic near and dear to may 'dopers, I imagine there will be quite a few “best” suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
I use a Nissan stainless steel thermos thing. It has a screw on cap with a nipple thing you can pull up with your teeth to open. You may look like a fool drinking out of a big baby bottle, but I have never spilled a drop. It holds about 17 ounces
If your part of the spinning sphere is up in Canada I can strongly recommend you do not get a coffee travel mug from Second Cup.
The handled broke off after a month and the cap/drinking mechanism to avoid spillage is awful, you either get no coffee or a sudden glurge, as attested to by the nth coffee stain on my shirt today.
It does fit well into a cup holder on a Bora/Jetta though.
I’d chuck it but then I would have no coffee in the morning and the thought of braving a south american highway in an uncaffeinated state is not a pleasing one.
cheers
NBC
I’m looking for something similar. I don’t need a vacuum-insulate Thermos type one, just a few cheap ones that are skinny enough to fit into a regular cupholder. The proble is I want ones that are dishwasher-safe.
Amazon sells these for $10 a pair:
They aren’t dishwasher-safe though, and people say the handles are flimsy. I might try a pair though, next time I need to fill out an order for the free shipping.
I’ve gone through a million travel mugs, and there’s one feature I MUST have: a flip-open opening on the lid (as opposed to the slider opening). I put cream in my coffee, and coffee always gets stuck in the cracks of and underneath the slider opening, which is hard to get out, and the thought of dairy sitting around and growing bacteria in there grosses me out! The flip-open lid is WAY easier to clean, although mugs with the flip-open thing are much harder to find! The latest great mug I got I found at Starbucks- it’s a stainless mug (regular height, not one of those crazy 12" tall mugs) with a gasketed screw-on lid (no drips) and of course the flip-open opening!
I’m currently using this. It’s stainless steel inside and out, so it doesn’t keep any “flavors”. The top opens for drinking with a push button, and you don’t have to line up a hole to drink, thus avoiding that burning dribble on the side of your mouth. The opening mechanism comes apart for cleaning. That being said, it is a bit less than completely leak proof. However, I normally toss it in my saddlebags on my bike to bring it to work with me in the morning. It keeps coffee hot.
I’ve been using this for five years now, if that tells you anything about the durability of the product. It’s damn near indestructible–I’ve dropped it more times than I care to count. I think my husband ran over his with the car once and it’s fine. It has no easily breakable parts–no handle, no spout–and the seal holds tight for years and years. I can’t rave enough about it. It’s just really well-designed.
So, I am still on my quest for the perfect travel mug. First, I purchased the Nissan 14-oz model, and it kept the coffee REALLY hot but was not spill-proof. After 2 spills, I decided this was not for me.
My wife uses a Contigo mug which finally lost it’s rubber ring after 5 years, so I bought her a new Contigo tumbler which has a great seal on the drink-hole, but didn’t keep the coffee hot for very long today. I am going to try pre-heating the insides first tomorrow, but am not optimistic.
So, I am looking for a travel mug that has two features: keeps liquid hot, and is spill-proof. I do not want a thermos, and want to be able to easily “open” the mug. The push-button on this model was awful, and it is not clear how this model opens.
Sigh…
My current fave is (I think) this.
My wife found it at her work and brought it home. Best mug I’ve ever had, and I’ve had several. The flip/lock top makes a tight seal. The carabiner makes it easy to clip onto things (Like my golf cart, or a backpack). Dishwasher safe. Large capacity and keeps the coffee REALLY hot. I have dropped it onto asphalt several times, with no appreciable damage. (After golf, I have it hooked onto the handle of my golf cart. Every once in a while I take my bag off the cart to put it in my car. The hanging cup overbalances the cart, crashing down to the parking lot.)
Only thing I have yet to see is if it has some feature that prevents me from losing it!
The Thermos screw top mentioned above is good too, the one I have is smaller, and no handle. I also personally like the flip top better than the turn-open.
phungi, you should really try the one I linked to. It’s made by Thermos, but it’s not “a thermos” in the traditional sense.
DB - Does that one twist to sip, and then twist more to remove the top? And is there kind of a deep lip between the edge where you sip and the top where the joe comes out?
If so, I have one like that. And I agree with you, it is hard to fault its bulletproof design. But for whatever reasons, my personal preference is more for the one I linked.
I’ll have to check out brands when I get home. Travel mugs seem to just appear and disappear from my cabinet. Either I leave them in friends’ cars, put them down on a golf course or elsewhere, find them, or someone gives them to me as gifts. As such, I have little awareness of brand names, prices, and the like. All I know is that of the 5 or so currently in the cabinet, the blue one is my current fave, followed closely by the Thermos one.
I think the Contigo model I purchased the other day is faulty. I filled it with coffee and it became hot to the touch, and the coffee was cold in a few hours. I tried it at home with hot water and got the same outcome. I will return it and get a new one, but have high hopes for the Contigo since it seals very well to prevent spills.
Ahh, a subject near and dear to my heart. I have found, what is the most perfect coffee cup. It is plastic, so you can microwave it. It is insulated, so it keeps things hot a very long time. It doesn’t have a stupid handle, so I can put it in any cupholder as well as my purse and it does NOT LEAK! Which means I can put it in my purse/diaperbag, whatever.
It is called an “easy traveller” made by Capitol Cups. Dunkin’ Donuts used them for a while but have since stopped. After asking for them for Christmas and paying upwards of $20 for one, I found the company.
Capitol Cups
I’ve blogged about it, whined about it, suffered without it. It is the best all around cup I’ve ever found.
Disclaimer: When I contacted the company to purchase some, the woman felt sorry for me and sent me some cups for free. I promised that I would always remember their kindness. Did I mention the cups are CHEAP?
Looks promising… what does the top of the mug look like? how does it seal?
I just gave my sister that one for her birthday. When she told me she wanted a travel mug for her birthday, I just had to look up this thread for “that one that Drain Bead’s had for 5 years”. 
Auntbeast, I tried to order 20 of these, but the UPS shipping is almost $50-about twice as much as the cups themselves. Is this typical?
I ordered 2… for $10, including shipping, I figure it is worth it…
Boy, it is outrageous that they would rape you on shipping like that. The cups can’t weigh much, and if they are stackable, they shouldn’t even take up much space. Can only assume they wish to dissuade mail orders.
Guys, please call the company to order. The lady that answers the phone is an absolute sweetheart. (334) 321-3302
Fair warning. They are in Alabama, she will have an accent.
Well, I checked UPS Ground charges, and they mug company is not inflating rates ($6.41). USPS Priority is about $6 as well… just the cost of doing business by mail.