The Best Coffee Mugs to Improve Your Everyday Cup of Joe

If it weren’t for the humble coffee mug, where else would you drink your coffee from? A bowl? No, coffee mugs are the unsung heroes of getting coffee from the urn (or pour-over carafe) to your mouth. The internet is awash with options for coffee mugs, but few are actually worth a spot in your cabinet or in your hand. We found the best coffee mugs to help deliver you your morning caffeine jolt with style (and ergonomics).

What to Look for in a Coffee Mug

Insulation

Arguably the most important job for any mug is to keep your coffee hot, or at least warm. Unless you’re opting for an electrically-heated smart mug or a vacuum-insulated travel mug, you shouldn’t expect your coffee to stay hot for hours. So instead look for more conical shapes that allow less steam to escape, such as a tulip mug, or a heavier build that will provide more insulation.

Material

Most standard coffee mugs are made of some kind of ceramic, which is clay that’s been heated and treated to harden and strengthen it. Standard ceramic may be glazed or left raw, while porcelain is a type of ceramic that’s fired for longer at a higher temperature, making it more durable. While porcelain mugs are less susceptible to chips and breakage than regular ceramic, you never want to knock around any mug too much or else you risk breaking it. If you go a less traditional route and opt for something like stainless steel, then you’re certainly looking at something more durable, but perhaps less cozy.

Size

Coffee mugs come in many sizes, from a tiny espresso mug meant to hold a double shot to travel mugs holding 16 oz or more. Your standard coffee cup will usually hold around 8-10 oz, though 12 or even 15oz mugs can be found as well. If you’re someone who likes a big cup of coffee in the morning and can drink it all before it goes cold, opt for a larger size.

Ergonomics

Mugs are, by design, kind of strange. They’re drinking cups with a handle, which is necessary to hold onto because the mug itself, when full of coffee, is too hot. But those handles aren’t often well thought out, forcing you to try and squeeze your fingers into an uncomfortable space. We recommend seeking out mugs with a more ergonomic design that are made to actually fit comfortably in a human hand.

Dishwasher- & Microwave-Safe

Other than drinking out of your mug, you’re going to need to do a couple of other things with them: clean them and heat them up when your coffee gets old. A mug that’s dishwasher-safe makes cleaning time less of a hassle, and a mug that you can warm up in the microwave is loads more convenient than having to dump your coffee into a separate microwave-safe vessel, heat that and then pour your reheated coffee back into your cold mug.

How We Tested

Amazon

Best Overall Coffee Mug

notNeutral Lino

• $25.00 at Amazon

• Material: Porcelain
• Size: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 16oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? Yes

This mug was actually designed for baristas to have an easier time with latte art. Its handle connects to the top of the mug and flattens out with it, meaning you can actually use your thumb when holding the mug. It’s available in loads of colors and sizes as well.

But even if you aren’t a barista and have no intention of doing any kind of milk illustrations, the Lino is still the best mug you can get (we declared it so back in 2018 and stand by it). That’s owed to its combination of ergonomic comfort, its heat-retaining shape, its premium porcelain build and the satisfying way it delivers coffee to your lips. The Lino’s design is unique for sure, but some may find its avant-garde look a little too strange.

East Fork

Best Upgrade Coffee Mug

East Fork The Mug

• $40.00 at eastfork.com
  $160.00 (75% off)

• Material: Ceramic
• Size: 12oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? Yes

East Fork, founded by Alex Matisse, the great-grandson of Henri Matisse, is a status symbol in the realm of ceramics. The brand’s The Mug was at one point the most famous mug on the planet. People would sign up to be notified of its release, and they’d be scooped up before day’s end. It’s much easier now to get The Mug, which is available in a number of core glazes, as well as limited-edition colors. Plus, when you own an East Fork product, you can say “I own a Matisse.”

One of our testers loves the look of East Fork’s mugs, as well as their hefty brim. “It reminds me of an old-school diner mug,” he says. Another tester also sang the praises of East Fork’s build quality, noting that its thickness allows it to retain heat better than other mugs he’s tried. Our testers’ only regret is that for how big it is (it weighs a pound!), The Mug tops out at 12oz — and that’s filled all the way to the brim.

Crate & Barrel

Best Budget Coffee Mug

Crate and Barrel Aspen Mug

• $4.00 at Crate & Barrel

• Material: Porcelain
• Size: 15oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? Yes

For less than five bucks, you can get a well-made mug that’s durable, easy to care for and holds nearly a pint of coffee. Our tester actually purchased this mug because it looked nice, and he ended up being blown away by the quality.

“When moving into my new house, I wanted to get a white mug that just looked clean and wasn’t too expensive. Plus, it needed to hold more than your average 12 oz mug,” our tester says. “I liked this Aspen Mug so much that I bought an entire set of them — and now I have 9. It holds 15 ounces of coffee and has a really thin lip, so it feels fancier than it actually is.”

The mug is on the thin side, though — it’s four bucks, whaddaya want? — so it may not keep all 15 of those ounces hot before you finish your morning coffee.

Courtesy

Best Coffee Mug for Lattes

notNeutral Pico Large Latte Cup

• $16.00 at notneutral.com

• Material: Ceramic
• Size: 3, 6, 8 and 12oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? Yes

The Lino was already our favorite mug for regular coffee, and then notNeutral went and expanded its catalog with the new Pico line. These terracotta mugs, named for the foodie-favorite boulevard in Los Angeles, boast a glazed lip and an ergonomic handle, and are available in four cafe-friendly sizes, from espresso shot to 12-oz latte, with the larger mugs being especially conducive to latte art.

Our tester has been using the Pico mug in its largest size for several weeks, along with the accompanying Pico spoon and saucer. He’s a big fan of the mid-century-inspired design, along with the ergonomic grip that — like the Lino — allows his thumb to rest comfortably on the handle’s flat top. Our tester did find that the Pico’s tulip shape didn’t retain heat quite as well as heavy-bottomed mugs like the East Fork Mug, but still performed better than your average porcelain mug.

Read our notNeutral Pico mug review.

Courtesy

Best Stackable Coffee Mug

Acme Evo Mighty Cup

• $14.00 at seattlecoffeegear.com

• Material: Porcelain
• Size: 12oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? Yes

If you’ve ever grabbed a coffee at a specialty coffee shop, there’s a good chance you drank out of an Acme cup. The brand was founded in 2011 by Jeff Kennedy, the recipient of the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from New Zealand’s Specialty Coffee Association. These mugs are dishwasher-safe and hold 12 ounces of coffee, and they’re loaded with features like a tapered lip and a thick-walled base for better heat retention. Available in a number of beautiful colors, these mugs are designed to be easily stackable.

It’s worth noting that even though Acme designed these mugs for the American market since we “love a big cup of coffee,” you may find its 12-oz capacity to be too small for you. (Commence “USA” chant.)

Read our profile on Acme & Co.

Ember

Best Smart Coffee Mug

Ember Mug 2

• $129.00 at Amazon

• Material: Stainless steel with ceramic coating
• Size: 10 or 14oz
• Dishwasher-safe? No
• Microwave-safe? No

This mildly-improved version (longer battery life, refined design, better water resistance) of the original Ember Mug is a smart mug that runs on a rechargeable battery to electronically keep your coffee at your specified temperature for up to 80 minutes, so there’s no rush to drink the entire mug. You can even control the temperature via an app on your phone, where you can also log all sorts of presets and other data, but the mug is still functional even without the app.

“I’m a big fan of my Ember Mug, but it’s a bummer that I know I’ll eventually need to buy a new one or abandon the self-heating mug concept altogether,” says our tester, who owns the original Ember Mug. “Ember Mugs come with, as many users have shown, a 2-3 year lifespan, which means, like phones, you’ll have to upgrade if you want to continue using it. For now, I like it, and mine still holds its temperature for ~1 hour off its dock. It’s easy to remember to put it there when it’s empty, but I often forget while I’m drinking, which means my coffee goes cold, even with the extra tech.”

It’s worth noting that your only option if you want a new Ember Mug is the second generation, as the first has been discontinued and is no longer sold.

Read our Ember Mug review.

Amazon

Best Travel Coffee Mug

Yeti Rambler 14oz Mug with Magslider Lid

• $70.00 at Amazon

• Material: Stainless steel
• Size: 14oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? No

Yeti’s Rambler mugs are ideal for getting out of the house, thanks to their vacuum-insulated construction that keeps coffee hot for hours and the magnetically-closing lid that helps prevent spills. “In classic Yeti fashion, this coffee mug is exactly as durable and insulated as you might expect, keeping its contents lava-hot (or ice-cold) for hours on end,” says our reviewer. “And while I like to use mine around the house — it is dishwasher-safe, after all — it wouldn’t be out of place around the campfire, either.”

However, just because the mug is conducive to travel doesn’t mean it’s the perfect travel mug. “Be aware that its wide base isn’t what I might call cupholder-friendly,” our tester says. “And it does take up a lot of cupboard space, too.”

Bespoke Post

Best Ceramic Coffee Mug

United By Blue Footsie Mug

• $28.00 at Bespoke Post

• Material: Ceramic
• Size: 10oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? Yes

United By Blue offers a bevy of quirky, colorful drinkware, and after scoping them out for a while, our tester finally bought one about 8 months ago. “Although I was initially attracted to the design, from its speckled texture to its unusual feet, it has turned out to be a very hardy mug (and my favorite one at that),” our tester says. It’s both microwave- and dishwasher-safe; and while our tester was worried that the somewhat intricate design would be fragile and prone to chipping, the mug has held up quite well and she says it still looks brand new after months of use.

Our tester notes that while the capacity is listed as 10 ounces, the mug does feel a little smaller. However, she thinks it’s the perfect size for drinking espresso. But there is one caveat our tester wants you to look out for. “I would just give a warning that if you go for an irregular shape, you may sacrifice a little bit of comfort while drinking — my mug is a square-ish shape, so I find myself taking sips out of the corners.”

CB2

Best-Looking Coffee Mug

CB2 Black Dip Coffee Mug

• $7.00 at CB2

• Material: Ceramic
• Size: 14 or 19oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? Yes

This is arguably one of CB2’s most popular mugs. On more than one occasion I’ve spotted this exact mug in the background of television shows and movies. Its two-tone design is eye-catching, and the thing literally costs about the same as cup of coffee (thanks, inflation!). It has a generous serving capacity — 14 ounces — and it’s available in a tall version.

But at the end of the day, this is a $7 ceramic mug, which means you probably shouldn’t expect years of longevity. But it will certainly look good for however long it does last.

Haand

Best Porcelain Coffee Mug

Haand Short Mug

• $37.00 at haand.us

• Material: Porcelain
• Size: 8oz
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes
• Microwave-safe? Yes

Made by hand in North Carolina, these eight-ounce mugs are perfect for having just the right amount of coffee to drink at one time so it doesn’t get cold too quickly. Haand’s mug has a low profile, and according to the brand, it has a lower center of gravity to make it harder to tip over.

The mug’s design was based off of classic camp mugs, and while interesting, the resultant rustic shape may not work in all situations. You’re also out of luck if you want more than a literal cup of coffee, but that’s what the rest of this guide is for.

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