Every single one of the pros I talked to for this story said that not only are ceramic, glass, and stainless-steel options better for the environment, they actually make your coffee taste better than paper or plastic (same goes for tea). Most important, though, they keep your drink hot or cold for longer.
The days of paper cups and plastic straws are, if not entirely behind us, certainly not what they used to be. I know when I walk into any coffee shop, I’m bound to see at least a handful of people asking for their morning brew to be poured into their own reusable vessel instead of something disposable. And trust me: Baristas are more than happy to oblige. Every single one of the pros I talked to for this story said that not only are ceramic, glass, and stainless-steel options better for the environment, they actually make your coffee taste better than paper or plastic (same goes for tea). Most important, though, they keep your drink hot or cold for longer. All of the travel mugs on this list have temperature retention for at least a few hours, if not longer, with the exception of three, which I’ve noted and explained. While all of them work well, if you’re going to invest in this long-term good habit, you want to find the one that best fits your coffee habits and, of course, aesthetic preference. Read on to help determine which reusable cup, mug, or tumbler is best for you.
Best overall | Best for cappuccinos |Best for iced coffee| Best for commuting | Best with a handle | Best less expensive with a handle | Best with replaceable lid | Best for hanging at home | Best customizable | Best glass for brewing tea | Best stainless steel for brewing tea
What we’re looking for
Volume: Most of these travel mugs come in various sizes, but that’s naturally an important feature to pay attention to when buying. Eight or 12 ounces is on the smaller side, both good for standard cappuccinos or cortados or if you don’t consume that much coffee or tea. Twenty ounces is pretty big — useful if you’re going to be toting your drink around all day without the chance for refills. And then, of course, 16 ounces is somewhere in between.
Lid type: The type of lid on your travel mug can make a fairly big difference in how you experience drinking. Some have bigger openings, some smaller. Some snap shut; others twist open and close. This can come down to personal preference — meaning the literal mouthfeel of each one. It’s also important to consider when and how you’ll be using your travel mug, whether that’s commuting by train or car, sitting at a desk, or running errands around your neighborhood.
How to clean: Some travel mugs on this list are dishwasher safe; others need to be cleaned by hand. Take note if that’s an important factor for you.
Best overall travel mug
MiiR Flip Traveler From $25 From $25 Multiple sizes, 12 to 20 ounces | Flip lid | Dishwasher safe The MiiR Flip Travel tumbler is “super-sleek, retains heat and cold really well, and never leaks,” says Allie Caran, product manager at Barista Valet in New York City. The lid screws on tight with a small piece that flips up when you take a sip then locks back in when you’re done. Multiple other experts echo her praise. Jerad Morrison, co-founder and co-CEO of Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco, explains that the temperature retention is thanks to the double-walled interior, which also means it’s never too hot or too cold to the touch. “It’s stainless steel, so it washes really easily,” he adds, “and doesn’t hold on to any flavors.” Will Pratt, founder and owner of Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland, Maine, agrees that its material makes it a breeze to clean — and says if you have one, you can even just throw it in the dishwasher. “Coffee has sticky oils that leave residue, and there’s nothing worse than a mug that holds that flavor over time,” he says. The final bonus, Morisson says, is it fits into cup holders in both cars and bikes, which “is not always the case.” From $25 at Amazon Buy From $28 at MiiR Buy
Best travel mug for cappuccinos
KeepCup Reusable Coffee Cup $32 12 and 16 ounces | Flip lid | Handwash only KeepCup was also mentioned by many of our experts. The small glass vessels were originally designed by two former baristas in Melbourne, Australia, making it easier for people like Joanna Lareau, coffee manager at Stumptown, to do their jobs. “I like KeepCups because they’re made for baristas to pour into, so they’re the easiest for us to make latte art in,” she says. She also notes that, because of their small size, they’re easier to use when making cortados or cappuccinos. “Some reusable cups are so big they don’t fit into the espresso machine,” she says. Samya Said, former barista-training manager at Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea, likes that they’re made with an inner slope, which she says “allows baristas to pour amazing art every time.” The lid here functions pretty much the same as the MiiR, which means you can sip from the hole or take the whole thing off if that’s how you prefer to enjoy a cappuccino. One note: The glass body means that there’s not as much heat retention going on as some of the others. For Ryan Fisher, director of coffee and roasting at GoodBoyBob Coffee in Santa Monica, California, that’s actually a benefit instead of a problem: The glass gets his coffee to the exact temperature he likes quickly. $32 at Amazon Buy From $32 at Keep Cup Buy
Best travel mug for iced coffee
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Fellow Carter Move Mug + Splash Guard From $30 From $30 8, 12, and 16 ounces | Twist-off lid | Handwash only Fellow is generally a favorite brand among industry folks. As with all their products, the travel mug has a streamlined look. Even though you can’t throw it in the dishwasher, Morrison says the stainless-steel interior makes it easy to clean. And it retains hot and cold temperatures with the best of them. But the coolest feature of all? “There’s a small guard insert at the top,” Morrison says, “so if you’re drinking iced coffee, the cubes don’t fall back onto your face when you get toward the bottom.” From $30 at Fellow Buy
Best travel mug for commuting
Zojirushi Stainless-Steel Mug From $34 12 and 16 ounces | Flip lid | Handwash recommended The Zojirushi, which was also a top pick for reusable water bottles, comes with a lot of the same perks as many others on this list: fantastic temperature control and a slim, sleek, and lightweight body. But according to tea consultant Sara Shacket, its most impressive quality is that it’s completely airtight. “It really doesn’t leak,” she says. “I’ve used it during many commutes on the subway, thrown in my bag, and was never worried. Same if I was hiking on a trip. It could be upside down and it wouldn’t leak.” Cookbook author and recipe developer Carla Lalli Music, who owns multiple Zojirushi models, echoes this sentiment, saying, “It has the most bustproof cap in the biz.” From $34 at Amazon Buy $34 at Best Buy Buy
Best travel mug with a handle
Yeti Rambler Mug $30 $30 Multiple sizes, 10 to 24 ounces | Slide lid | Dishwasher safe Steven Sadoff, founder of New York City’s Ground Support, has many travel mugs (including the MiiR and the Fellow above), but he turns to his Yeti when he wants a handle. He says he finds this feature particularly convenient when he’s driving because even though it doesn’t fit in a cup holder, he can easily grab it and sip with control. “It makes for a pretty comfortable drinking experience,” he says, “especially as you get close to the end of your coffee.” The same applies when he meets friends for a coffee outside because “you can gesticulate wildly without spilling.” Aside from the handle, he appreciates that the mug seals incredibly tightly, keeps liquid hot for hours, and is dishwasher safe. $30 at Amazon Buy $30 at YETI Buy
Best less expensive travel mug with a handle
MiiR Insulated Camp Cup From $25 From $25 Photo: retailer Multiple sizes, 8 to 20 ounces | Slide lid | Handwash recommended Recommended by multiple experts, MiiR also makes a sweet travel mug that mimics an actual handled mug. Em Orendorff, former manager at Intelligentsia Coffee, likes it because “it’s shaped just like the mugs we use in the café (short and wide with a great handle), so it’s a breeze for baristas to make your drink in it as well as easy to clean and to drink out of.” Caleb Chauncey, former barista at East Pole Coffee Co. in Atlanta, likes that its insulated interior keeps drinks warm or cold for long periods of time, and it keeps a consistent temperature on the outside too. “It won’t burn your hand if you have a hot beverage inside, and it won’t sweat when you have a cold one,” he says. To me, it seems like the perfect camping companion. It’s also worth noting that it comes in the largest range of sizes of any of the mugs we’ve listed. From $25 at Amazon Buy From $23 at MiiR Buy
Best travel mug with replaceable lid
Multiple sizes, 12 to 20 ounces | Twist-off lid or sip lid | Dishwasher safe
Hydro Flask is another go-to for water (in fact, it was named our best overall bottle because so many people sung its praises). But the materials and build that keep liquid cold also keep liquid hot, as Strategist editor and avid coffee drinker Maxine Builder can attest to. She particularly likes the model with a Flex Sip lid. “It’s a lot easier to manipulate on the go and actually keeps the hot coffee in there,” she says. “The other advantage of this lid is the addition of a hook, which means I can carry it with one finger while I walk my dog in the morning.” Best of all, if you already own a Hydro Flask, you can buy the new lid separately and just replace your old one. The company says it’s dishwasher safe but hand-wash recommended — though I can say my boyfriend has used a similar model for water for years and semi-regularly puts it in the dishwasher with no damage.
Best travel mug for hanging at home
Kinto To-Go Tumbler $38 12 ounces | Sip lid | Dishwasher safe Kinto’s travel mug has a very small but always open sip hole, which means it’s best suited for when you’re sitting at a desk or on a walk holding the tumbler in your hand. This means your drink will stay hot for about an hour and cold for several hours — but it’s not going to retain its temperature all day long. That said, it’s still a favorite of a couple of our experts. For Haley Boyd, a designer and sustainability enthusiast, this is mostly because of the aesthetic. “It’s an attractive, simple shape in a solid color without a huge logo, which is surprisingly hard to find,” she says. But for Noah McKeown, general manager at Go Get Em Tiger in Los Angeles, who uses his nearly every day, it’s more than just looks. “I like the small-hole sip lid,” he says. “I think the flow-out of it is really nice. It never spills, but you still get a lot of the coffee aromatics out of it.” $38 at Food52 Buy $46 at Amazon Buy
Best customizable travel mug
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Frank Green Ceramic Reusable Cup From $40 12 and 16 ounces | Button lid or straw lid | Dishwasher safe Not only does this ceramic-lined mug hit the mark on functionality, it also allows you to customize way beyond size. First, you can choose the lid type you want: one with a button release or one with a built-in straw. Then, you can design it so the entire thing is monochrome — you get to choose from a bunch of very pretty, muted colors — or so the body, lid, and button are all different colors. It’s quite fun to play around with. From $40 at Frank Green Buy $40 at Amazon Buy
Best glass travel mug for brewing tea
Oneisall Glass Tea Infuser $28 $28 7 ounces | Twist-off lid | Dishwasher safe Daniela Titiun, tea sommelier and author of Tea Cachai, tried many different glass tea mugs before landing on one she calls “the smartest system” for its game-changing tea-brewing mechanism. Normally, she explains, tumblers have a metal insert that’s filled with tea leaves and steeped in water. That means that once the appropriate amount of time has passed, you either have to remove the strainer — which can be impractical, if you’re on the go — or just leave the leaves inside, which can cause your drink to get bitter. The Oneisall, on the other hand, functions by dividing the vessel in half with a filter, with one side housing the leaves and the other water. This allows you to turn the bottle upside down to infuse, and then right side up when you’re ready to unscrew and sip. (There’s a helpful video on the product page.) While the glass means the mug is non-insulating, the double walls help retain heat for about an hour, and at only seven ounces, it should be easy to finish by then. Plus, as Titiun notes, you can easily re-brew for a second time with the same leaves. $28 at Amazon Buy $28 at Amazon Buy
Best stainless-steel travel mug for brewing tea
David’s Tea Black Tea Press $36 $36 16 ounces | Sip lid | Handwash only This David’s Tea Black Tea Press, which comes recommended by Cup of Life writer Lu Ann Pannunzio, also brews tea without an infuser sitting in your water. But instead of a flip method like the vessel above, it has a French press–like mechanism that you push down on once the steep time is over. Pannunzio says she’s been using it regularly this summer to make flash-chilled iced tea, explaining that you simply fill the interior with cubes before pressing down. (Here’s a video to help visualize how it works.) Plus, because the walls of this mug are insulated, the liquid will stay cold or hot for hours. $36 at David's Tea Buy
Our experts
• Haley Boyd, designer and sustainability enthusiast
• Maxine Builder, Strategist editor
• Allie Caran, product manager at Barista Valet
• Caleb Chauncey, former barista at East Pole Coffee Co.
• Ryan Fisher, Director of Coffee and Roasting at GoodBoyBob Coffee
• Joanna Lareau, coffee manager at Stumptown
• Noah McKeown, general manager at Go Get Em Tiger
• Jerad Morrison, co-founder and co-CEO of Sightglass Coffee
• Carla Lalli Music, cookbook author and recipe developer
• Em Orendorff, former manager at Intelligentsia Coffee
• Lu Ann Pannunzio, author of Cup of Life
• Will Pratt, founder and owner of Tandem Coffee Roasters
• Steven Sadoff, founder of New York City’s Ground Support
• Samya Said, former barista training manager at Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea
• Sara Shacket, tea consultant
• Daniela Titiun, tea sommelier and author of Tea Cachai
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