Travel mugs to keep your java from jumping. Photo credit: Michael Pirrocco

Quest For the Cup

Once you’ve found your favorite coffee to fuel your commute, you need the right travel mug to keep it off your lap. We tested six to find the best.

by Stan Horaczek

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[From left to right]
1. Oxo 360 Liquiseal Travel Mug
It looks like a cheap mug you’d get after donating $25 to NPR, and unfortunately, the OXO performs like one too. Thin plastic walls doomed it to last place in our heat-retention test (it kept coffee warm for only 2.5 hours) and aren’t as durable as steel.At least the 360 LiquiSeal lid works well: Push the button in the center and you can sip from any angle (not blocked by the huge handle). [$13; oxo.com] Rating: 5/10

2. Brugo
A properly brewed cup of coffee measures a mouth-burning 200 degrees, but the Brugo has a solution. Gently shaking the 16-ounce mug draws a sip’s worth of java into a small chamber in the lid, cooling it to a drinkable temp. The system works great (though you’ll be flipping the mug upside down to get the last drops of dark roast), and the Brugo kept our coffee warm for about four hours. [$20; brugomug.com] Rating: 8/10

3. Contigo Autoseal Stainless Steel Mug
The 16-ounce Contigo also kept our java toasty for four hours, and we loved its smart sipping system: Press the button opposite the lid’s spout with your index finger and coffee flows; release and it stops. Even after a few fumbles, the Contigo never spilled a drop. That’s a good thing, since the tall, slim mug jumped out of our car’s cup holder a few times on sharp turns. [$20; gocontigo.com] Rating: 9/10

4. Stanley Outdoor Mug With Clip Grip
William Stanley invented the first steel vacuum mug in 1913, which explains why this one’s too fat to fit in a car’s cup holder. But the bombproof vessel’s carabiner-clip handle and tight-fitting (though tedious to unscrew) cap make it perfect for bike commuters and hikers. It kept our joe potable for a respectable five hours, and it’s the only mug here that works well with hot soup, too. [$20; stanley-pmi.com] Rating: 7/10

5. Sigg Metro Mug
Vacuum-insulated double walls made of high-grade steel helped this 13-ounce mug tie for top honors in our heat-retention test, keeping coffee drinkable for six hours. We also appreciated the Sigg’s pressure-release valve, which lets steam slowly seep out of the lid so it won’t scald your face. Unscrewing the cap gets old, though, and the opening’s not that big — a potential deal breaker for the large-schnozzed. [$30; mysigg.com] Rating: 7/10

6. Thermos Element 5 Travel Mug
This 1.3-pound beast tied the Sigg for best heat retention, its stainless steel vacuum-insulated double walls staving off tepidity for more than six hours. The rubber base sat awkwardly in our car’s cup holder, but the 360-degree sip lid works well. Its deep lip prevented spills (even when the seal was open) and delivered coffee straight to our mouths instead of our ties. [$35; shopthermos.com] Rating: 8

This article originally appeared in the May 2009 issue of Men’s Journal.

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