Straight to the Point
Our favorite travel mug is from Zojirushi. It keeps coffee and hot beverages warm for a remarkably long time and has a locking flip lid. For coffee and tea enthusiasts, the Fellow Carter Move Mug has a thinner-edged lip that offers a better drinking experience.
After working at a coffee shop right out of college, I stopped drinking caffeine. It was the inevitable result of having way too much of it (post-college, I did not understand moderation) and coming home with my hair, skin, and clothes smelling of it chronically. But years later, after getting married to a coffee enthusiast (some would say snob), I came back to my love of coffee.
Though I now work from home and can savor my coffee slowly out of a mug, my husband often needs to bring his second cup of coffee on the go. Coupled with the extensive camping and road-tripping we do, travel mugs of all sorts have started to accumulate in our kitchen cabinets.
This is all to say: A review of travel mugs is right up my alley. I set out to test 15 of them to see which ones retained heat and cold best, were comfortable and easy to use, didn’t leak, and offered the best drinking experience.
The Winners, at a Glance
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This travel mug is deceptively lightweight, yet still holds 16 fluid ounces of coffee or tea. It retains heat for a remarkably long time (longer than any other mug I tested). The lid not only opens up with a simple click of a button but also locks shut with a side switch, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally opening.
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The Fellow Carter Move Mug is designed with coffee enthusiasts in mind. Its heat and cold retention was second only to the Zojirushi and the inner chamber of the mug is ceramic-lined for a neutral flavor. The thin lip of the mug made drinking coffee out of it a pleasure.
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The Kinto Day Off Tumber is another excellent option for coffee and tea lovers. The top has a looped handle that makes it easy to carry around and the inner lid has a built-in splash guard. It also retains heat and cold for an exceptionally long time.
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This Yeti travel mug had a screw-on lid that didn’t leak and good hot and cold retention. “I own a few of these Yeti mugs and use them all of the time,” says associate commerce editorial director Riddley Gemperelin-Schirm. “The lid’s slider smoothly opens and closes and I like that the tapered base fits easily into a car’s cupholder.”
Note: If a temperature-controlled travel mug is what you’re interested in (where you can set and hold the temperature for a prolonged period of time), then the Ember is the one to get. We tested temperature control mugs separately.
The Tests
Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
- Heat Retention Test One (without Lid): I filled each travel mug with 212°F boiling water, then left the lid off. I inserted a ChefAlarm‘s probe (our favorite probe thermometer) and set the alarm to 140°F to see how long it took for the temperature to drop.
- Heat Retention Test Two (with Lid): I filled each travel mug with 212°F boiling water, and then placed the lid on. I took temperature readings each hour to see how long it took for it to drop to 140°F.
- Cold Retention with Lid: I filled each travel mug with 36°F cold water, and then put the lid back on. I placed the mugs in an oven with the light on, monitoring the temperature of the oven to keep it within 80 to 85°F, to simulate a warm day. I took temperature readings each hour to see how long it took for the water to reach 60°F.
- Leak Test: I filled each travel mug with water and placed the lid back on. I vigorously shook the travel mug upside down to see how much it would leak.
- Drinking Test: I filled each mug with 12 ounces of freshly brewed coffee, carrying it around the apartment and outside on walks and drinking from it to see how the user experience was.
- Cleaning Test: After each test, I thoroughly cleaned the mugs and lids.
What We Learned
Screw Tops Didn’t Leak Like Pop Tops
Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
The travel mugs I tested had two types of lids. One style screwed onto the mug’s body and the other popped on and had a rubber gasket that held the lid in place. The latter were easier to put on, as all you needed to do was push the lid onto the body. However, these mugs all leaked…some worse than others.
Conversely, most of the screw-on lids I tested did not leak much, if at all as long as they were put on properly. The bottom line: Get a travel mug with a screw-on lid and double-check that the lid is properly aligned and seated to avoid leakage.
Drink Buttons Were Annoying
Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
Some lids, like the Contigo West Loop Stainless Steel and Stanley Classic Trigger, require pressing a button to drink from the mug. In theory, this seems like a great idea, as it only requires one hand and could prevent leakage. However, continually pressing a button for extended periods causes hand fatigue, especially if you have mobility or strength issues. This was especially noticeable with the Stanley mug, which had a stronger spring that required more pressure and strength to press.
Lid Design and Drinking Experience
Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
Some lids (like the Camelbak and Yeti Rambler Tumbler) featured thick plastic lids with drink holes set slightly back from the edge. Drinking from them felt bulky and cumbersome. Other lids, like the Simple Modern Kona Collection, had a latch right near the opening, hitting my bottom lip as I sipped. My favorite travel mugs had thinner lid edges (like the Zojirushi and Fellow) or rounder-edged lids (like the Kinto), which felt more natural and pleasant to drink from. Both the Fellow and the Kinto also allowed you to drink from the mug in any direction.
Heat and Cold Retention
Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
The travel mugs that had the best heat retention also, unsurprisingly, kept liquids cold longer as well. The Zojirushi blew every other mug away on both accounts, taking over 14 hours to drop from 212°F to 140°F and nearly 20 hours for 38°F water to warm up to 60°F. The second-best mug in these tests, the Fellow, took a respectable 10 hours to drop from 212°F to 140°F and 6 hours to go from 38°F to 60°F. The Kinto mug also took 10 hours to drop down to 140°F and 13 hours to get to 60°F. With mugs like these, you could carry around your coffee or tea and it’ll stay hot or cold nearly all day.
| Our Winners Kept Liquids Hot for a Long Time—Other Mugs, Not so Much | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Mug | 1 Hour | 2 Hours | 3 Hours | 4 Hours | 5 Hours | 6 Hours | 7 Hours | 8 Hours |
| Zojirushi SM-SC48HM Steel Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug | 195°F | 189°F | 183°F | 178°F | 178°F | 174°F | 169°F | 163°F |
| Fellow Carter Move Mug | 195°F | 187°F | 180°F | 172°F | 165°F | 161°F | 155°F | 150°F |
| Kinto Day Off Tumbler | 194°F | 186°F | 179°F | 172°F | 165°F | 159°F | 153°F | 146°F |
| Hydro Flask All-Around Stainless Steel Tumbler | 175°F | 155°F | 139°F | X | X | X | X | X |
Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
On the flip side, some of the worse performing mugs, like the Hydro Flask and Corkcicle, dropped temperature alarmingly fast, from 212°F boiling to 140°F in just three hours and 38°F to 60°F in about eight hours. Most folks drink their coffee and tea within a few hours of brewing it, but if you prefer your coffee piping hot or you have a long commute, it’s nice to have a mug that’ll go the distance.
Choose a Capacity That Works for You
When it came to capacity, there was no one-size-fits-all—literally. While some may prefer a smaller travel mug for a single cup of tea or coffee, others may want a sizable portion to sip on all day. With this in mind, I have winners of various capacities, and obviously, even the larger ones don’t have to be filled (though the more hot liquid, the better the insulation).
| Travel Mugs’ Capacities | |
|---|---|
| Travel Mug | Capacity |
| Zojirushi SM-SC48HM Steel Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug | 16 fluid ounces |
| Fellow Carter Move Mug | 16 fluid ounces |
| Kinto Day Off Tumbler | 17 fluid ounces |
| Hydro Flask All-Around Stainless Steel Tumbler | 16 fluid ounces |
| Yeti Rambler 20-ounce Tumbler | 20 fluid ounces |
| Contigo Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug | 20 fluid ounces |
| MiiR Flip Traveler | 16 fluid ounces |
| Simple Modern Travel Coffee Mug: | 16 fluid ounces |
| W&P Porter Insulated Tumbler | 20 fluid ounces |
| Stanley Classic Trigger Action Travel Mug | 16 fluid ounces |
| CamelBak Horizon Tumbler | 20 fluid ounces |
The Criteria: What to Look for in a Travel Mug
Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
Look for a travel mug that has a double-walled, vacuum-sealed body for the best heat and cold retention. Select a travel mug that has a screw-on lid. Pop-on lids are more convenient but leaked. Pick a travel mug that has a rounded or thinner lip for the most pleasant drinking experience.
And, finally, get a travel mug that’s suitable for your lifestyle. If you are constantly on the road, look for a mug that’s lightweight, can be easily opened up with one hand, and fits in your car’s cup holder. If you’re a long-distance commuter on public transit, find a mug that retains heat exceptionally well and can be safely tossed into a bag.
Our Favorite Travel Mugs
What we liked: The Zojirushi retained heat and cold for a remarkably long time, longer than any mug I tested. The 212°F boiling water took a little over 14 hours to cool down to 140°F, while cold 36°F water took over 20 hours to warm up to 60°F. The flip-top was easy to use, with a simple button that popped it open. There’s a secondary latch that locks the lid, too.
The mug has a thin plastic lip and the lid comes apart into two pieces, which makes it easier to clean. The inside features a nonstick coating, preventing stains. Best of all, this slim travel mug is incredibly lightweight.
What we didn’t like: The heat retention of the mug is one of its best features. But it also means freshly brewed coffee takes a while to cool down to a drinkable temperature. If you plan on drinking the coffee from the travel mug immediately, make sure to let the coffee cool before pouring it in. Otherwise, you might scald your tongue with each sip.
Also, the opening of this travel mug is narrower than other models. This made it more challenging to clean. (You’ll want a bottle brush for the task.)
Key Specs
- Material: Stainless steel with nonstick coating and BPA-free plastic
- Dimensions: 2.625 inches diameter; 8.5 inches tall
- Dishwasher-safe: No
- Stated capacity: 16 fluid ounces
- Fits in a car’s cup holder: Yes
- Weight: 7 ounces
What we liked: The Fellow Carter Move Mug is great if you prioritize the coffee or tea-drinking experience. The interior chamber of the travel mug is ceramic lined, to help prevent any metallic taste that a cheaper stainless steel model might impart to your coffee or tea. The thin metal edge of the mug feels great on your lips and allows you to drink in whatever direction you pick the mug up from.
The mug features a removable “splash guard” insert that looks a bit like a sink drain. This prevents hot liquid from splashing outwards. The double-walled, vacuum-sealed body retained heat, taking over 10 hours to drop from 212°F to 140°F and 16 hours to rise from 36°F to 60°F.
What we didn’t like: The mug’s lid requires you to unscrew it and you need two hands to do so. This also means you have a lid that you need to carry (or put down) when you’re drinking. That said, Fellow does sell an optional slide lid (which I did not test).
Key Specs
- Material: Stainless steel with ceramic interior coating
- Dimensions: 3 inches diameter; 7.25 inches tall
- Dishwasher-safe: No
- Stated capacity: 16 fluid ounces
- Fits in a car’s cup holder: Yes
- Weight: 12.5 ounces
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![A blue travel mug on a marble countertop.]()
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PHOTO: Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
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![The Fellow travel mug with its cap off.]()
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PHOTO: Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
What we liked: The Kinto is a well-constructed, lightweight mug that retained heat and cold for fairly long, taking nearly 10 hours to cool 212°F boiling water down to 140°F and 13 hours for 36°F water to warm up to 60°F. The mug itself features a two-part top, one that screws onto the body and acts as a splash shield, and one that’s a sealing lid with a looped handle.
The first splash shield offers a tapered lip and allows you to drink from all sides of the mug. Like the Fellow, this makes it a pleasure to drink from. The handle on top of the sealing lid is nice for carrying, too.
What we didn’t like: Because the Kinto mug has two parts to the lid that screws onto the body, there is twice the chance of user error where you can misalign the threads and not properly screw on the lid. Like the Fellow, the Kinto lid screws on, which means it requires two hands to remove it. Unlike the Fellow, though, the lid does have a handle, so it’s easier to wrap your fingers around it and hold on to it, allowing you to drink with one hand.
Key Specs
- Material: 18-8 Stainless steel powder coated, with polypropylene and silicone
- Dimensions: 2.75 inches diameter; 9 inches tall
- Dishwasher-safe: No
- Stated capacity: 16.9 fluid ounces
- Fits in a car’s cup holder: Yes
- Weight: 10.5 ounces
What we liked: “I have a huge problem with travel mugs that don’t fit in a car’s cupholder,” Riddley says. “The tapered base on this Yeti easily fits into a cupholder and I like its wide, looped handle. It’s easy to hold onto and its matte, slightly pebbly surface is non-slip.” In my tests, the Yeti also had great hot and cold retention and didn’t leak.
What we didn’t like: The bulkier lip on this mug was less pleasant to drink from.
Key Specs
- Material: 18-8 stainless steel with plastic lid
- Dimensions: 2.75 inches diameter; 7.5 inches tall
- Dishwasher-safe: Yes
- Stated capacity: 20 fluid ounces
- Fits in a car’s cup holder: Yes
- Weight: 1 pound, 2.375 ounces
Serious Eats / Irvin Lin
The Competition
- Contigo Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug: Contigo makes reasonably priced travel mugs and this one does a good job retaining heat and cold. But the shape of the lid and its small opening meant coffee pooled on top of the lid between sips, which caused dribbling and spilling.
- Hydro Flask All-Around Stainless Steel Tumbler with Lid: The Hydro Flask travel mug lost heat the quickest of all the mugs I tested, and the pop-on lid leaked.
- MiiR Flip Traveler: This solidly constructed, lightweight mug was easy to use and retained heat and cold better than most of the mugs I tested. Unfortunately, it leaked a bit, no matter how much I tightened or screwed on the lid.
- Contigo West Loop Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug: This Contigo mug did a decent job with retaining heat and cold, but having to hold down a button to drink was tedious.
- Simple Modern Travel Coffee Mug: This mug lost heat and cold relatively quickly.
- Corkcicle Commuter Cup: Unfortunately, this mug lost heat extremely quickly (in just over three hours).
- W&P Porter Insulated Tumbler: I loved the feel of this tumbler and its colorful design. But the insulated tumbler lost heat relatively quickly and leaked terribly when turned upside down.
- CamelBak Horizon Tumbler: The Camelbak tumbler did a poor job of retaining heat and cold. It also had a snap-on lid that leaked.
- Stanley Classic Trigger Action Travel Mug: The rugged and durable mug felt like what your grandfather probably drank from as he backcountry hiked his way across the Rocky Mountains. It’s built to last a lifetime (and is backed with a lifetime warranty as well). And it did a good job retaining heat and cold. But it’s slightly annoying to drink from since you have to push a button to sip. And when you did, the coffee flowed out very slowly.
- Simple Modern Insulated Thermos: This travel mug did a great job retaining heat and cold. But the small lid had a flip-top with a locking latch that protruded fairly high, bumping into my bottom lip.
FAQs
How do you clean coffee or tea stains off of a stainless steel travel mug?
Sprinkle some baking soda (about one to two teaspoons) into the mug and add water to form a paste. Gently scrub with a damp cloth, soft sponge, or bottle brush. The mildly abrasive baking soda should remove the stains.
How do you maximize the heat and cold retention of a travel mug?
For hot beverages, warm up the inside of the travel mug by pouring hot water (it can from the tap) into the mug, letting it sit for a couple of minutes, and empty the mug. Then, add your coffee or hot beverage. For cold drinks, cool the inside by pouring in water and adding a few ice cubes, swirling the cubes around, then drain it and add the cold beverage.
What size travel mug is best?
For most folks, a 12- or 16-ounce travel mug is sufficient. If you’re a hardcore coffee drinker or you travel a longer distance for work, a larger 20-ounce mug might be a better fit.
How do you clean a travel mug lid?
If your travel mug’s lid disassembles, take it apart. Then soak the lid in warm, soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and thoroughly rinse.
What travel mug won’t leak?
All of our favorite travel mugs (from Zojirushi, Fellow, and Kinto) are leak-proof. The Zojirushi features a flip-cap that locks, while the other two have screw-on lids that prevent accidental spills.
Why We’re the Experts
- Irvin Lin is a cookbook author, recipe developer, food writer, photographer, and ceramicist.
- He wrote the cookbook Marbled, Swirled, and Layered, which was picked by the New York Times as one of the best baking cookbooks of 2016.
- He runs a blog called Eat the Love, where he’s developed, photographed, and written recipes since 2010. Eat the Love was nominated twice for best food blog by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) in 2016 and 2022.
- He’s tested and reviewed hundreds of kitchen items including stand mixers and indoor herb gardens.
- For this review, Irvin tested 15 travel mugs, evaluating their insulation, usability, and more to find the best ones.
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