Best Insulated Coffee Mugs of 2020

I like my coffee with a resting temperature of at least 98.6°F—and in order to make sure my beverage stays at this perfect temperature, the finding the best insulated coffee mug is a necessity. Without one, I’m perpetually plagued by half-full cups of room-temperature coffee. That’s because I start with a full mug, drink half of it, top it off with warm coffee, and repeat.

It’s a nonstop cycle that at the end of every morning leaves a half-full cup of cold unconsumed coffee to be thrown out. Drink faster! You’ll say. Pour smaller servings! You’ll insist. But I love a big cup of coffee, so I embarked on a quest to find the best insulated mug that actually keeps my morning beverage warm for more than 10 minutes.

Note: I did not include insulated travel mugs. I reviewed the best travel mugs in a separate test. Instead, I searched specifically for an open-mouth, heat-retaining mug to leisurely sip hot drinks from at home or in the office. I tried a variety of mugs: double-walled ones made of borosilicate glass as well as stainless-steel; thick-rimmed diner-style ceramic; enamelware (FYI: enamelware was the worst at keeping coffee warm); and standard.

Read on to discover the winners and scroll down further for the specifics of how I tested the mugs.

Avito Double-Walled Stainless-Steel 14 oz. Mugs with Lids

This double-walled stainless-steel mug was consistently in the top three in terms of minimum temperature loss. It’s sleek, modern-looking, well-made, and (bonus!) won’t break like any of your ceramic mugs. It also comes with a lid, which I didn’t use in the test as none of the other mugs came with one, but it will undoubtedly keep your coffee even warmer. Because it’s shaped like a standard mug but comes with a spill-proof travel lid (complete with drinking hole), you’ll get the best of both worlds: a mug that works at home but can be taken on the road (although it probably won’t fit in a cup holder). It’ll effectively keep your coffee warm for at least half an hour: After 30 minutes the water’s starting temperature of 205°F had dropped to 127°F. (It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re drinking cold brew, iced coffee, or any other chilled beverage, this cup also can keep your cold drink, well, cold.)

Culver Ceramic Retro Diner 10 oz. Mug

Many people swear by the thick-rimmed, heavy-duty mugs like those found at Waffle House, but I always thought they were a ruse. How could it be so simple? And yet, the heavy diner mug held up! A weird thing about this mug is that in all three tests right after I poured water from the kettle, the initial temperature was consistently lower than that of the other mugs. Despite using the same kettle, once the water hit the diner mug, its starting temperature ranged from 162°F to 181°F (for all the other mugs, the starting temperatures were between 190°F and 205°F). After the initial drop, however, the water temperature stayed consistent, losing the least heat of any mug. I ended up with a temperature averaging around 118°F.

Then I found a good trick: If you rinse the interior of the mug with hot water before filling it up, it won’t experience the initial temperature loss. Instead, it starts around 190°F and ends at 136°F. So, if you want to be really extra about keeping your coffee warm, use these ceramic guys, but pre-warm them like the barista does with your espresso shot. Personally, I don't love the feel of drinking from a very thick-rimmed mug, but it’s a sacrifice I might be willing to make for a vessel that’ll keep my coffee warmer longer. A final bonus is that these mugs are cheaper than any fancy double-walled business you can buy.

Bodum Glass, Double-Walled 15 oz. Mugs

A double-walled borosilicate glass mug is the most common type of home mug you’ll find marketed specifically for keeping your coffee warm. I tried several brands with double-walled vacuum insulation, but only the Bodum worked as well as the two mugs above in keeping coffee warmer than a standard ceramic mug. Even then, I tried a few shapes of Bodum mugs and those produced varying results. The Bodum mugs that worked best were tall with a narrow opening at the top. A super wide-mouthed, shallow glass mug I tried did not keep coffee hotter than the standard ceramic variety, but the tall, jumbo-size worked very well, starting at a temperature of 189°F and ending at an average of 115°F.

In a Class of Its Own: Ember Coffee Mug

The Ember Coffee Mug isn’t an insulated coffee mug, but I’d be remiss not to include this smart, savvy stainless-steel mug in a discussion of how to keep a beverage at a consistently hot temperature—so let’s dive in. The Ember Coffee Mug comes with a charging coaster, which keeps your drink at your exact desired temperature for two hours. You control the temperature from an app on your smartphone or smartwatch. You’ll literally receive a notification when your drink reaches the desired temperature. Or, if you’re steeping tea, it will let you know when it’s time to remove the bag. Plus, you can sync up your health app as well and track your caffeine consumption. It’s more expensive, of course, than a regular insulated coffee mug, but with all these bells and whistles, this futuristic mug is hard to resist.

How I Tested the Insulated Coffee Mugs

I tested by pouring hot water in each mug and taking the initial temperature with a Thermapen. I came back 10 minutes later and noted the temperature again. Then again after 15 minutes. Again after 20, and again after 30. I did this three times. Everyone walking through the work kitchen thought I was doing a crazy sixth-grade science fair project, and I don’t blame them because I basically was.

I used a thermos and a regular thin-walled white ceramic mug as points of comparison, figuring the thermos would keep coffee extremely warm and the thinner mug would lose heat quickly. By the time I was done testing, the mugs listed below had consistently kept hot water the hottest, which is to say warmer than a regular mug but cooler than a thermos.

The Takeaway

I feel confident that all of the above mugs will keep my coffee hotter longer. The Avito Double-Walled Stainless-Steel Mug, Culver Retro Heavyweight Restaurant Mug, and the Bodum Bistro 2- Piece Double-Wall Jumbo Mugs are all solid choices—and if you’re ready to splurge, you can’t go wrong with the Ember Coffee Mug. I’m hoping that one day, though, someone will come up with a pretty ceramic mug that’s double-walled but otherwise looks like a regular, stylish mug you’d keep at home. Glass and metal are sleek and modern, but they lack the distinct coziness of ceramics! I can’t be the only person who would love a heat-retaining mug that’s also artisanal and handmade. Does anyone currently enrolled in a pottery class want to form a start-up with me? Let me know! Until then, I’ll just keep dreaming (and drink coffee out of these admittedly great mugs).

All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.