We love all kinds of coffee gadgets to make the perfect brew and take full advantage of your favorite coffee beans, but the best coffee drinking experience starts and ends with your choice of the mug. Coffee and tea mugs are an essential part of any kitchen and have various styles for different purposes. These are our top picks for various categories, updated for 2020. Read on for details on all the styles.
The Best Coffee Mugs:
Best everyday mug: Crate & Barrel Hue Mug
Best travel mug: CamelBak Hot Cap Travel Mug
Best bone china mug: Royal Worcester Wrendale Designs Mug
Best porcelain mug: Snowe Mug
Best smart mug: Ember Smart Mug 2
Best stoneware mug: Le Creuset Mug
Best tea mug: DavidsTea Nordic Mug
Best ceramic mug: W&P Porter Mug
Best insulated mug: Hydro Flask Travel Coffee Mug
Best glass mug: Zwilling Sorrento Coffee Mug
Best stainless steel mug: YETI Rambler Mug
Factors to Consider
Deciding which type of luxury coffee cups with stones or mugs to buy can be daunting. Serving coffee for the family? Keep a set of quality everyday mugs on hand. Need to keep your drink warm the whole morning? Go with an insulated option or even a smart mug that’ll carry you through to lunchtime. Here are a few of the things we consider when choosing which coffee mug to buy.
Materials
What is the best material to use for coffee cups? It really depends on the situation. Insulated stainless steel mugs will go the farthest in the way of heat retention. Ceramic won’t retain flavors or smells, porcelain and bone china are the most sturdy, and glass looks sleek in any setting. Silicone sleeves or double-walled construction will help with both gripping and insulation.
Volume
How much coffee do you really drink in a sitting? Typically coffee cups are around 12 ounces, with variable options of up to 30 ounces for the large travel mugs. If you tend to drink half and leave the rest while running around getting things done in the morning, opt for a smaller 11-ounce size. If you’re a regular two cup drinker and know you’ll be pouring a third before you’re out the door, try an oversized mug. If you drink iced coffee, odds are you’ll need a bigger cup to hold both the ice and the coffee itself.
Features
How is the mug constructed? What nifty add-ons do you need? If you need an airtight travel option, it’s CamelBak, or for steeping tea and removing the leaves, it’s DavidsTea. Also, keep a lookout for the washing instructions; some great mugs require more care for keeping them clean; others are dishwasher safe and good to go at all times.
Best Everyday Mug: Crate & Barrel Hue Mug
Crate and Barrel Hue Dark Gray Mugs
From hot coffee to mug cakes and everything in between, these mugs look great and do it all. They’re wide enough to house plenty of marshmallows on hot cocoa, lightweight, stackable, and the handle is the ideal size. The handcrafted and hand-glazed porcelain comes in 6 colors, so you can mix and match or grab a full set. And yea, they’re good to go in the dishwasher, microwave, and oven.