You’ll have landed on this post, I’m guessing because you’re looking for the best travel mugs or the best reusable coffee cups, and you’ve discovered that there’s a lot more choice than you’d given credit for, so you need some help, and you’ve thought “Kev, he’ll help me choose the best travel mug”, well – you’re right, I will :-).
Best travel mugs vs best reusable coffee cups – what’s the difference?
The first thing to point out is that while these terms are often used interchangeably, as far as I’m concerned they’re two completely different things. For this reason, I’m splitting this post into two sections, best travel mugs, and best reusable coffee cups.
I’m hoping this will help people to end up with something that fits their needs more closely, as it’s quite common for people to buy the wrong kind of mug based on this misunderstanding.
A really good example of this is when you read through the reviews for various popular travel mugs and reusable coffee cups, you’ll find some people saying that a reusable cup didn’t keep their coffee hot enough or wasn’t leakproof.
You’ll also find some people saying that a travel mug kept their drink too hot and they had to wait hours to drink it. These are examples of why there are different kinds of mugs/cups for different people or situations, as I’ll describe.
I did at one point have two completely separate posts, one for travel mugs and one for reusable coffee cups, but I decided it would be more helpful to my fellow coffee botherers (coffeeblog readers, so that now includes you) to create one post that covers both so that the differences are made clear.
So let’s just briefly discuss what is a travel mug and what is a reusable coffee cup, so you can decide what it is you’re looking for at the moment.
Reusable coffee cups
These are coffee cups that can be reused, vs using takeaway cups. The name refers to the fact that these cups were mainly designed to replace disposable takeaway cups. They’re so popular for use in offices, at home, and so on that, the term “reusable” might not make much sense, as they’re often used instead of normal coffee cups, and of course, normal coffee cups are reusable.
But when you recall the fact that these kinds of cups are intended as a more environmentally friendly replacement for disposable cups, it’s easier to understand what you can expect from a cup of this kind, by considering the kind of cups they are replacing.
The most simple description for reusable coffee cups is that they’re (usually) made as a direct replacement for disposable cups, and they’re made for drinking your coffee (or tea, or whatever) more or less straight away, and not for keeping hot in to be sipped over a longer period of time (that’s what travel mugs are for).
Disposable cups are relatively poor where thermal insulation is concerned, a card sleeve is often needed to be able to carry them, they don’t do a great job of keeping your coffee hot, and they’re not leakproof, in fact, most people will be accustomed to not trusting the lids on disposable cups, and double-checking they’re on properly before drinking.
Most of the best reusable coffee cups I’ll be sharing in a sec, do better in most of these areas than disposable coffee cups, and they’re more environmentally friendly, but it’s just worth keeping in mind that if you’re buying a cup like this, you’re not going to get the same kind of heat retention & spill prevention that you get from a travel mug, which we’ll discuss next.
If you’re wanting a cup to make coffee in, or to take to a coffee shop to ask them to make your coffee in, and then to drink almost straight away, then you’ll want a reusable cup vs a travel mug.
When you make a cup of coffee or tea in a normal ceramic, porcelain, earthenware, or glass cup or mug, it’s usually far too hot to drink straight away, unless you’re one of those people like my old boss who has an asbestos mouth & drinks instant coffee straight away after pouring boiling water in his cup from the kettle!
Normal cups allow the drink to cool down relatively quickly, resulting in a drinkable brew (for most people) within a few minutes. Disposable cups are, generally speaking, worse for this than ceramic mugs for example, which is one of the reasons it’s good to use a reusable cup instead, in addition to the environmental reasons of course, as some people find that their coffee or tea is lukewarm by the time they get it to where they want to drink it.
Most people, if they’re wanting a drink to be at a drinkable temperature within 5 or 10 minutes, would be better off using a reusable mug or cup, and not a travel mug, for when they’re buying or making a coffee or whatever, which they want to drink shortly. If you’re like my old boss, however, and you like your coffee at the temperature of the surface of the sun, then you may want to go for a travel mug.
Travel Mugs
While reusable coffee cups are intended as an environmentally friendly alternative to disposable coffee cups, travel mugs are mugs/cups that are made for travel. I know, the term “no shite Sherlock” is probably on your tongue now ;-), and yes this may be obvious where travel mugs are concerned, but I’m saying this to point out by contrast what reusable coffee cups are not made for, as a way to distinguish the two.
If you imagine a thermos flask, but in more of a single cup size, and with a more convenient system for sealing (rather than just unscrewing a lid) then you’ll have a good idea of most modern travel mugs. The main features travel mugs are known for are longer heat retention, and being leakproof.
If you want to make your coffee or tea, sling it in your bag and crack it open a couple of hours later, then you’ll want a travel mug vs a reusable cup. If you want to drink your brew over a longer period of time, for example during a hike whenever you decide to have a breather, then again, you’ll want a travel mug.
I hear people complaining about reusable cups not being leakproof, not retaining the heat, not being spillproof, not being sturdy enough to throw around, and so on, and this is due to confusing these two types of cup/mug, so what I’m getting at here is that if you need a mug for travel and for travel-related features, you need a travel mug, not a reusable coffee cup.
If you’re using a mug for travel of any kind, you’ll usually want your coffee (or whatever other hot drink you might be using it for) to stay hot until you get around to drinking it, and you’ll need to know that it’s not going to spill your drink all over the place while you’re traveling with it and that it’s not going to leak in your bag, for example.
Another reason you may want a travel mug and not a reusable coffee cup is if you always like to drink your coffee or tea at the brew temperature (i.e. you have an asbestos mouth). If you’re someone who doesn’t want their brew to cool down at all prior to drinking, then you may prefer a travel mug over most reusable coffee cups even if you’re not using it for any kind of travel-related activity.
You might not be surprised to discover that my home is full of different mugs ;-), I have travel mugs (including a number of the mugs discussed here) and reusable coffee cups. If I’m making a brew to drink later, I’ll reach for a travel mug, or if I’m drinking it almost straight away while I’m driving to the office or walking into town or something, I’ll reach for a reusable coffee cup.
So hopefully that makes things a bit more clear where travel mugs vs reusable coffee cups are concerned. So, now let’s talk about what I reckon are among the best in both categories.
By the way, regardless of which kind of travel mug you’re after – do you want to know how to instantly improve your coffee quality? This is an instant fix, it’s ridiculously simple, and it doesn’t involve buying a new coffee machine. Are you ready for this revolutionary method I’m about to give you to improve your coffee?
Use better coffee… I know it seems simple ;-), but so many people put lots of effort and investment into things like replacing coffee brewers or upgrading their coffee machine, but they continue using the same coffee (or the same kind of coffee).
I digress, here is my review finally!
Best Travel Mugs
720° Dgree Leakproof Travel Mug
Features:
Capacity: 450ml
Size: 6.4cm at bottom, 7cm at top, 21cm tall.
Weight: 282 g
Car cup holder compatible? Fits however may be a bit too small for some of the shallower holders.
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: BPA-free polypropylene and silicone seal
Seal: One touch open/close mechanism
Leakproof?: Yes
Dishwasher Safe?: No
Thermal Performance: Brand Claim: 5 hours.
My Observations:
This is one of the best selling travel mugs at the time of writing, and reading through the massive number of Amazon reviews it has, it’s clear to see that this German designed travel mug has a lot more going for it than just good looks.
I have one of these, so these observations can be taken as my 720° Degree travel mug review.
This is a travel mug that looks good, and it feels like a good quality stainless steel travel mug for the cost. I have to question the brand name, though, it has a 360 degree drinking gamut, so where does the 720 degrees come from, and who stole the other e from degree?? Weird.
The 450ml capacity is relatively big given the size, it’s quite a slim travel mug, and the design makes the capacity deceivingly big. It’s fully leakproof, and you can drink from 360 degrees, meaning that there isn’t a single drinking hole you have to identify before you take a swig.
This might not seem like that much of a big deal, but have you ever experienced what happens when you’re drinking from a single hole travel cup and you have it the wrong way around? You end up wearing your coffee, not great if you’re on the way to a meeting, or are about to film a YouTube video… now you know why I wear the apron! 😉
Re car cup holders, the usual complaint with bigger travel cups is that they’re too wide to fit car holders, and the opposite is true with this one, as the base is narrower than the top and is just 6.5 cm in diameter, this will mean that with some of the bigger cup holders such as those in the central position in many cars, it’ll rattle around a bit.
So in my car, for example, this is one of the few travel cups that will fit in the smaller secondary cup holder on the right hand side of the steering wheel, but it rattles around a bit in the deeper, wider cup holders between the driver’s seat & passenger seat. Not a big deal though as it’s leakproof so your brew won’t spill while it’s rattling around.
Do you know how important it is to weigh your coffee?
I’ve not timed the heat retention yet, but it definitely does a good job of keeping hot drinks hot. This isn’t one to use if you want your brew to cool down a bit within 20-30 mins of making it, it’ll be scalding hot still until at least an hour later, I’d say.
The number of reviews this product has is quite staggering, and I didn’t have to read all of them (which is good…) before coming to the conclusion that the manufacturer’s claim of 5 hours of heat retention is understated. It’s also clear from some of the images that this, like most coloured stainless steel travel mugs, won’t keep its colour if it’s washed in the dishwasher. The brand doesn’t appear to state whether it’s dishwasher safe or not, but I’d say not if you want the colour to remain.
The seal is nice and easy to use, just press once to open and again to close, and the 360-degree drinking position is great. My only slight criticism of this mug is that it’s not the most stable. The Contigo travel mugs, for example, are very stable, you’d have to try quite hard to topple them over, this one does feel like it wouldn’t take much effort to topple it, although if it’s sealed that shouldn’t be a problem.
Contigo Autoseal West Loop
Features:
Capacity: 470 ml
Size: 6.5 cm at bottom, 9 cm at top, 20.5 cm tall.
Weight: 340 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most car cup holders.
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Seal: Autoseal one touch release
Leakproof?: Yes
Dishwasher Safe?: Lid yes (top rack of dishwasher), mug no
Thermal Performance: Brand Claim: 5 hours
My Observations:
Contigo is one of the biggest brands of travel mugs, now owned by Newell Brands, the firm that owns Dr. Coffee, Yankee Candle, and Breville, not to be confused with Breville worldwide, whose machines are sold in the UK under the Sage Appliances brand.
I have to hand it to Contigo, or more specifically to the design team behind the travel mugs sold under this brand name, as they really do know what they’re doing when it comes to travel mugs. It’s no wonder they do, to be fair, as they honed their craft by designing and manufacturing the Starbucks travel mugs, before deciding to continue to develop their designs under their own brand instead of continuing to work as a white-label supplier.
I think it’s fair to say that this is Contigo’s flagship travel mug, and it’s clear to see from the reviews how well they’ve done with this travel mug. Previously I would have said that this should be the case for the price, as the original version of this mug was about double the price of the Contigo Byron travel mug featured in this post, but this version (the 2019 version) is usually only slightly more expensive than the smaller Byron travel mug, below, so great value for money.
Again, I have this travel mug, so you can take these observations as my Contigo West loop mug review.
The main feature here is the “auto seal” that Contigo has patented. This isn’t a standard seal mechanism, it’s an automatic sealing lid that you press in order to release the seal to drink from it, and when you remove your finger from the button it automatically seals again.
This makes it perfect for folk who want a leakproof travel mug which they can easily grab from their bag, have a swig without removing the lid, and launch it back in the bag. There’s a “lid-lock” to stop the button from accidentally being pressed while in your bag, in case you were wondering.
It’s a really well designed and well made travel mug, it feels very sturdy, it’s very stable, I wouldn’t be concerned about it wobbling over on a train journey, for example, it’ll fit in most car cup holders, and it’ll keep hot drinks hot (and cold drinks cold) for several hours.
This is definitely one of my favourite travel mugs. I really like the Contigo Byron too, below, but for me, the West Loop just nudges over the finish line because the seal is so easy to operate, while Byron is a bit stiff, there’s a bit of a knack required to operate it one-handed.
Best coffee for Americano
Contigo Byron Leakproof Stainless Steel Travel Mug
Features:
Capacity: 470ml
Size: 8 cm at bottom, 8.3 cm at top, 18.5 cm tall.
Weight: 275 g
Car cup holder compatible? Bigger cup holders.
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: BPA-free plastic lid
Seal: One-handed Snapseal™
Leakproof?: Yes and no (see below)
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes and no (see below)
Thermal Performance: Brand Claim: 6 hours.
My Observations:
Another one from Contigo, their Bryon travel mug is among their more popular products and has sold astonishingly well since it was released only a couple of years ago (at the time of writing), as you’ll see from the huge number of Amazon reviews. Once again, I have this travel mug, yes, I’m a nerd ;-), and I spend most of my money on coffee stuff, what can I say ;-). So once again, you can take these observations as my Contigo Byron review.
I like the Contigo Byron, it’s one of my favourites, it’s clear that this has been designed by people who know what they’re doing. It keeps hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold (it really does, it’s not just a marketing blurb), I’ve found it to be 100% leakproof and spillproof, it’s very stable, not an easy mug to accidentally knock over, although it wouldn’t really matter as long as it was sealed.
The biggest difference between this travel mug and the auto seal west loop is the simple one-handed opening snap seal, vs the more innovative auto sealing mechanism. In theory, the snap seal is more simple and less complex so may be less chance of it causing issues. In practice, it’s just a little bit faffy to open the Byron with one hand.
Don’t get me wrong, it is doable, but it does require a certain amount of dexterity and hand strength to do it one handed. It’s not just pressing a button, it’s a really tight catch, so to hold it with one hand and pop open the catch with a finger of the same hand (I tend to use my index finger) does take a bit of effort. It’s fine, but if I was choosing between this one and the West Loop, I’d choose that simply because it’s less physical effort to open and close.
Contigo claims a fairly huge thermal performance of up to 6 hours for hot drinks and 12 hours for cold drinks, which is even more than they claim for their auto seal, and I’m not 100% sure what is responsible for the one hour improvement. They’ve recently released a Byron 2.0, which they state keeps drinks hot for 7 hours! I’ve not used the Byron 2 as of yet but I’ll add it to this post once I have.
Regarding the “Yes and no” answers above, it is dishwasher proof according to the manufacturer, but the outer coloured coating doesn’t appear to like the dishwasher all that much. This is something you’ll find with quite a lot of coloured stainless steel mugs, if you put them in the dishwasher the paint often starts to come off after a while. My advice is to put it on the top shelf of the dishwasher, or if you’re bothered about paint remaining in place just hand wash it.
The leakproof controversy comes from the fact that it’s leakproof if the seal is in place, but quite a few users have pointed out that you do need to keep an eye on the rubber seal and make sure that it’s stayed put. If the seal has come out partially and you didn’t notice, and you shove it in your bag, you could have a disaster. I’ve not had an issue with this personally, but if I do I’ll update this post accordingly.
Have a look at the new Barista Touch Impress, this machine produces amazing coffee quick and simply, and is ready to go in minutes, perfect for your morning walk:
Sage Barista Touch Impresss Review
Opard Leakproof Double-Walled Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug
Features:
Capacity: 350 ml
Size: 6.5 cm at bottom, 7.5 cm at top, 17 cm tall.
Weight: 390 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most car cup holders.
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: BPA-free plastic lid
Seal: Single button seal
Leakproof?: Yes
Dishwasher Safe?: No
Thermal Performance: Brand Claim: 6 hours.
My Observations:
This is a popular travel mug that has sold incredibly well since it was launched in 2019. It’s quite a hefty unit at just under 21cm tall, just under 9cm wide, and 390g, so probably not one for people who want a lighter weight mug for walking, etc., and while it will fit in many car cup holders (the base is smaller than the listed diameter, at approx 6.5cm) it does depend on the depth of your cup holders, as it won’t fit in some of the deeper and narrower holders.
It has a nice big silicon grip, a silicon non-slip base, and a one-button plunger to open the seal. This is supposed to be completely leakproof and spill-proof, but a recurring theme with all of these travel mugs that are allegedly 100% leakproof, is a small % of complaints that this isn’t the case.
In my humble opinion, regardless of the design of the travel mug, there is always, always the potential for completely leakproof mugs leaking, simply because it requires the seal to be in place, and they can quite easily be dislodged prior to or while screwing on the lid. So it’s worth just double-checking the seal each time you put the lid on after filling any travel cup, to ensure the seal is in place, if it isn’t it’ll leak.
Also, there is always the potential for the sealing method to fail. With a mug like this where there’s a button mechanism, this mechanism can fail. Obviously, they’re not supposed to, but it can happen, and this is why with any travel mug like this, you will find some reviews from people saying it leaks. Personally, this is why I prefer the more simple snap seals, although it’s also possible for them to fail too of course.
Have you thought about bringing your espresso maker with you for an even fresher cup of coffee on the go?
Lifeventure Leakproof & Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug
Features:
Capacity: 300 ml
Size: 6.8 cm at bottom, 7 cm at top, 22 cm tall.
Weight: 262 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most car cup holders.
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: Stainless steel lid with BPA free plastic pressure release chamber
Seal: Screw off
Leakproof?: Yes
Dishwasher Safe?: No
Thermal Performance: Brand Claim: 6 hours.
My Observations:
This travel mug is quite a bit different from a lot of the other popular mugs in that it’s more flask like where the lid is concerned. Instead of a snap seal flap or a one-touch mechanism to open and close, you just screw off the lid as you would with a traditional flask.
This isn’t as convenient for taking quick sips on the move, but if you’re wanting to bung your coffee in your bag, and open it to drink it when you’re ready, then this isn’t a bad mug to look at, although I’d also have a look at the Zojirushi, Thermos, and Stanley options below for this style of travel mug.
There’s a lot of love for this mug in the reviews, but the more common gripes are that it requires a bit of wrist strength to open, and a few people note that they find the secondary lid to be a bit of a pain.
Zojirushi SM-TA36BA Stainless Steel Travel Mug
Features:
Capacity: 480 ml
Size: 7 cm at bottom, 6.5 cm at top, 22.5 cm tall.
Weight: 220 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most car cup holders.
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Seal: 2 step flip open lid with lock
Leakproof?: Yes
Dishwasher Safe?: No
Thermal Performance: Brand Claim: 6 hrs
My Observations:
This is one of many cool looking non-leak travel mugs available from the global Japanese based brand Zojirushi, a 100+-year-old company that started out manufacturing glass-lined vacuum bottles in the early 1920s.
The Zojirushi travel mugs have a flask look to them, but it’s not a simple flask lid design, it’s a 2 step flip lid designed to prevent the user from being splashed by condensation when opening.
This is a very stylish looking travel mug, it’s available in a range of colours (the black one and the pink one appear to be the best sellers) and it does get a lot of praise from owners, mainly for the great heat retention.
Stanley Classic Trigger Action Vacuum Mug
Features:
Capacity: 470 ml
Size: 7.3 cm at bottom, 7 cm at top, 20 cm tall.
Weight: 250 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most car cup holders.
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Seal: One-handed trigger seal
Leakproof?: Yes
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes, top rack.
Thermal Performance: Brand Claim: 7 hrs
My Observations:
You’ll no doubt know Stanley for their tools, they’ve ventured out into all sorts in recent history, including alarms, but this isn’t a new diversification for Stanley, they’ve actually been making vacuum flasks since the early 1900s.
This is a proper retro-looking travel mug, especially if you go for the hammertone green. It’s available in other colours but the hammertone green looks exactly how I’d expect a Stanley travel mug to look. These are nice heavy weight, sturdy travel mugs, popular for outdoor use, hiking, camping, and so on.
This is one of the “one hand” travel mugs that are clearly targeted at active people, who want to be able to grab their travel cup and drink their brew with one hand while doing something else with the other, such as digging ditches, fishing, composing an orchestra, whatever. Not that you need to hold a travel mug with two hands like it’s a broadsword or light saber, of course, but because some travel mugs and flasks are a two-handed affair when it comes to getting to the coffee.
It’s worth pointing out that Stanley backs their travel mugs with a huge 25-year manufacturer’s warranty, which is a very rare thing to see in a travel mug.
Thermos 185198 Direct Drink Flask / Travel Mug
Features:
Capacity: 470 ml
Size: 7 cm at bottom, 7 cm at top, 23.2 cm tall
Weight: 290 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, bigger car cup holders.
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Seal: Push-button with locking catch
Leakproof?: Yes
Dishwasher Safe?: No
Thermal Performance: Brand Claim: 10 hrs
My Observations:
The Thermos brand needs no introduction in the UK of course, probably the most well-known brand in the UK when it comes to flasks – and the thermos direct is a very popular travel mug/flask, as you’ll see if you have a read through the online reviews.
The biggest feature to mention is the crazy 10 hour heat retention claim. This sounds far fetched, but if you have a look through the reviews you’ll find plenty of users concurring with this, some of whom even say it’s too good and they have to leave the lid off to allow their brew to cool down!
Although it’s a Thermos, it doesn’t have the standard flask gubbins that you might expect, it has a one-handed push button, to enable busy folk to open their mug and drink their coffee (or tea, but not at the same time) on the go, again so they can do other stuff with their other hand, such as play Concerto No 4 on piano, and if they can do that one-handed I’m impressed.
It’s 7cm wide, so it will fit into the larger cup holders which are just over 7cm, but it won’t fit in the smaller car holders. Some cars have, for example, larger central cup holders and then smaller secondary ones, it’ll fit in the bigger ones.
Bodum 11068-01 Vacuum Travel Mug
Check Price - AmazonCheck Price - Clumsy Goat
Features:
Capacity: 350 ml
Size: 6.9 cm at bottom, 7 cm at top, 18.5 cm tall
Weight: 330g
Car cup holder compatible? Most cup holders
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Lid Material: BPA-free plastic
Seal: Flap with catch
Leakproof?: No
Dishwasher Safe?: Lid yes, mug no
Thermal Performance: N/A
My Observations:
Guess what? Haha, yup, you guessed it, I have this travel mug (a couple of them actually), so you can take this as my
Bodum travel mug review.
Bodum is a very well-established brand, founded towards the end of the second world war in Denmark by Peter Bodum, and is still owned by his son and daughter Jørgen & Pia Bodum, and operated by Jørgen who’s currently the CEO of Bodum. If you’re wondering what the heck this has to do with which is the best travel mugs, well, maybe not much, but I like to give whatever background I can on the products and brands I’m discussing.
Also, I do think the background of the brand and who operates it makes a difference actually. Usually, the best products come from the most passionate brands, and the most passionate brands tend to be the ones with more history to be passionate about.
Best coffee machines reviewBest bean to cup coffee machines review
I really like the Bodum travel mugs, I have to say. The only obvious point to make is that they’re not completely leakproof. The catch over the drinking hole, the thread of the lid, and the silicon seal, are almost leakproof (as long as the lid is properly screwed on), but even if you’ve taken care to put the lid on properly if you chuck this in your bag, it’ll leak, so it’s not made for this.
These mugs straddle the two categories, really, between travel mugs and reusable coffee cups. I’ve put them in the travel cup category though because of their thermal performance I think is too good to put them in the reusable cup category. Although Bodum doesn’t make a heat retention claim (which is why I’ve entered N/A for this in the features), I can tell you that these mugs keep drinks hot for hours.
I play drums in a band, and I’ll usually take a brew with me when I’m rehearsing at night, and a few times I’ve made a brew in the Bodum travel mug and realized the error of my ways when I try to take a swig and realize it’s chuffing boiling. It’s about a 20 minute drive, and it’s usually far too hot to drink still when I get there, and there have been times when I’ve left the travel mug in my cup holder, on a cold night, and returned to the car almost three hours later to find it’s at a reasonable drinking temperature.
We’ve got a red version of this at home as well as the black one, and for me, the black one seems better, where the lid is concerned. I’m not sure why, you’d think it would just be a colour difference, but it doesn’t seem to be, the lids feel slightly different, and the thread seems a better fit on the black version.
Goat Story Travel Mug
Features:
Capacity: 350 ml
Size: 26 x 10 x 9 cm
Weight: 259g
Car cup holder compatible? No, unless you have a horn-shaped cup holder. Fred Flintstone probably had one of these.
Mug Material: BPA-free plastic
Lid Material: BPA-free plastic
Seal: Snapseal
Leakproof?: Yes
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes
Thermal Performance: N/A
My Observations:
Some people will have just spat their coffee all over their keyboard or smartphone from looking at this one, and apologies for that, I realize this design isn’t for everyone, but it really is for the people it’s for if that makes sense? Also, Goat Story was the first travel mug brand to send me their quirky travel mug to review, so it would be remiss of me to not include it.
I know this will be getting boring now ;-), but yes, I certainly do have one of these, so these observations can be seen as my goat story mug review. As I’ve said, they sent it to me, I wouldn’t have bought one simply because I drive a car, and I don’t ride a dragon. I watched Game of Thrones and Vikings, both were great but enjoying these programs wouldn’t compel me to walk around with one of these ;-).
Joking apart, I do really like the Goat Story mug, It’s very, VERY unique, and it’s ridiculously quirky, but it’s also a high-quality, well made product, it’s leakproof, dishwasher safe, and although it’s made of plastic, it’s thick BPA free plastic, and it does a relatively good job of keeping coffee hot, although the brand doesn’t make any claims in terms of hours of heat retention.
The goat story travel mugs don’t have any kind of innovative sealing technology like some of the leakproof travel mugs have, they have a conventional seal that works very well. You should be able to sling the goat story over your shoulder, throw it around, run with it, ride a dragon with it, etc., without it leaking.
The only thing to add to this is that if you’re putting black coffee or tea in your goat story mug, which tends to be a bit hotter than coffee or tea with milk, just give it 30 seconds to a minute until you seal it and go on your way, otherwise the steam might pop the seal.
Let’s point out the obvious, though, you’d only really want to use one in public in fairly specific circumstances. Either you’re a complete attention seeker and you welcome the looks and questions ;-), or you’re using the mug in a particular setting that makes it an appropriate choice.
A reviewer has mentioned that it was a great talking piece in the shop they worked in, and I think that’s a good point, if you want people to engage with you, this is a real talking point, well, it’ll either cause people to engage with you, or it’ll cause people to back off without losing eye contact, just until they can open the door.
If you’re involved in the middle ages with work or play, i.e. if you do reenactment stuff or if you work in a shop that has anything to do with Vikings or Game of Thrones or something, then you’ll have a great excuse to buy this travel mug. Needless to say, this isn’t for everyone, but who cares? All that matters is whether it’s for you or not.
If your question about the goat story mug is simply “Why?” then, yeah, I understand that question ;-). The why, or the inspiration, is one of the most commonly told coffee origins stories, in which there was a goatherd by the name of Kaldi (In some versions of the story the name is Khalid), who first discovered coffee sometime around 850 AD when he noticed the goats acting more energetic after munching on coffee cherries.
Goats of course have horns, well some don’t but let’s not be pedantic about it. So that’s the link to the story. They’re not made from actual goat horns, obviously. The actual travel mug itself is made from a BPA free plastic, and it feels very sturdy. It comes with a sleeve/holder that doubles as a stand, a hand strap, and a shoulder strap.
Best reusable coffee cups
KeepCup Brew Cork Reusable Coffee Cup
Features:
Capacity: 340 ml (This is the medium, available in 3 other sizes)
Size: 6.3 cm at bottom, 7.5cm at band, 8.8cm at the top
Weight: 272 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most cup holders but see below.
Mug Material: Tempered soda lime glass
Band Material: Cork
Lid Material: BPA And BPS free polypropylene #7
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes, top rack.
Microwave Safe?: Yes
My Observations:
Yes, you can take this as my keep cup brew review, as this is a reusable coffee cup that I owned, that is, I did use to have one of these, and I used it for quite a while until, sadly, I smashed it. Obviously, I wouldn’t have done that on purpose, these keep cups aren’t cheap cups ;-), so I was a bit miffed when this happened, but it was my own daft fault.
This is a typical example of using the wrong mug for a given circumstance, I should have had a stainless steel travel cup with me on this day, but I didn’t, I chose to take the keep cup brew, and I was careless with it. Thanks to Newton’s invention of gravity (I think everything floated prior to that?) it hit the floor and turned into a no point in keeping any longer, cup (doesn’t have the same ring to it).
It’s worth noting that being tempered glass, it broke into lots of little chunks, and not big shards, so it’s a fairly safe glass mug to smash – dustpan and brush sorted it.
I’m not putting down the product, it’s glass, if you drop it onto a road as I did, it’ll probably smash. If you particularly enjoy drinking from glass (I much prefer drinking from glass to drinking from plastic) then I think it’s worth the risk as long as you’re careful, and don’t try to use it in circumstances where you’re going to be throwing it around, or putting it in a bag that is going to be getting knocked around.
I’ve actually been meaning to buy another one of these for ages, as it was my favourite reusable coffee cup before I went & broke it.
I found it really comfortable to hold, with the cork band. The cork is allegedly a waste product of wine cork manufacturing in Portugal, so it’s great to know you’re using a product that is partially made from a very sustainable product, a waste product. I say “allegedly” though, because I reckon they use an F tonne (approximately double the weight of an S tonne) of Cork for these bands, so the cynic in me would ask the question is it really all waste cork?
This is a very popular reusable cup, and most people who own them, love them. There are a few common complaints, one is that the cork band could be a bit taller, so you can hold a hot coffee with it with more than just your thumb and forefinger. I can understand that comment, but I’d imagine that having a taller cork would require changing the design of the glass cup to reduce the angle, so it’s probably the height it is for good reason.
Another thing I’ve seen a few times is complaints about the lid having a terrible smell, and this appears to have been a batch issue as some people have experienced this on the lid that came with it but then ordered a replacement lid from KeepCup and that didn’t have the same smell. Mine didn’t have an odour to it, although I’d usually take the lid off to drink as I prefer to drink from glass than plastic.
BioGo Reusable Coffee Cup
Features:
Capacity: 450 ml (350 ml also available)
Size: 7.1 cm at bottom, 8.4 cm at the top, 18.6 cm tall
Weight: 182 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most cup holders
Mug Material: Rice husk fibre
Band Material: No band
Lid Material: Rice husk fibre
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes, top rack.
Microwave Safe?: Yes
My Observations:
BioGo is a British firm, offering reusable cups made from a material that is made from waste rice husks. Rice husks are a waste byproduct of rice harvesting, masses amount of waste rice husks have been burned or buried over the years, and clever people are finding better ways to deal with them.
It turns out that rice husks are abundant in natural silica, which is a very strong and versatile material, so converting waste rice husks into reusable coffee cups has an impact on the environment both in the potential reduction of disposable cups used and in being a more environmentally friendly way of dealing with the waste rice husks.
They’re one of the best selling reusable cups in the UK at the moment, and there’s a lot of praise for these cups online. They have a screw on lid, which is quite rare for reusable cups which can quite often have a push-fit lid similar to disposable cups – and they have a pop open drinking hole which makes them relatively leak resistant for a reusable cup.
Note I say leak resistant, these aren’t sold as leakproof cups, you wouldn’t want to chuck one in your bag, but the hole cover (which doubles as a carry handle when empty) and the screw fit lid does mean they’re among the most leak proof reusable cups. Just keep in mind that, as with the Goat Story mug above, you need to wait until your drink stops steaming (a minute or two if you’ve used water just off the boil) before closing the hole, or it might pop open.
Stainless Steel Coffee Cup
Features:
Capacity: 380 ml
Size: 7 cm at bottom, 8.8 cm at the top , 15.3 cm tall
Weight: 240 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most cup holders
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Band Material: No band
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Dishwasher Safe?: No
Microwave Safe?: No, unless you’re Casey Ryback, a cook aboard USS Missouri, a former Navy SEAL and a specialist in martial arts, explosives, special-weapons and tactics, and you need to blow up a microwave in order to cause a diversion while attempting to thwart the devious plot of a group of mercenaries under the command of a disillusioned former CIA operative, or something.
My Observations:
Another very popular reusable cup, these are insulated stainless steel cups with a screw on BPA free plastic lid and a relatively standard catch cover on the drinking hole (flip buckle). The insulation means that these are not going to burn your hands, so no need for a band to save your fingers, although it’s also worth noting that this will do a fairly good job of keeping your coffee hot, so it may keep your hot drinks a bit too hot if you want to drink your coffee straight away.
It’s worth pointing out that if this is the case and you’re making your own coffee, you can always make it slightly cooler, and how you’d do that would just depend on the brew method.
For hints and tips on how to improve your coffee taste watch:
If you’re using instant (get out… just kidding, instant coffee drinkers are welcome here) just add a bit less hot water and then top up with cold water. If you’re making Americano, top up with a bit less hot water than you usually would, and leave some space for cold. If you’re making a milky, just steam your milk to a slightly cooler temperature, although if you’re steaming your milk to 65C which is the ideal max temperature for moo milk and most milk alternatives, it should be ready to drink almost straight away in any cup.
These are practically leakproof, as they have a threaded screw on lid and a decent catch on the drinking hole cover, but again as with the BioGo cups above, I wouldn’t recommend slinging one of these in your bag.
Circular and Co Reusable Coffee Cup Made from Recycled Coffee Cups
Features:
Capacity: 340 ml
Size: 6.2 cm at bottom, 8.5 cm at the top, 17 cm tall
Weight: 200 g
Car cup holder compatible? Yes, most cup holders
Mug Material: Paper
Band Material: No band
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes
Microwave Safe?: No
My Observations:
This is a rare reusable coffee cup in that it’s sold as being 100% leakproof, it’s also rare in that it’s made from disposable cups! Although the material is listed as paper, it’s not really paper as such, it’s a composite made from shredded recycled paper cups and shredded and recycled polymer, so it would be fairer to say, I think, that this material is made from recycled plastics and recycled paper cups.
The lid is BPA free plastic, and it’s a 360 degree drinking lid similar to the 720° Degree travel mug I mentioned earlier, you just press the centre of the lid to open, and then drink from anywhere around the lid, then press again to close.
This lid design means that it’s a leak proof reusable cup, which isn’t very common as I’ve said. It won’t keep your coffee hot for anywhere near as long as a stainless steel vacuum travel mug, but if you wanted standard thermal retention paired with the guarantee of no leaking or spilling, this is a good one to have a look at.
It may be surprising to learn that a cup made from paper cups, is dishwasher safe, but again it’s not just made from paper cups, it’s a material made from recycled shredded paper cups blended with polymer from recycled plastics, made into a sturdy material.
With regard to microwaves, if you microwave it with the lid on, you might have an Under Seige experience as I alluded to with the stainless steel coffee cup above, as there’s a metal spring in the seal assembly in the lid. The manufacturer does say it isn’t suitable for the microwave, although there are users who’ve shared in the reviews and answered questions that they’ve used theirs in the microwave, without the lid, without any problems.
Bodum 11103-01S Reusable Cup
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Features:
Capacity: 350 ml
Size: 7 cm at bottom, 8 cm at the top, 178. cm tall
Weight: 225 g
Car cup holder compatible? Fits in the bigger cup holders
Mug Material: BPA free dual wall plastic
Band Material: Silicone
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes
Microwave Safe?: Dunno
My Observations:
Guess what? Yup, I’ve got one of these, this one is my wife’s favourite, particularly for drinking tea, relatively soon after it’s been made. Despite the marketing blurb, the plastic ones aren’t brilliant for thermal performance, and this is why I’ve placed this in the reusable cup category and not the travel mug category despite the fact it’s labeled by Bodum as a “Travel mug”, and the blurb seems to suggest it’ll keep your brew hot for “hours”.
I disagree, but I don’t think this is a bad thing. I think these are among the very best reusable coffee cups, I don’t think they’re great if they’re being classed as “travel mugs” because being all plastic, even though they’re dual walled plastic, they don’t hold the heat nearly as much as their stainless steel counterparts, and they’re not leakproof.
If you just want a straightforward reusable cup though, that will keep your brew hot for quite a bit longer than a disposable cup but will be a lot more comfortable to hold due to the dual wall body, then I think these are great.
CS COSDDI Reusable Coffee Cups
Features:
Capacity: 380 ml
Size: 7 cm at bottom, 9 cm at the top, 14 cm tall
Weight: 390 g
Car cup holder compatible? Fits in most cup holders
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Band Material: Silicone
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes
Microwave Safe?: No
My Observations:
OK, this does sound like a drama series about a crime scene investigation team, but no, it’s a reusable coffee cup.
This is one of the more “travel mug” worthy reusable coffee cups, given that it’s stainless steel, it has very good heat retention for a cup of this kind, and has a screw on lid which is rated as leakproof by the manufacturer. It’s not as good where heat retention is concerned as some of the travel mugs above which are known for keeping drinks hot for hours, simply because although the body itself is insulated, the lid isn’t, so it’ll lose heat there.
As I’ve said, though, it’ll keep your hot drinks hotter for longer than a lot of the other reusable coffee cups, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing, it just depends on whether you want to drink your brew straight away, or not. If you have a 20 minute walk from the coffee shop to the office, for example, and you want to be able to ask the Barista to make your coffee in your reusable cup and have it ready to drink when you reach the office, this might be a good choice.
It’ll fit most of the larger cup holders, but again if you have one of the smaller ones it might just be slightly too big. It has a silicone non-slip base, with the aim of ensuring it stays put, which is probably not a bad thing if you regularly take your reusable cup on train journeys.
SUNTQ Reusable Coffee Cups
Features:
Capacity: 380 ml (510ml version also available)
Size: 6.8 cm at bottom, 9 cm at the top, 14 cm tall
Weight: 290 g
Car cup holder compatible? Fits in most cup holders
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Band Material: No band
Lid Material: BPA free plastic
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes
Microwave Safe?: No
My Observations:
Who is responsible for naming these cups?? How the chuff am I supposed to pronounce that, and who would put a Q at the end of a word? Anyway, ridiculous name aside, this is very similar to the equally daftly named CSI New York, sorry I mean the CS COSDDI cup above. These cups are almost identical in many ways, they both have a non-slip base, the lids look identical, and they’re both available in the same two fairly non-standard sizes of 380ml and 510ml, the only difference I can see is that this one with a Q at the end has no band, and the side of this cup is slightly squared off.
I’m including both of these so if one of them seems right for you, you have more choice if one is out of stock or if one of them is available at a lower price.
Neon Kactus – Hand-Blown Borosilicate Glass Reusable Coffee Cup
Features:
Capacity: 340 ml (available in 3 other sizes)
Size: 6 cm at bottom, 9 cm at the top, 11.5 cm tall
Weight: 220 g
Car cup holder compatible? Fits in most cup holders
Mug Material: Hand blown borosilicate glass
Band Material: Food grade silicone
Lid Material: Food grade silicone
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes
Microwave Safe?: Yes
My Observations:
Yay, a brand name I can pronounce, and to thank the guys at Neon Kactus for giving me something I can pronounce, I’m going to return the favour by not being pedantic about the spelling of Kactus, or the fact that apparently, their cups are 107% plastic free… ;-).
I think (hope) that’s just a joke, but look, it’s a cool looking mug, made from hand blown glass which is quite a cool thing, they’re available in a wide range of colours and sizes, and I think if you’re looking for a glass reusable coffee cup, this is a decent option for the price.
While they seem similar to the keep cups, they’re different in a few ways. The glass type is different, as these are made from borosilicate glass, while glass keepcups are made from tempered soda lime glass.
Also, the “brew” glass keepcups are machine blown, not hand blown, while these are hand blown. In theory, I like the fact that this is a product made by people, hopefully, they’ve been made by people who’re being paid a decent wage and working conditions.
Iglu Reusable Coffee Cup
Features:
Capacity: 340 ml (available in 2 other sizes)
Size: 5.8 cm at bottom, 9 cm at the top, 11.5 cm tall
Weight: 267 g
Car cup holder compatible? No
Mug Material: Stainless steel
Band Material: No band
Lid Material: BPA Free plastic
Dishwasher Safe?: No
Microwave Safe?: No
My Observations:
I’ve not seen a cup quite like this before, it’s an unusual design which I think is quite cool, also it’s quirky but not quite to the extreme of the Goat Story mugs above, so I wouldn’t feel like I’m going scare a barista by asking them to fill this ;-).
It comes with a clear lid, and while the body of the cup is dual walled stainless steel so it’ll do a relatively good job of keeping your coffee not, the single walled plastic lid will be where the heat loss occurs, and as I’ve said a few times, this isn’t a bad thing if you want a reusable coffee cup for drinks that you plan on drinking almost straight away.
The only slight concern I’d have is the lids, looking at the questions, the biggest question people are asking is how can they buy a replacement lid, which would beg the question why are so many people needing a replacement lid? It seems they’re a bit snappy… Other than that though, this looks like a really nice reusable cup, and it’s available in a wide range of colours too.
The shape of this cup and the clear plastic lid, and the dual walled stainless steel body would possibly make this a great little cup for using in the summer for your G&T, for keeping out the Wasps & flies. By the way, if you find a “Wappy” in your drink this summer, don’t panic – the reason people get stung is they flap around like dingbats.
If I ever find a wasp in a drink, I fish it out with my fingers and let it dry off on my hand until it’s ready to fly off. I’ve done this many times, and (touch wood) I’ve never once been stung. One even landed on my face for a second at a wedding a few years ago after I rescued it from a pint, I’m not 100% sure but I think it was giving me a kiss.
Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, 200g
Features:
Capacity: 200 ml (ish)
Size: 7.5 x 9 cm
Weight: 150g (once you’ve eaten all the Nutella!)
Car cup holder compatible? Most car cup holders
Mug Material: glass
Band Material: No band
Lid Material: Plastic
Dishwasher Safe?: Yes
Microwave Safe?: Yes
My Observations:
I thought I’d finish this post off with a bang :-), you may be surprised by this – but in my humble opinion, Nutella jars are the very best reusable coffee cups, specifically for smaller drinks, including flat white, Cortado, espresso & lungo.
See my video on the best reusable coffee cups, Including the delicious jar of Nutella!
They’re not sold as reusable coffee cups, obviously, but I’ve been using them as cups for years, and they’re mega. They’re among the cheapest, you can get them everywhere including Tesco, they should cost you under two quid which makes them the cheapest reusable coffee cup I’ve ever seen, and they come with 200g of chocolate spread!
They have a lid, and although there’s no drinking hole, it does mean you can prevent sloshing coffee over your hands while you’re walking around the home, office, or garden, and although they’re not insulated and they don’t have a band to protect your hands, they’re fine for slightly cooler drinks such as flat white & cortado or small cappuccino, as long as you’re not over steaming the milk, and they should be fine for small volume drinks such as espresso and lungo if you hold them closer to the top.
Find out how to steam milk with most espresso machines:
They’re also good as glasses for (small) drinks when in the garden, thanks to the lids. Did I mention they come full of chocolate spread?? ;-).
For more info on coffee accessories see:
