What did coffee lovers do before travel coffee mugs were invented? Back in the days of spilled beverages, stained clothes and scalded fingers. While many folks think that all travel coffee mugs are pretty much the same, knowing a few facts can help you avoid some of the grind of driving with a steaming hot beverage in tow.
Travel mugs can have multiple uses, although they’re basically designed to handle beverages during a drive in a way that eliminates, or reduces, the chances of spilling your drink. Lids, or covers, are what set travel coffee mugs apart from run of the mill mugs.
If you want to make sure you stay dry during drive time, in addition to having a spill-resistant lid, make sure your vehicle’s cup-holder is compatible with your travel coffee mug. The two main areas of concern are a mug’s handle and the width of its base. If either of those isn’t a match, buying a good quality travel coffee mug will be a waste of time and money.
The selection of travel coffee mugs is wide and varied. For starters, travel mugs come in sizes to suit coffee guzzlers or the more caffeine cautious. Coffee travel mugs that hold 12 to 16 ounces are commonplace and can be found in most mini-marts that have gas pumps out front. But it only takes a few mouse clicks, to zero in on those that handle from 6 to 52 ounces. Buying a travel coffee mug that isn’t too small, or too large, for the amount of coffee, or tea, you want to drink while on the road is a good strategy. Unless, of course, you want to use your travel mug for coffee storage throughout the day.
If you’re trying to cut back on coffee shop beverages or trying to stay away from the hot cup of swill that passes for a good cuppa at your workplace, then buying a large capacity, thermos-like travel mug can be a good investment. The vacuum insulation makes sure that your beverage — or soup, for that matter — will be just as cold or hot as it was when you poured it into the container hours earlier.
The variety of coffee travel mugs available may make it more challenging to pick the perfect one immediately. But the challenge is worth the extra thought required to come up with the perfect match between travel coffee mugs and your caffeine likes and dislikes.