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Have you ever experienced that moment when your delicious coffee or tea got cold before you could enjoy it? Reheating your beverage can result in an unpleasant burnt or stale aftertaste. This is why it’s important to keep your drink warm so that you don’t have to reheat it repeatedly.
If you’re wondering how to keep tea, coffee, water or practically any beverage hot for longer, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ve listed 10 products that can help you to keep your drinks hot for a longer period of time from an hour or all day depending on your needs.
These products are not just useful but also easy on your wallet.
Mug Warmer
Mug warmers are great appliances for maintaining the temperature of your tea and coffee, or even liquids like soup. They’re basically small hot plates for your mug or bowl. They can be used in a variety of locations, including home, office or car, as they’re easy to carry around.
Some can maintain the temperature of your drink while others are powerful enough to heat up a cold drink quickly. For better portability, you can opt for a battery-operated mug warmer.
While mug warmers are highly convenient, look for safety features like an automatic shut-off option, which reduces the likelihood of accidents. Also, although these can be used in cars, it’s best to use them on stable non-moving surfaces.
Home-X Mug Warmer – This mug warmer from Home-X is constructed of sturdy plastic with black heating surface and a shiny silver finish. Lightweight and easy to use, this warmer will keep your drink hot from your very first sip to your last.
Insulated Coffee Mugs
Insulated coffee mugs utilize vacuum insulated technology to keep your drinks hot (or cold) for longer. They’re able to maintain the temperature of the beverage, and while they don’t heat the drink up, they don’t allow the drink to cool down.
These mugs work much like thermoses. They’re also easy to handle as the mug isn’t hot to the touch nor does it condense when filled with cold water. Overall, insulated coffee mugs are a travel-friendly, useful gadget to take with you wherever you go.
Sunwill Vacuum Insulated Coffee Mug – Available in a range of colors, these mugs keep your drinks hot for up to 3 hours.
Ember Mug
Ember is a brand that makes ceramic mugs designed for desk use or travel purposes. These have the impressive ability to keep your beverage at the preferred temperature for hours at a time.
The temperature can be controlled manually by rotating a dial that’s located on the bottom of the mug or by using the Ember app that’s available for iOS and Android. This is one of best methods you can use to keep your drink hot without experiencing any difference in how it tastes.
This temperature control smart mug is specially designed to heat up your drink while enhancing the flavor of your tea or coffee. When the mug is fully charged, it keeps your drink at the preferred temperature for an hour and because it comes with a charging coaster, it can last all day.
Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug – This app-controlled heated coffee mug allows you to set the temperature at your preferred heat between 120 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Immersion Heater
An immersion heater is a little metal coil that fits easily inside your mug to heat up your drink. These are portable so you can carry them around with you and they don’t take up any space. They’re also affordable, costing you only a few dollars and can heat up your beverage rapidly in under 3 minutes.
Although immersion heaters are convenient and easy to use, they also have their drawbacks, the biggest one being that they’re quite dangerous. It’s very easy to burn yourself or anything around you with one of these when it’s hot so take extra care when handling.
They also take up a lot of electricity, so if you’re someone who needs to use this regularly, you’re likely to see an increase in your energy bill. Having said that, they’re one of the fastest ways to heat up liquids with minimal equipment.
Norpro 559 Electric Immersion Heater Warmer – This electric Immersion Heater is made from chrome-plated steel and PVC. It’s both affordable and convenient, heating up your drink in just a few seconds.
Mug Sleeve
A mug sleeve is an effective and inexpensive way of keeping your beverage hot for a longer period of time. Since it works as an insulator, it reduces heat loss from the beverage due to the difference in the temperature between the mug and its surroundings.
Mug sleeves are easily available, and don’t cost much at all. You should be able to find one in your local store or you can find numerous options online as well. They’re also flexible enough to fit a variety of cup sizes, making your mug look stylish and attractive.
Hug Your Mug Cup Cozy Reusable Coffee Sleeve – Hug your mug and keep your drink hot with this unique, reusable coffee sleeve that protects your hands from heat while keeping your coffee warm at the same time.
Thermal Flask
This is one of the most common options for keeping drinks hot for a long time. Although these can be a little on the pricey side, investing in a good quality thermos can save you a lot of money since it doesn’t require any electricity and you don’t need to replace it for years to come.
Thermoses are portable, convenient and user-friendly and they’re great at keeping your drink hot until you’re ready to drink it. Look for one that’s dishwasher safe or can be cleaned by hand easily. It’s a perfect option for coffee lovers who like to enjoy more than one cup of coffee every day.
Thermos Stainless King Beverage Bottle – This flask keeps your beverages hot for up to 25 hours. It’s also sweat-proof and cool to the touch, minimizing discomfort when handling.
Heating Pad
When desperate times call for desperate measures, use your heating pad to warm up your drink. Set your drink on the pad and if it’s big enough, wrap part of it around the sides of the mug.
It’s a great solution for emergencies but if you use heating pads too often, it may change the taste of your beverage so keep this as an option for when you really need it. While we don’t recommend buying a heating pad simply to heat up your drinks (there are much better ways!) it’s a great item to have at your disposal.
Pure Enrichment PureRelief Electric Heating Pad – This electric heating pad comes with 6 heat settings and takes only a few seconds to heat up. Not only does this heating pad provide comfort for sore muscles, but it can also double as a drink warmer to keep your drink hot for longer.
Styrofoam Cup
Styrofoam cups do a great job at keeping drinks hot because they’re created from 95% air and 5% of excellent insulation properties. However, be careful about disposing the cup after use since they’re not eco-friendly.
They’re an effective solution if you’re forgotten your thermos or mug warmer at home but you wouldn’t want to use them all the time since they’re non-biodegradable and take up to 500 years to decompose.
In general, we’d say to stay away from Styrofoam and avoid using them altogether if you can, simply because, like single use plastic water bottles, they’re terrible for the environment.
Candle Warmer
Candle warmers are an excellent way of heating up your beverage if you haven’t got any other option available. These come slightly cheaper than hot plates and are usually used to warm up scented candles before or while they’re used. However, they can also double as hot plates if you don’t have one on hand.
Candle warmers are versatile products and can be used in the same way a mug warmer can. Just plug it in, place your mug where the candle should be and turn it on. The result: a delicious warm drink in minutes.
Candle Warmers ETC Original Candle Warmer – This product comes with an indicator light and a no-overheating feature for added safety. Ideal for your candles and when required, to quickly heat up a drink.
Coffee Maker
If you enjoy having several cups of coffee per day, purchasing a coffee maker might be the best option for you.
Although it’s not as portable as the other options on our list, it does have its benefits. With a coffee maker, you can easily brew a hot cup of coffee whenever you want and its heating plate keeps the drink warm for at least a couple of hours in its carafe.
Coffee makers aren’t all that expensive either, with a good quality machine costing around $75. Considering that they last for years and are a device that would be used daily, they are well worth the initial cost.
Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer Coffee Maker – Make a whole pot of coffee or a single cup with this coffee maker and use the keep-hot warming plate to keep your drink hot for longer on busy mornings.
Best Way to Keep Your Beverage Hot
There are plenty of ways that you can keep your drink warm or piping hot, but some of these methods are better than others since they preserve both the temperature and flavor of your beverage. So how do you know which one is the best?
Methods that warm up your drink by adding heat back into it (instead of keeping it warm from the start) aren’t exactly ideal. While they’re great short term solutions, they tend to give your drink a stale, burnt taste over time. These include devices like immersion heaters.
Products that can keep your drink from turning cold in the first place are the best solution. For example, mug sleeves are great for this purpose but the best of the bunch is a good quality thermos, insulated mug, or a thermal carafe.
These are insulated, so they keep the heat that was produced during the time of brewing. Sleeves and preheated mugs help to slow down the cooling process up to some extent but they aren’t as effective as the other methods.
Other options on the list produce heat by themselves and transfer this heat to the beverage, ultimately causing a change in the taste.
The Bottom Line
Before you go ahead and pick a product, think about whether it would suit your needs and your lifestyle. If you’re someone who travels a lot, a coffee maker is a hassle to tote around so going for a more portable option like an Ember mug or a mug warmer might suit you better.
It’s all up to you so after careful consideration, pick something you think would be the best option for you.
We hope you enjoyed our list of ideas on how to keep your favorite drink hot for longer and that it helped to make your decision. You deserve to have your drink just the way you like it, be it tea, coffee or just hot water.
