So can we talk mugs? I tend to make a half liter (~17 oz) of coffee in a French Press in the morning. I run into the problem that I get about a half hour to 45 minutes (I've never timed it this number might be wildly off) in before the, "Crap! Its getting cold!" moment and feel like I have to accelerate my consumption to avoid cold coffee when I'd prefer to keep going at a leisurely pace. I realize the most obvious solution is a couple of smaller batches but I'm lazy, easily distracted, and have a bit of a cutoff in the morning as my wife hates the smell of freshly brewed coffee and I catch a bit of drama if I'm brewing while she's awake or just before she wakes up.
I do have a Contigo Autoseal stainless steel travel mug that I use occasionally for cheap tea and it works well for retaining heat. I can sip on hot tea for hours but the lid has all sorts of nooks and crannies that retain coffee oils that is a pain in the ass to clean and it has a very small drink hole limits the orthonasal olfactory pathway (aka you can't sniff your coffee). The ability to take my drink somewhere is kinda nice but strictly speaking isn't critical for me.
So anyone mind sharing their experiences with features or even specific recommendations? Don't worry about if it is available in the US (where I'm located) I can always look at the features your favorite insulated or travel mug so it can still be handy to share. Or you may have a solution so elegant and obviously I'm going to facepalm when you point it out.
Overdue Update: I ended up going with a Carter Move and I'm quite happy with it. I appreciate everyone who gave me ideas and things to think about.
I've been through more than I can count. But this one by Zojirushi (yep, the rice cooker guys), which I've had for the past 10 years, is the best by far. Keeps liquids piping hot or ice cold for 8+ hours, I put the whole thing in the dishwasher (bottle on the bottom, top/plastic pieces on top, and it has never leaked. I recommend it to anyone who asks!
I've gone through a lot of travel mugs, but I also have been most impressed with Zojirushi to the point that it's the only one I've used for the last 10 years and also recommend to everyone
+1 for this recommendation! I’ve had my zojirushi travel mug for over 8 years and I still love it. It’s super thin and lightweight but keeps my coffee just as hot as it was when I poured it all day long. If I’m just sitting at my desk I’ll unscrew the lid to drink it, still stays hot and you can get the olfactory side of things.
I like the look of the lid, the wider opening and the ability to disassemble it more than my Contigo looks like it'll help with two my issues with my current mug. I think I'll be throwing it onto the list to check for holiday sales.
My Zoujirushi is actually so good that I need to cool down my coffee before I put it in since it stays way too hot even later in the day.
Love my zojirushi rice maker and I have one of their giant thermoses which is amazing, but I also have this model and my warning is that if you have a giant nose like me the nipple will bonk into your nose when using this and also that cleaning isn't bad, but it's also not the easiest as far as mugs go. If pure heat rente ion is your goal, this is the one, but I prefer a. Ceramic mug with a simple silicon sealed lid for daily use and throw it in the dishwasher when I want to.