Coffee, Tea and Me» coffee mugs

All Insulated Coffee Mugs are not made Alike

Barry Long — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:56:29 +0000

It may be tempting to meander up the isles of your local Wal-Mart Supercenter, find the section with a bunch of travel mugs, and carefully select the insulated travel mug with the lowest price tag. I know most of us have done this in the past and it's probably the reason we have to do it over again years and sometimes only months down the road. The cheapest items for sale are almost always poorly made. Just because a travel coffee mug says it's insulated doesn't mean it will do.

Generally speaking you could "consider" any mug insulated if it has a thick layered wall and a lid. The problem with the cheap travel mugs, however, is that the insulation is so thin and produced with the cheapest materials that the construction quality is low and the efficiency of the mug is generally poor. Long story short, not all insulated mugs are worth buying. It is worth it to find a high quality coffee tumbler with a slightly higher price tag before you make your purchase.

Higher quality insulated coffee mugs are usually made of higher quality materials like stainless steel or aluminum. Plastic is often used in the cheaper items and plastic seams are almost always weak spots that can separate. Chances are good that your cheap plastic mug needs replacement because the plastic parts are loosening or because the mug starts to dribble, which is another sign of poor quality.

To find the best travel mug for you money, keep your functions in mind. For regular use at home or the office, a quality ceramic coffee mug with silicone lid is probably best. These types of mugs are really easy to clean, they don't take up a lot of space, and they are cheaper than a top of the line travel mug. And for those that are on the go often, you may want to spring for the more expensive but higher quality stainless steel tumbler. Because of its durability in construction, you will be far less likely to experience leaks, dribbles, or loosening seams.

For those that need extra long temperature control, make sure to read reviews of travel mugs before you buy them because even the highest end mugs differ in temperature control. Some quality mugs with excellent thermal insulation will only last for a couple hours whereas some others are heavily insulated and can keep your drinks hot or cold for five to six hours. The more insulation, the heavier the mug will be but it's worth it in the long run and not too much more expensive in the short run.

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Stainless Steel Travel Mugs Are Better Than Plastic

Barry Long — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:25:36 +0000

If it's time for you to start looking for a new travel mug, you may want to consider paying a little bit more for a more expensive, yet more durable stainless steel mug. The plastic mugs that cost less are proving to be less desirable with each passing year.

As we all know, a plastic travel mug simply doesn't insulate as well as a highly durable steel travel mug. Plastic also has the recent reputation of being harmful to people, especially when hot liquids are subjected to them. Recent scientific findings have shown that heat can cause plastic to release BPA, which is harmful to humans. For babies, plastic has even been banned for products unless the plastic is BPA free.

For years, many of us have probably had cheap plastic thermal coffee mugs lining our cabinets and we have subjecting ourselves to these toxins needlessly. Not only have plastic tumblers been proven unsafe on the average but they also don't contain drips and spills nor do they maintain the temperature of your drinks as well as a top stainless steel thermal travel mug.

Fortunately, steel coffee mugs and other types of metal have become easier to find and cheaper on the wallet. Unfortunately, the larger the mug gets the less this is the case. For instance, you'd be hard pressed to find a high quality 64 oz insulated mug made of steel for less than $10 but this is quite easy if you are shopping for plastic items.

On the whole, stainless steel is making a resurgence in all types of beverage containers and is even taking on the plastic water bottle. Chances are good that stainless steel beverage containers will continue to grow in popularity for their strength and durability as well as for their health and safety attributes. After all, paying just a few dollars more for a higher quality item that will last far longer and provide you with better health and safety should be worth it, even if it means paying $20 for a stainless steel mug as opposed to a $5 plastic coffee tumbler.

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Gifts for the Devoted Coffee Drinker

RT Cunningham — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 06:51:09 +0000

When you're thinking about buying a gift, do you think about what they drink on a regular basis? Of all the beverages consumed around the world, I think coffee ranks as number one. I also think the only drink consumed more than coffee is plain drinking water, good tasting water or otherwise. Anyway, it makes sense to buy gifts for devoted coffee drinkers because they tend to appreciate them as they use them.

Coffee Cups and Coffee Mugs

I'm a devoted coffee drinker. I drink more than a couple of cups per day. I can never have too many coffee cups or coffee mugs in the house. I also like to share my coffee with friends and relatives and I never force them to go and get their own cups or mugs.

When I spotted the beaker mug at ThinkGeek's page for mugs & glasses, I immediately thought of this:

That's a picture of Austin Powers in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me NOT drinking coffee. Well, when I saw the beaker mug at ThinkGeek, I knew I had to add it, or one like it, to my coffee mug collection.

Coffee Makers

The automatic drip coffee maker is so commonly found in homes nowadays that buying one as a gift, especially for a coffee connoisseur, would probably be received as an insult. The recipient may or may not display their feelings to spare yours, but I'm sure he or she wouldn't be too happy about it.

A pod coffee maker would be a better choice, as would a coffee press pot. The press pot is something I've only seen on TV so far (in an episode of Rubicon).

A collector would surely appreciate an old-fashioned glass coffee percolator which still works and would probably appreciate a supply of the right kind of grind to go with it. If this is what you choose to give, good luck finding one.

Other Gifts for Coffee Drinkers

There are more gifts for coffee drinkers out there than you can shake a stick at, if you just look in the right places. If you're buying for a senior citizen (quite a few years older than I am right now), you can't go wrong with a novelty gift like the "Over the Hill Starter Kit" from Spencer Gifts.

For lesser occasions than full-blown holidays, you can get by with giving edible gifts or coffee drink certificates. Coffee candy, coffee cake donuts and coupons for Starbucks come to mind without any real effort.

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The New Starbucks Coffee Shop at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone

RT Cunningham — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:05:47 +0000

The time before last that I drove to the Subic Royal store aboard the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to go grocery shopping, I noticed a new Starbucks coffee shop in the process of being completed. I made a mental note that I'd have to stop in and take a look around when it was done. Well, it was done by the following trip (more than a month later), but I didn't feel like stopping in at the time. Little did I know that my son had already been there.

Bum Scoop

A couple of days ago, one of my sisters-in-law (Florian) told another sister-in-law (Darlene) that they sold t-shirts and blouses at the Starbucks coffee shop. She had overheard it in a conversation while riding a bus from Olongapo to Bataan. The next day, I decided to go there with my son, Darlene and her daughter, Ashlene (who's 3-years old I think).

The coffee shop is easy to find because it's on the corner of Rizal Highway and Argonaut Street and it almost stands out like a sore thumb. Parking is on Rizal Avenue on the opposite side of the intersection, so going through the intersection and turning around in order to park in that parking lot was interesting to say the least. Cars coming off the exit from the Subic expressway don't slow down for anything as they try to beat the light at that corner.

Well, there were things for sale at the Starbucks coffee shop, like coffee mugs and other assorted items, but not clothing of any kind. Florian must have heard the conversation wrong. I now call her "Bum Scoop Florian".

Starbucks Coffee Prices

My son wanted a "Java Chip" drink like he'd had before so I ordered two of them. I also ordered an "Apple Berry Freeze" (apple and strawberry with crushed ice) for Ashlene since Darlene didn't want anything. When I paid P490 (just over USD $10) for the drinks, I remembered why I didn't frequently go to Starbucks when I was in the US. I'm sorry, but those prices are absurd.

What's even more absurd is that Starbucks expects to do well at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Their prices are too high for the average resident in the Philippines, so they must be catering to the upper class and tourists. I'm not in the upper class and I'm not a tourist, so I guess I won't be going back there again. I'd be much better off (and probably "save" a lot of money) by buying my own coffee beans, a coffee grinder and brewing my own coffee.

On second thought, I think I'll stick to making coffee like Starbucks at home using Nescafé instant coffee and milk. My worn-out taste buds really can't tell the difference.

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Coffee and Coffee Maker Accessories

RT Cunningham — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:03:53 +0000

As any coffee connoisseur could probably tell you, coffee and coffee maker accessories are almost as important as the coffee beverage itself.

You don't have to take my word for it. Bear with me as I list some accessories that you may or may not be aware of.

Coffee Mugs

I really had to start with this one because coffee drinkers use coffee mugs, not coffee cups. There really is a difference. There are companies that specialize in nothing but coffee mugs, some plain and some with logos or writing on them, and they don't need to expand into other areas. There are so many coffee drinkers in the US alone that they really don't need to diversify.

Travel Coffee Mugs

The only thing travel coffee mugs (or coffee travel mugs, depending on how you word it) have to do with regular coffee mugs is that they're designed to hold coffee. The difference is that the travel mugs are usually designed for safety while driving. Some of them have special lids and some are designed to fit into coffee holders, either on a console or hanging from a door window.

Since a lot of people are on the go all the time, especially while traveling to and from work, many convenience stores (and I won't bother to name them) offer several pots of coffee to choose from. They usually offer a limited amount of free or discounted cups of coffee with each purchase of one of their travel mugs.

K-Cups

Although K-Cup portion packs are used specifically with the Keurig single cup brewing systems, other coffee manufacturers are taking that idea and adapting it to automatic drip coffee makers and other coffee makers.

The K-Cup is a plastic container which includes the filter and the ground coffee beans. The Keurig coffee maker punctures the foil lid and forces hot water under pressure through the K-Cup and into a coffee mug. The brewer is pretty simple to use; I've seen a Keurig coffee brewer in action.

Flavored Coffee and Flavored Coffee Creamers

The flavored coffee I'm talking about started out as flavored non-dairy creamers. They were offered in groceries stores and then expanded to the convenience stores to go along with their "coffee on the go".

The dairy people got into the act and started offering flavored dairy coffee creamers and then the coffee people got into the act and started offering coffee products with flavoring in an attempt to steal that market share back from the dairy and non-dairy people.

I really don't know what order it all transpired in, but it seems that's the order as I remember it.

Specialized Water Filters

While some people (including me) use bottled water to make coffee with, others have started buying specialized water filters to purify the water that ends up their coffee mugs. I haven't personally seen one, but I've seen them advertised.

Regardless of how you purify your water, anything tastes better with coffee than tap water that has too much chlorine added.

More Accessories?

There are more coffee and coffee maker accessories available than you can shake a stick at and I'd be naive to think that I could even begin to list them all at once.

I'll end the list here and leave myself the option to list more as I find the time to look around.

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Coffee Cups and Coffee Mugs

RT Cunningham — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:45:18 +0000

What's the difference between a coffee cup and a coffee mug? While the terms are used interchangeably, there actually is a difference. A coffee cup, per se, holds one cup of coffee. A coffee mug, on the other hand, holds more than a cup. How much coffee a coffee mug can hold depends entirely on the design of the mug.

Coffee Mug Collectors

There are a whole lot of people who collect coffee mugs, just like numismatics collect coins. I don't know what special term is used for coffee mug collectors, but I've know quite a few of them over the years. Many of the people I've known to collect coffee mugs were in the military, just like I was for 20 years.

These were people I knew as well as people I worked with. I never specifically collected coffee mugs, but I built up a collection nonetheless. It seems like I obtained a mug for every military unit I was with, for every Marine Corps birthday ball, for every recruiting function and everything between the gaps.

Some of the people I knew were fanatics about their collections, displaying them in special display cases in their homes or even at work.

A Dirty Coffee Cup is in the Mind of the Owner

Early in my military career, I cleaned a coffee mug for a senior enlisted fellow and he freaked out on me. Literally. I learned, and quite quickly I might add, that people like that wanted that nasty looking brown color on the inside of the mugs. Don't ask me why. I was constantly cleaning the coffee mugs I used.

The only time I ever saw one of the fanatics clean a coffee mug was when he left coffee in the mug, sitting out on a desk over the weekend. When he returned to work, there was green stuff floating, growing on the top of the liquid. I don't know what that stuff is, but it looks disgusting.

I'm a fanatic about coffee, but not about coffee mugs. Any coffee mug will do the trick for me. In fact, I only have four coffee mugs in my house here in the Philippines and I'm using one of them right now.

The Night Market at Subic Bay

Next to a carnival attraction called "Millennium", which is open for months out of the year, there's a night market. On the Christmas before last, one of my sisters-in-law bought a huge coffee mug from that night market and had my name "burned" onto it — "Richard" in some kind fancy writing. It held two times what a normal (if you can call any mug normal) coffee mug would hold. Now, since I'm the only Richard within a one-block radius, nobody could swipe my mug to use as their own without being seen by someone.

Alas, about two months ago, my younger son decided to make coffee for me. I was upstairs in my bedroom (where I am now) and doing my thing on the computer. By the way, my master bedroom is huge; it's big enough to hold two king-sized beds side by side. Anyway, he took my mug downstairs to get me coffee. While he was filling the coffee mug with hot water from our water dispenser, the bottle emptied. The mug was sitting on the spot where the water spillage goes, whatever you want to call it. He didn't move it before changing the water bottle and the jostling of the dispenser caused the mug to fall off and onto the floor. It's a tile-covered cement floor, I might add.

All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty-Dumpty together again. Or, in this case, my coffee mug. I don't know when I'll ever get another one quite like that.

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