What is the best coffee thermos?
Investing in a good coffee thermos can make life a lot easier. Whether you want to enjoy your coffee on a hectic morning commute or in the peaceful quiet of the wilderness, a thermos is the best way to guarantee it will be hot, fresh, and delicious.
I tested all the top brands to find out, and the result is this list of the best ones. I chose them for their quality, practicality, and ability to retain heat. Read on for the 7 best thermoses for coffee, plus the key things you should look for to choose the right one for you.
The 7 Best Coffee Thermoses Of 2023
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Stanley Classic Legendary Thermos |
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Contigo Thermolock |
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Zojirushi Stainless Steel Insulated Mug |
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Thermos Stainless King |
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Cresimo Thermal Coffee Carafe |
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Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Bottle |
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Stanley Adventure To Go Insulated Tumbler |
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There are plenty of thermoses on the market. I tested and reviewed (what felt like) most of them to compile this list of the top seven. These are the models that impressed me with their build quality, design, and, most importantly, their long-lasting heat retention.
Here are my picks for the best coffee thermoses to keep your coffee hot or cold.
Best Overall
In a recent viral story, a woman posted a photo of a Stanley Classic Easy-Pour Growler mug that had survived unscathed while her car burned to a crisp around it (1). It gained so much traction that Stanley bought the woman a new car!
I think that says more about the durability of Stanley products than any test I could conduct. While I wouldn’t recommend burning your home down around this thermos in hopes Stanley buys you a new one, I’m fairly confident the thermos would survive – and so is Stanley, backing all their gear with a lifetime warranty.
Along with its incredible durability, the Stanley Classic thermos boasts some of the best heat retention of any we tested. This combination landed it the top spot on our list.
In my tests, the water temperature dropped just 4 °F in the first six hours and was still a pleasantly drinkable 140 °F after 24 hours. I credit this to the old-school design. This isn’t a thermos doubling as a mug. Instead, it has a much tighter seal, and the lid acts as an 8-ounce serving cup.
The Stanley Classic Legendary bottle holds between 1 and 2 quarts, depending on your chosen size, and comes in a few colors and patterns. Traditional forest green is always a great pick for outdoor adventures.
Pros:
- Super durable with a lifetime guarantee
- Excellent heat retention
- Lid can be used as a serving cup
Cons:
- Large and heavy
- Fairly pricey
Best Heat Retention
The Contigo Thermoblock is the thermos to get if long-lasting heat (or cold) retention is your priority. It’s the most expensive model on this list but also performed best in our tests. In fact, the water was still so warm after 24 hours that we kept it going. It took a full 32 hours before the temperature dropped below 120 °F, which is about as cool as you’d want to enjoy coffee.
The design of this thermos bottle for coffee is very similar to the Stanley Legendary, with a leakproof cap and a lid that doubles as a cup. However, its matte black aesthetic is a bit more modern, and I definitely preferred the soft grip exterior.
I like that you can pour at any angle without fully removing the cap, and the pouring stream is smooth and drip-free.
The pour spout is easy to remove for cleaning and is dishwasher safe, but that seems kind of irrelevant as Contigo recommends you hand wash the thermos and lid.
Pros:
- Best heat retention of any tested
- 360-degree pour spout
- Sleek design and comfortable grip
Cons:
- Not dishwasher safe
- Expensive
Best Coffee Thermos Mug
The Zojirushi stainless steel travel mug defines itself as a mug, but I think its leakproof design and exceptional heat retention warrant a spot on this list of thermoses. If you’re in the market for a thermos that’s a more practical for single servings than the two above, this is the best thermos-style mug of the models I tested.
It is made of BPA-free plastic and stainless steel and has a 5-year warranty on heat retention. It can’t quite match the durability of the Stanley Classic (avoid burning your car down around it), but I didn’t encounter any design flaws or weak points over weeks of testing.
I particularly like the various features of the lid on this one. The flip-open design makes it easy to use one-handed, but a sliding lock prevents it from opening unexpectedly in your bag. An air vent ensures a smooth flow when you drink; no one wants an unexpected huge gulp of hot coffee! The whole thing can be easily disassembled for deep cleaning.
The Zojirushi thermos is available in 12, 16, and 20-oz sizes, perfect for a fill-up at the local coffee shop. The insulation is a big step up from an average to-go cup or travel mug, easily delivering 12 hours of hot coffee or 24 hours of a cold beverage in my experience.
Pros:
- Well-designed lid with lock, flip-top, and air vent
- Better-than-average insulation for a mug
- Durable design with 5-year warranty
Cons:
- Not dishwasher safe
- Fairly heavy for its size
Best Coffee Thermos With Cup
When a brand is named “Thermos” and has been specializing in thermoses for over a hundred years, expectations are high (2). Fortunately, the classic Thermos Stainless King delivered, earning a coveted spot on this list as the best coffee thermos with a cup.
In my tests, coffee stayed hot enough to enjoy for a full 24 hours, and cold drinks stayed cold much longer. If you fill this thermos with ice and water, you’ll still have a reasonably cold beverage a week later!
You can pour without fully removing the stopper, a key feature in my opinion. It doesn’t have the handy 360-degree pouring of the Contigo, but that’s a minor quibble. It’s easy to align the pouring spout, and the pour itself is mess-free.
This thermos is priced slightly below the Contigo and Stanley bottles, and the build quality was on par. While it doesn’t quite match them in long-term heat retention, it’s perfect if you don’t need to exceed 24 hours. And unlike those pricier models, this one is dishwasher safe, making cleaning much easier – great if you add milk to your coffee.
Pros:
- Dishwasher safe
- Includes serving cup and carrying handle
- Affordable price tag
Cons:
- Middle of the pack in heat retention
- Doesn’t pour at every angle
Best Large Capacity Thermos
We can debate whether a thermal carafe really qualifies as a thermos – after all, I wouldn’t toss this in my backpack for a camping trip – but if you need to keep a full pot of coffee warm at home or the office, the Cresimo Thermal Carafe is the best tool for the job.
I often recommend this to anyone using a drip coffee maker with a glass carafe and a hot plate. Rather than letting your fresh coffee get stale, bitter, and burnt-tasting sitting on the hot plate all day, pour it into this thermal carafe.
You’ll enjoy hot and fresh coffee for hours, and save energy by shutting off that warming plate.
Most thermal carafes on the market offer similar heat retention; we found this one was good for about 10 hours. The reason the Cresimo topped the list of large-capacity options was its smooth pour and easy one-hand operation. Even though it is quite large, it doesn’t feel unwieldy. I am also partial to its sleek black design, a nice departure from the standard brushed stainless.
Cresimo is well-known for its excellent customer service, making this a very safe buy. If you’re not totally satisfied, they are quick to offer a refund or exchange.
Pros:
- Large 68-ounce capacity
- Durable design and excellent customer service
- Easy to operate one-handed
Cons:
- Not portable
- Not as insulating as a traditional thermos
Best For On The Go
6. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Bottle
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Style: Thermos mug
- Capacity: 16 oz (also 12 oz, 20 oz)
- Materials: 18/8 stainless steel and BPA-free plastic
- Weight: 0.72 lbs
Hydro Flask targets the outdoor adventure set with its line of eco-friendly insulated coffee flasks and water bottles. Their cast of sponsored athletes and influences includes rock climbers, trail runners, and mountaineers (3).
Toting a Hydro Flask shows off a person’s eco-chic credentials. It broadcasts the message, ‘Not only am I smart and stylish but I’m interested in saving the world.
The Hydro Flask Coffee Flask features a stainless steel, double-wall, vacuum insulated construction that they call Tempshield. It keeps your drinks hot or cold while the exterior stays cool to the touch and condensation-free. The lid is compatible with their Wide Mouth series of accessories, though not all are designed for use with hot liquids. I recommend the Flex-Sip lid for coffee or tea.
Compared to the more traditional thermoses on this list, the Hydro Flask compact beverage bottle won’t keep your coffee hot as long. In our tests, it performed well for about 4 hours – 6 hours when the bottle was preheated.
But the flip side is that these flasks are lightweight, leakproof, and fit in a standard cup holder. They’re equipped with a looped handle that can be used to clip to a backpack. In short, Hydro Flask is easy to carry and perfect for the adventurous coffee drinker on the move.
Is style important to you? These bottles are beautifully designed and come in the biggest range of colors of any on this list. The powder-coating is super durable and dishwasher-safe.
Read our Hydro Flask review to learn more about whether this thermos is for you.
Pros:
- Lightweight and portable
- Leakproof
- Attractive design with many color options
Cons:
- Won’t keep your coffee hot all day
- No large capacity sizes
Budget Pick
If you want the legendary Stanley build quality in a smaller, sleeker, and more affordable package, look no further than the Stanley Adventure To Go Insulated Travel Tumbler. It’s completely leakproof and, in my tests, nearly matched the more expensive options in heat retention – delivering about 18 hours of hot coffee.
Compared with the Stanley Classic bottle, the biggest difference (besides a lower price tag) is that this one lacks a handle and isn’t available in as large a capacity. Whether those are pros or cons depends on your needs. I prefer the Adventure To Go for exactly what it was designed for: adventuring. It’s lighter, and I don’t need to worry about the handle catching on things when I toss it in my pack.
One thing you can be certain of is that build quality has not been sacrificed in this lower-cost model. It is still backed by Stanley’s famous lifetime warranty.
Pros:
- Sleek and lightweight for travel
- Super durable with a lifetime warranty
- Lid doubles as a cup
Cons:
- Not dishwasher safe
- No handle
How I Chose The Best Coffee Thermoses
Heat retention is the most important feature of a coffee thermos, so that formed the basis of our tests. With each thermos, I added hot water at the brewing temperature of coffee (200 °F) and sealed the lid. The water temperature was measured after 1 hour, then again after 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 18, and 24 hours.
I also tested the cold retention ability of each thermos for iced coffee. The thermos was filled with cold water at 42 °F. The temperature was measured at 1, 6, 24, and 48-hour intervals.
To make our list, a thermos required a spill-proof lid. I checked this simply by filling the thermos and shaking it upside down.
Along with qualitative tests, every thermos was evaluated based on its ease of use, ease of cleaning, and build quality. I considered how well it poured – did it spill or drip? And for thermos mugs, how comfortable was it to drink from?
Style and design were considered but ranked lower in terms of importance.
Why I Didn’t Include the Ember Travel Mug
As a side note, the Ember Travel Mug 2 has received a lot of attention in this space, but in my opinion, it doesn’t deserve a spot on this list. First, it’s more of a travel mug than thermos. Second, I didn’t find it kept my coffee hot any longer than a quality thermos, despite its much higher price. While I am a big fan of the original Ember coffee mug, the travel mug version feels like an overly complicated solution to a problem no one has. Just my two cents.
What Is A Coffee Thermos?
There is plenty of confusion online about what defines a coffee thermos. How does it differ from a travel coffee mug? For the sake of this review, the defining characteristic of a coffee thermos is that it is completely leakproof and uses vacuum insulation. Some of our recommendations are thermos mugs, but they still meet these requirements.
If you’re just looking for something to sit comfortably in your cup holder while drinking coffee for an hour or two, a travel mug for coffee might make more sense. Or if you just need to keep your coffee hot at home, consider a smart mug for coffee or a great coffee maker with a thermal carafe.
What To Look For When Buying A Coffee Thermos
Every good thermos should have excellent insulation and a durable design. Aside from that, the qualities to look for depend on how and where you are going to use it. Camping, the office, school, a picnic, or a hot date – there are few places where a sip of steaming hot coffee isn’t appreciated.
There are a lot of different thermoses on the market, making it daunting to choose The One. All of the thermoses reviewed above are fantastic options. This buyer’s guide will help you understand their differences to find the best coffee thermos for you.
The Importance of Insulation
Insulation determines how long the thermos can maintain temperature, for hot and cold drinks. The insulation’s effectiveness is determined by how the thermos is constructed (4). The best thermoses are made with double-wall stainless steel and have vacuum insulation.
The technical name of a thermos is a vacuum flask…A vacuum flask is nothing but a bottle inside a bottle separated by a vacuum. This is because with a vacuum surrounding the bottle, conduction is effectively minimized.
In contrast, cheap thermoses are made with materials like tin or plastic, which just cannot compete in the insulation department. While cheap thermoses can be fine for short-term use, they’ll struggle to retain temperature for more than a few hours (5).
This is a big part of what differentiates cheaper thermoses from higher-end ones. If you’re looking for a thermos for overnight use, you will probably have to invest a bit more. You definitely don’t want to be stuck reheating coffee in a microwave!
How Long Does A Thermos Keep Coffee Hot?
How long is coffee good for in a thermos? Coffee should stay hot (within 30 °F of its starting temperature) in a thermos for at least 8 hours, but a high-quality thermos will average 12 to 24 hours. This is a feature that distinguishes a thermos from an insulated travel mug, which generally keeps drinks hot for 2 to 6 hours.
For best results, preheat your insulated thermos with hot water before adding your drink, especially on a cold day. This can easily add a few extra hours of heat.
Choose Capacity Carefully
Is the thermos going to be used only by yourself, or are you planning to share it with camping partners or a date? How much coffee do you usually brew and consume?
If you’re looking for a shareable thermos, or you tend to drink a whole pot of coffee over the day, go for one with a large capacity, at least 30 ounces. It will be heavier and take up more space in your bag, but you’ll have enough coffee to keep you going.
If you prefer to keep it small, choose one of the smaller options that doubles as a mug. These tend to have poorer heat retention, but they’re great for fast-and-light journeys. If you’re constantly on the move, consider a thermos that fits in your car cup holder.
Design Features And Other Considerations
Size and insulation are the two most important factors when choosing a thermos, but there are a few other features to consider. Everyone values different things, so there is no single right answer here. Just think about what you most appreciate in product design.
Here are some things to look out for:
- Is the lid or cap easy to open and close? Does it pour smoothly?
- Does it have a serving cup?
- How easy is it to clean, and is it dishwasher safe?
- Does it have a handle or straps?
- Do you care about aesthetics? Does it come in different colors?
The Verdict
There are a lot of choices for keeping your coffee piping hot (or icy cold). Choosing a thermos is like choosing a travel partner. You want something reliable that you can trust with a prized possession like freshly brewed coffee.
The Stanley Classic Vacuum Bottle is the winner of this roundup. It’s incredibly durable, comes in a range of sizes, and retains heat for at least a day, making it suitable for both commuter and outdoorsy use. But if you’re looking for something lighter that doubles as a mug, the Zojirushi Thermos Mug is the best small coffee thermos.
FAQs
What is the best way to clean coffee thermos?
The best way to clean a coffee thermos is using baking soda, vinegar, and hot water, which will remove any stains and unwanted odors from your thermos. Using a bottle brush is a good way to get into any gummed-up nooks and crannies. Many thermoses are also dishwasher safe; check the manufacturer’s instructions to be sure. Never use bleach in a thermos.
Read our complete guide to cleaning a coffee thermos for the details.
How do I kill bad smells in my thermos?
Vinegar is an excellent way to kill bad smells in your thermos, as well as being cheap and all-natural. After pouring an inch or two of vinegar into the thermos, fill it up with hot (tap) water. Put the lid back on the carafe and give it a good shake. Let the mixture rest in the thermos for about 30 minutes, then empty it out. You can let the vinegar air dry outside or in the house. Rinse with water before using.
What coffee thermos keeps coffee hot the longest?
The Contigo Thermolock was the best thermos for keeping coffee hot in our tests. But in general, any double-wall stainless steel thermos with vacuum insulation and a tight lid seal will offer similar performance. This style of thermos keeps drinks hot for around 24 hours.
Can I add milk to my coffee if it’s in a thermos?
Yes, you can add milk to your coffee if it’s in a thermos. Consider adding warm milk if you want your coffee to stay as hot as possible. Bacteria growth can start when the temperature drops below 140 F, so consume your coffee with milk before that point – usually within 8-12 hours (6). Be sure to clean the thermos thoroughly after use.
What temperature should coffee be served at?
Coffee should be served at around 180–185°F, according to the recommendations of the National Coffee Association of the USA (7). Other experts, however, suggest that serving coffee at such a high temperature undermines the full expression of subtle flavors inherent in a good cup of coffee. They will argue that to taste the coffee’s qualities, such as sweetness and acidity, it must be served at lower temperatures of around 120–140°F.
References
- Ramsey, J. (2023, November 23). Stanley mug survives a car fire, so Stanley replaces both mug and car. Retrieved from https://www.autoblog.com/2023/11/23/stanley-mug-survives-a-car-fire-so-stanley-replaces-both-mug-and-car/
- Harrison, B. (2019, February 9). Design Moment: Thermos vacuum flask, 1892. Retrieved from https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/design-moment-thermos-vacuum-flask-1892-1.3783111
- Vega, P. (2020, February 23). Hydro Flask started out at farmers markets. Here’s how it got so huge. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-02-23/hydro-flask-water-bottle-why-is-it-special
- Andal, J. (2019, January 09). How a Thermos Works – Physics of Heat Transfer. Retrieved from https://futurism.com/physics-thermos-heat-transfer
- Brain, M. (2000, April 01). How Thermoses (Vacuum Flasks) Work. Retrieved from https://home.howstuffworks.com/thermos4.htm
- Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). How Temperatures Affect Food. Retrieved from https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/how-temperatures-affect-food
- Brown, F & Diller, KR. Calculating the optimum temperature for serving hot beverages. Burns, Volume 34, Issue 5, August 2008, Pages 648-654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2007.09.012