Coffee and other hot beverages have become an intrinsic part of many people's work day.
They may spend large amounts of money on coffee from take-out stores and restaurants, only to discard those drinks as they cool much quicker than the drinker might like.
If you are thinking about buying travel coffee mugs you may just find that the right model is some of the best money you have ever spent.
If you have been looking at various travel mugs, you have seen the range of materials they can come in.
Travel mugs are available which have been made of plastic, glass, ceramic, stoneware and stainless steel.
The plastic mugs are much less popular now that people have been hearing stories on related health problems.
Some plastics, when heated, can release toxic chemicals.
They are also available in many different sizes.
Travel mugs often start at about a 12 oz size and can range anywhere up to a mug that can hold 22 or 24 oz of liquid.
This should be more than enough to get many people through a long day at work.
Because keeping hot beverages hot is the primary function of a coffee travel mug you want to make sure that the mug you choose can do just that.
One of the most popular ways to keep beverages heated is through the use of double walled construction.
This forms a pocket of air between the two walls that can keep your beverages warm for long periods of time.
You should know what is inside and outside your mug because you need to make sure that you are not trying to microwave a metal interior mug to heat the drink inside up again.
There is nothing worse than a travel mug which is difficult to clean.
In order to make it easy to clean, you want to make sure that your mug has a lid that is completely removable so that coffee and other liquids do not get dried into the interior.
If you are hand washing your mug, you want to make sure that the mouth of the mug is wide enough that you can get your hand all the way in so that you can clean the bottom.
You also need to keep in mind that if the mug says you cannot put it in the dishwasher, you probably can't without ruining the insulating qualities of the mug.
If it is important to you to be able to wash your mug in the dishwasher, make sure you pick one that says it is dishwasher safe.
You want to pay attention to the lid that goes with the mug.
Do you like the way it opens and closes? Some rotate and others have a slide that opens and closes the mug.
Can you open it one handed? If not, you may find it awkward and hard to deal with if you have your hands full.
You also want to make sure that it is as drip proof as possible especially if you will be using the mug around important papers or expensive electronic equipment.
Traveling with your mug is much easier if you make sure that your mug will fit in a cup holder.
This is important if the mug will be used in a car, since a cup that does not fit the holder will be useless much of the time.
You may need to save the wide bottomed mugs for the office and for home since very few cars have a cup holder that can accommodate them.
Travel mugs can do many things.
Some can even help you brew loose leaf tea or specialty coffees.
These portable French presses have a screen which can be pushed down through the mug, straining out the grounds or tea leaves.
If you love gourmet coffee this can be a wonderful solution to your portable brewing needs.
Any travel mug can make a long commute more tolerable.
By picking the right one you can enjoy hot coffee or tea no matter where you are or how long you have until you reach your destination.