The perfect travel mug

The travel mug I use for my morning ritual is perfect. I didn’t realize it when I bought it. I was just lucky, I guess. If you’re in the market for a travel mug, here are some factors you might want to keep in mind:¹I’ve tried to put them in order of importance to me, with the most important ones first.

• Insulated. I don’t know if you can even get a non-insulated travel mug, but having one has been such a noticeable improvement over the disposable paper cups at Starbucks that I have to mention it. Brewed coffee, even with creamer added, stays hot for longer than I want to sit on the couch.²And I’ve been known to sit on the couch for more than an hour. Give me my mug, my computer, and some regulars to talk to — it’s a good morning. :-)
• External threads. So many mugs have their threads on the inside of the mug. That means the bottom of the threaded portion of the cap, the part that comes in contact with your coffee, will sit on the counter while you add your sugar and cream. Or, if you invert the cap, the part that comes in contact with your mouth rests on the counter. Either way, it doesn’t sound hygienic to me. With external threading, this isn’t a problem.³Or rest it on a napkin or something you brought in. A lot of times, I’ll rest my cap on my computer (yeah, as though that’s clean?).
• Simple closure. We have some travel mugs with narrow passageways or sliding closures. Some mugs have spring-loaded valves that open when you squeeze them. Interestingly, these tend to be those mugs with internal threads. Good luck getting them clean if something dries up in there. My perfect mug has a cap that snaps down and pivots back and snaps out of the way.⁴Okay, it’s not perfect. Coffee can get on a mall portion of the underside of the cap, which is then exposed when it pivots back for drinking. I wipe it dry so I don’t get coffee on my nose. ;-) It has no hidden or narrow passageways. I know it’s clean because I can see any gunk and can get to it to remove it.
• Volume. I don’t know what volume you want but I always get a 16-oz coffee with room.⁵Yes, that’s a “grande” for the Starbucks drinkers among us. If you’re on Starbuck’s gold card program with free coffee refills, you might want to consider a smaller mug. Starbucks buddy Rich gets a tall coffee that he refills on his way out the door — 24 ounces of coffee is probably enough to start the day. YMMV. That means I get less than 16 ounces of coffee. When I saw an 18-oz mug in the store, I thought that would be perfect: I would get 16 ounces of coffee, even with room. Then I realized that I would be adding cream up to 18 ounces — more than I paid for. To be able to sleep at night, I want a mug that matches what I’m buying.⁶If you’re making your own coffee, this isn’t much of a problem.
• Height. If you add sugar and cream and use stirrers, you’ll want your mug not to be too tall for the stirrers to reach the bottom. My mug is perfect.
• Width. It needs to fit in your car’s cupholders — and your hand.
• Dishwasher safe. Yeah, this isn’t mandatory, but it’s surprising how few insulated mugs can go in the dishwasher. Mine can.
• Non-slip bottom? I saw a mug advertised as having a nonslip bottom. I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. Instead of sliding, a mug might just tip over. Mine will slide and maybe fall off. Which is better? Both options sound ugly.

Mine ended up costing only about $11, pretty inexpensive for a metal travel mug with a stainless steel interior. Even so, it’s going to take a while for the 10-cent discount I get for using my own mug to pay for the mug.⁷Coincidentally, I transitioned to brewed coffee at the same time I got the reusable mug. Considering that, the mug was paid for in less than a week. That’s okay. I feel better not throwing out a paper cup that doesn’t work as well.

Using a travel mug is new for me. I like it. Maybe you will too. c[_]

• 1
  I’ve tried to put them in order of importance to me, with the most important ones first.
• 2
  And I’ve been known to sit on the couch for more than an hour. Give me my mug, my computer, and some regulars to talk to — it’s a good morning. :-)
• 3
  Or rest it on a napkin or something you brought in. A lot of times, I’ll rest my cap on my computer (yeah, as though that’s clean?).
• 4
  Okay, it’s not perfect. Coffee can get on a mall portion of the underside of the cap, which is then exposed when it pivots back for drinking. I wipe it dry so I don’t get coffee on my nose. ;-)
• 5
  Yes, that’s a “grande” for the Starbucks drinkers among us. If you’re on Starbuck’s gold card program with free coffee refills, you might want to consider a smaller mug. Starbucks buddy Rich gets a tall coffee that he refills on his way out the door — 24 ounces of coffee is probably enough to start the day. YMMV.
• 6
  If you’re making your own coffee, this isn’t much of a problem.
• 7
  Coincidentally, I transitioned to brewed coffee at the same time I got the reusable mug. Considering that, the mug was paid for in less than a week.