The Best Coffee Thermoses You Can Buy In 2023
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Long commutes to work, early mornings, hiking and camping trips ... All are made just a bit easier when a thermos of piping-hot coffee is in hand. Keeping the black gold steaming when on the go is every coffee lover's greatest struggle, especially when just about every coffee thermos out there claims to be the best for heat retention. What, really, is the best coffee thermos to have in 2023? While there is an overwhelming number of options for you to choose from, there's no time like the new year to splurge on a new thermos. Each brand and model boasts its own sets of strengths: Anti-leak lids, triple insulation, and wear-and-tear-resistant casing — just to name a few.
Does name brand matter when picking a coffee thermos? Do you really need all the bells and whistles? Sure, some people find out the hard way when they get to the office and find Folgers dripped all over their slacks, while others swear by the generic coffee thermos that's never wronged them in years of ownership. Whether you're looking for the best of the best in on-the-go coffee or just want something basic to get you by, we've rounded up all the leading coffee thermoses on the market in 2023 to help put a little caffeinated joy in your commute.
How we selected the best coffee thermoses
One thing that we kept in mind for this round-up is that, for the most part, the leading brands of coffee thermoses are the leading brands for a reason. Through our own personal experience with brands like Stanley and Hydro Flask, plus satisfied reviews from other users, we knew that these labels would be earning a spot on the list.
Brand reputation, length of establishment, and overall popularity are important. Especially in a sprawling place like Amazon, there are countless coffee thermoses for sale — and while they may appear to be more affordable, the price of picking those options usually makes itself evident when you try to make use of a faceless, nameless brand's product. While there are a few smaller and newer brands on the list, we made sure to vet the quality and overall satisfaction of the thermoses, including consideration of positive press and firsthand user accounts. All mentioned prices are accurate as of the publishing date of this list.
Best overall coffee thermos
When you are shopping for a new coffee thermos under $50, you will certainly encounter Stanley products. This vacuum-insulated wide-mouth thermos from Stanley may be humble in aesthetics, but it makes up for it in function and quality. We think this thermos checks all the boxes for those coffee drinkers that don't need a ton of flashiness — just a well-built mug that does the primary job of keeping your morning brew warm.
The Stanley thermos holds 1.1 quarts of coffee (which should be plenty for the entire day, for most rational coffee drinkers) in its double-insulated chamber. Hot liquids are reported to be kept hot for a full 24 hours, and ice is said to be preserved for five days. One Amazon reviewer stated that a sip of tea that sat in the Stanley for a day and a half still burned their tongue as if it had been just poured from the kettle. With how well this thermos insulates, how much coffee it can hold, the durable stainless steel exterior, and the affordability, it is an easy choice for the overall best coffee thermos out there.
The Stanley Classic vacuum insulated wide mouth thermos is listed for just $24.97 on Amazon.
Best value coffee thermos
An excellent coffee thermos doesn't have to be an expensive one. The vacuum-insulated 16-ounce stainless steel coffee mug from Thermos will retain the heat in your morning joe for around 12 hours, according to the Amazon listing, and cold beverages will last for a full day. If your budget and coffee needs are higher, the same product comes in 25-, 32-, and 48-ounce options as well.
One caveat about the Thermos option is that it's not great for commuting; rather than sipping directly from the thermos, you are encouraged to pour your coffee out into the cup-style lid or a mug of your own. The twist-and-pour cap can be omitted, according to reviews, but we still don't think that a fully open water-bottle-style thermos would be a great idea for driving to work, as anyone who's gone over a bump and dripped scalding coffee on themselves would agree. But Amazon reviewers indicate that the thermos performs well in temperature retention, that the sleek profile of the thermos makes it mobile and easy to pack, and that the sealing and lid are made with quality and precision.
As of the publishing of this article, the Thermos 16-ounce compact stainless steel thermos is on sale for $21.99 on Amazon.
Best customer rated coffee thermos
If you want to crowd-source opinions fot the best travel mug for coffee, you needn't look further than the Hydro Flask wide-mouth, vacuum-insulated thermos. This option is offered in 12- or 20-ounce sizes and features a rugged stainless steel interior that we have put through many trials of hiking, biking, traveling, and daily life ourselves. This Amazon listing currently has over 700 customer ratings averaging 4.8 out of 5 stars, with users raving about the easy-to-use lid, heat retention capabilities, and appealing color options.
The carrying handle and hassle-free sipping lid design make it our preferred option for carrying around by hand and drinking directly out of the thermos, although some reviews indicate that the Hydro Flask is not the ideal option for pouring coffee out into a smaller cup.
When this list was published, the 20-ounce thermos was out of stock, but the 12-ounce Hydro Flask wide mouth flex sip lid thermos is available for $32.95 on Amazon.
Best for commuters
This slender, compact coffee thermos will fit beautifully in your cup holders or bag side pockets, making it a fabulous option for those that spend their mornings on the road. The Fellow Carter Move Travel Mug is vacuum-insulated and holds 16 ounces of coffee in its stainless steel chamber. The brand states that the mug will keep coffee warm for 12 hours and iced coffee cold for a full day. What further makes the Fellow mug your ideal travel companion for coffee is the metal splash guard insert, which snaps easily into the thermos to prevent hot liquid from spilling over when you go over a bump or around a curve. The lid also locks with a quick and painless twist meaning less time distracted and fumbling with your coffee thermos while at the wheel. An extra feature of this product that we love is the ceramic interior coating, which prevents any lingering odors and coppery tastes from old coffee.
The Fellow 16-ounce Carter Move thermos is listed for $35 on Amazon.
Best smart thermos
Thanks to the emerging technology of smart thermoses, we can take our portable coffee capabilities beyond just keeping the brew hot. With a touch of your finger on the Ember app, you can enable auto sleep functions, and can set the exact temperature to which your coffee is held and for how long. If you want to harness full control over the temperature of your coffee, the best smart travel coffee mug to do so with is the 12-ounce thermos from Ember. The Ember Travel Mug detects and maintains the temperature of coffee using seven heat sensors and a microprocessor heating system. Ember's many satisfied customers rave about finally being about to have tastebud-melting coffee for hours at a time — and also mention a solid leak-proof seal.
However, knowing that three hours is the best-case scenario battery life for the Ember mug, with a more realistic battery life of 1.5 to two hours, may cool some people off from smart mugs altogether. But if you like your morning java to be consumed very hot and very fast, this smart coffee travel mug could be the perfect investment for you.
The Ember temperature control travel mug is $179.95 on Amazon.
Best tumbler-style thermos
If you switch back and forth between hot and iced coffee, the ideal thermos can adapt to the change, too. For this we recommend the Iron Flask Classic Tumbler, a 24-ounce coffee thermos complete with vacuum insulation in a double-walled stainless steel encasing. The Iron Flask comes with a standard flip lid for sipping on hot coffee, but also a splash-proof insulated lid for straws. It comes in tons of colors, but we are partial to the "timber" wood imitation color ourselves. Hot coffee will keep its heat for up to 12 hours, while iced coffees will still remain chilled a full 24 hours later. The Iron Flask thermos is made in four sizes — 16, 20, 24, and 32 ounces — according to the product listing, but size availability varies by the preferred color.
Currently, the only sizes of the Iron Flask classic vacuum insulated stainless steel tumbler in stock in the timber color on Amazon are the 24-ounce for $25.95 and the 32-ounce for $28.95, respectively.
Best coffee thermos under $25
This coffee thermos is the way to go when looking for a gift, or if you just want to find an affordable coffee thermos for yourself. From Simple Modern, the insulated thermos travel mug is a stainless steel mug with a one-handed snap-flip lid. The lid features a wide lip brim to make sipping on hot liquids easier. The Simple Modern thermos is available in 16 or 24 ounces, keeps coffee hot for eight hours and cold for 24, and is offered in a wide variety of colors. Users recommend the Simple Modern thermos for how well it retains heat, the lid's tight seal over the mouthpiece, and how well the slim thermos sits in cup holders and bags. Keep in mind, though, that the slender profile of this one may make it more difficult to clean.
The 16-ounce Simple Modern thermos is available for $18.99 and the 24-ounce for $20.99 on Amazon.
Best thermos for cold brew/iced coffee
Are you an exclusive cold brew drinker? If that's the case, finding the best travel cup for iced coffee probably isn't a huge struggle for you, since thermoses tend to be able to keep cold liquids at the proper temperature for far longer than hot ones. But if you would still like a recommendation from us, it would be the EcoVessel Perk vacuum-insulated coffee tumbler. The loose-leaf tea strainer could actually be used to make cold brew directly in the thermos; just load it up the day before and let it steep until you head out the following morning. The mouth opening is wide enough to fit a straw if desired.
This is not a thermos we'd recommend for hot coffee — reviewers say the heat retention isn't great, with the tongue-singing heat of freshly-brewed coffee lost in just a couple hours — but cold drinks are likely to stay chilled well into the 24-hour mark. The brand claims cold drinks stay cold for up to 36 hours, even.
The EcoVessel Perk is available in a 20-ounce size for $33.64 on Amazon.
Best 60+ ounce thermos
It's probably medically unwise to put back over 60 ounces of coffee in a day, but if you're looking for a way to share coffee while on the go, the best option there would be the stainless, vacuum-insulated Thermos King. This hefty thermos holds 68 ounces of coffee — that's 8.5 cups. A thermos this size, particularly when full of liquid, can be quite heavy, so a carrying handle is a must. We like the Thermos King for its leak-resistant lid. It closes with a tight seal but also has a partial twist opening that makes for quick and easy coffee pouring without letting out all of the chamber's heat.
The Thermos King also comes with one personal cup, which screws in on top of the lid. The brand states that the thermos is capable of holding hot coffee to a warm temperature for up to 24 hours, and the same for cold. We've personally used the King and find that coffee is still steaming even after around 18 hours in the thermos.
The 68-ounce option of the Thermos King vacuum insulated coffee thermos is available for $43.50 on Amazon.
Best thermos for overall convenience
Maybe you have to deal with super long car rides every day, or maybe coffee thermoses that can be easily used with one hand are important to you for mobility and access reasons. For a coffee thermos that is just overall very easy to use, we recommend the Contigo Autoseal West Loop Travel Mug. It utilizes Contigo's one-handed push-to-open autoseal lid, making getting a drink as easy as pushing a button. This thermos holds 16, 20, or 24 ounces of coffee, and is perfectly profiled to sit in cup holders or bags, but unfortunately, it's not the best performer in long-lasting temperature holding. Hot coffee will start to lose heat at around the five hour mark, while cold brews and iced coffees are expected to lose their chill by about 12 hours. This thermos is available in lots of colors, but the 16-ounce mug is currently listed as out of stock.
The 20-ounce Contigo West Loop coffee travel mug is currently $33.85 and the 24-ounce is $35.57 on Amazon.
Best coffee thermos for camping and hiking
Out for a trek up a mountainside or a night under the stars? You need a thermos that is hardy and rugged, holds hot coffee to temperature, and can be carried around without too much fuss. The stainless steel 16.9-ounce thermos from GIOGD checks all of these boxes, especially with its rugged stainless steel exterior and the screw-on personal mug, the handle of which can be used to easily clip the thermos to your bag with a carabiner. Your hot or cold coffee will stay at temperature for around 12 hours, says the brand.
Reviews of the thermos are mostly positive, with a frequent wish from customers that the personal cup was bigger. There are larger and more expensive thermoses with personal mugs out there, but this one will get the job done, and not for a bank-breaking price.
The GIOGD stainless steel thermos is available for $16.99 on Amazon.