The Best Coffee Mug Warmers for Keeping Your Caffeine Warm and Toasty
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Sip at leisure without losing that fresh-brewed flavor and aroma with these top picks.
Food & Wine / Kevin Liang
We’ve all been there: You pour yourself a nice cup of coffee, get settled in for a productive morning at your desk, then somewhere between your inbox and today’s Wordle you realize your coffee has gone cold. While most of us probably trudge over to the microwave for a quick and dirty reheat, this is just about the worst thing you can do to your coffee, according to Heather Calatrello, owner and head roaster at San Diego’s ShedLight Coffee Roasters.
“Coffee should never be reheated in the microwave,” she says. “Actually, coffee should never be reheated — period.” Calatrello says that this is because the chemical composition of coffee changes as it cools, releasing volatile compounds that lead to less nuance and aromatics. “When coffee is reheated in the microwave, the heat accelerates the release of molecules from the already bland coffee, resulting in a bitter, acidic flavor.”
So, what’s the alternative? Not allowing your freshly brewed coffee to go cold in the first place. But this doesn’t mean you need to chug as soon as you’ve poured — with the help of a coffee mug warmer, you can sip to your heart’s content without that pesky, rapid loss of flavor and aroma. To find the best, we tested 17 different mug warmers and deemed five of them our favorites.
Best Overall: Nextmug Temperature-Controlled Self-Heating Coffee Mug
Pros
This is one sleek and effective mug, and we love that it has adjustable temperature control.
Cons
It’s pricey, and its handle shape doesn’t make it the most travel-friendly.
What’s great about Nextmug is that the warmer is the mug itself. Conventional coffee mug warmers function like a tiny hotplate, where you set your chosen mug on top and let the heat do its thing. But self-heating Nextmug can keep your coffee nice and toasty even when it’s not on the charging plate.
Depending on which heat setting you use — choose from warm, hot, or piping — and whether you have the lid on, Nextmug will keep your beverage comfortable for anywhere from 45 minutes to just under five hours. While incorporating the mugs into our daily lives, we can honestly say this mug and plate duo heated every last drop of our morning coffee, noting the last sip always tasted the same as the first sip.
While the Nextmug has a lid to take on the go, its handle can be a bit cumbersome to place in a regular-sized cup holder. It isn’t dishwasher safe, but it’s so effective (and easy to clean) that we’re more than willing to wash ours by hand.
Price at time of publish: $100
Device type: Heated mug
Material: Ceramic and stainless steel
Capacity: 14 ounces
Heating duration: Up to five hours
Best Overall, Runner-Up: Ohom Ui Self-Heating Mug Set
Pros
It’s dishwasher safe, and the charging plate can also charge your phone.
Cons
No variable settings.
We enjoyed testing the Ohom Ui self-heating mug, which was blissfully easy to use. Simply plug in the charging plate, and it’s turned on — and capable of charging your wireless-compatible phone when it’s not charging your Ui mug.
When the lid was left on, this mug kept our drinks nice and warm for over an over. With the lid off, drinks were closer to lukewarm after an hour, but still drinkable. What’s great about Ui is that it’s dishwasher safe so cleanup is a breeze, and the wide opening makes it easy to infuse loose-leaf tea or prepare a quick pour-over coffee.
This mug also doesn’t come cheap, but the elegant, minimalist design and versatile charger make it both cool and functional.
Price at time of publish: $88
Device type: Heated mug
Material: Ceramic, aluminum, and glass
Capacity: 12 ounces
Heating duration: Not specified
Best Value: Kin Element Mug Warmer and Lid Set
Pros
A nice-looking, budget-friendly mug warmer.
Cons
We have no complaints, although this one doesn’t include an included mug.
The KIN is about as good as it gets when it comes to the warming plate style of mug warmer. The six-foot-long cord allows flexibility with placement, and touch-activated heat levels make it easy to adjust as needed. We especially appreciate the automatic shut-off after eight hours, which helps eliminate those tiny moments of panic when we forget to unplug the warmer.
We found that the KIN effectively kept beverages hot — it even works well as a candle warmer — and the compact size made it easy to toss into bags to take to the office or have while traveling. This warmer works with nearly any mug (just avoid plastic or concave bases); it’s nicely affordable and super easy to use. A winner all around!
Price at time of publish: $26
Device type: Warming plate
Material: Glass and plastic
Capacity: N/A
Heating duration: Auto shut-off after 8 hours
Best Smart: Ember Smart Mug 2
Pros
The mug itself keeps coffee warm, not just the base.
Cons
It’s pricey and not dishwasher-safe.
If you’re up for a splurge, the Ember Mug is a worthy luxe alternative to the conventional coffee mug warmer.
“The Ember Mug sets itself apart from other mug warmers in that the heating element is in the mug itself rather than having a contact heat source,” says Calatrello. “Additionally, the mug features sensors to regulate the temperature of the liquid inside. It does the best job of keeping coffee at an optimal temperature without sacrificing flavor.”
You can even control your Ember with an app on your phone, and it automatically goes to sleep after it senses two hours of inactivity. During testing, the Ember kept our mug contents hot until the last drop, and it never altered the flavor of the coffee. The biggest downside of this swanky mug — aside from its ambitious price point — is that you can’t put it in the dishwasher.
Price at time of publish: $115
Device type: Battery-operated smart mug
Material: Ceramic
Capacity: 10 ounces
Heating duration: 80 minutes
Best for Travel: Ember Travel Mug 2
Pros
This is the most customizable mug on our list.
Cons
Some might find the 12-ounce capacity small for on-the-go.
Enthusiasts of smart kitchen gear will love Ember’s travel mug, which we could only describe as “feature packed.” Customize temperature through the app, create presets based on beverage type, and even locate a misplaced Ember mug through Apple’s “find my” technology.
Though the mug looks like it could hold 16 ounces, part of that space is taken up by the warmer, so you only have 12 ounces of drink to work with. We don’t find this to be a dealbreaker, but it’s worth being aware of. The Ember has a three-hour battery life, which we found more than adequate, and we were able to comfortably drink our coffee as we tested it on the go. Even with the high price tag, this mug performs well enough — and has enough swanky features — to justify the cost.
Price at time of publish: $200
Device type: Self-heating mug
Material: Stainless steel
Capacity: 12 ounces
Heating duration: 3 hours
Our Favorite
The Nextmug Self-Heating Coffee Mug is our top pick thanks to its three heat settings, elegant design, and stellar performance. If you prefer something with a lower price point, we love the KIN Coffee Mug Warmer for its effective simplicity.
The Coffee Mug Warmer Tests
We assessed all 17 of the coffee mug warmers we tested on their design, performance, ease of use, and value. We incorporated the mug warmers into our daily lives, preparing our usual beverage of choice and going about our mornings like any other day, noting whether the mug warmer kept our coffee (or tea) hot, warm, or barely above room temperature.
We also took notes on usability features like auto shut-off, battery life, whether a lid was included, recommended cleaning methods, and — most importantly — how coffee actually tasted over the course of an hour.
Factors to Consider
Type
Whether you choose a self-heating mug or a warming plate depends on your budget and your preference. Self-heating mugs have the convenience of portability, but if you’re not going back and forth between your desk and a conference room, you might be fine with a simple warming plate near your keyboard. Warming plate-style mug warmers are, of course, less expensive than self-heating models.
Features
Most mug warmers offer adjustable temperature and an automatic shut-off, but if either (or both) of these are a must-have for you, be sure to shop accordingly.
Size and Design
Again, mug warmers have a pretty standard footprint—they’re either round or square and are generally neutral in color unless you choose otherwise. Feel free to choose your mug warmer based on aesthetics!
Heating Duration
Warming plate mug warmers will typically stay on as long as they’re plugged in — or, at least, until they reach their automatic shut-off time. Self-heating mugs eventually need to be recharged, so consider your typical drinking habits and choose a mug warmer that will best suit your needs. We tested mug warmers on their performance over the course of one hour — some will keep coffee hotter far beyond 60 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do coffee mug warmers work?
“A mug warmer works just like a hot plate in a drip coffee maker,” says Calatrello. “It does a decent job of keeping your coffee hot, so long as the mug is placed on the warmer while the coffee is still hot.”
Calatrello advises that a mug warmer shouldn’t be used to heat already-cooled coffee. “It won’t do much for you once the coffee has begun to cool significantly.”
Are mug warmers safe?
Mug warmers are generally safe to use, but like any small appliance, be sure to unplug it when not in use. Stop using your mug warmer if it becomes damaged, starts to smoke, or otherwise presents a hazard.
What kind of mugs are mug warmers compatible with?
Most mug warmers perform best with a thin-walled, flat-bottom ceramic mug. Double-check the manufacturer's recommendations for your mug warmer of interest if you plan to use it with stainless steel or glass mugs. Don’t use plastic cups with mug warmers.
Other Coffee Mug Warmers We Tested
Strong Contenders
Ember Temperature Control Smart Cup ($130 on Amazon)
We recommend two other Ember mugs, so no surprise we were impressed with the performance of this one. It just wasn’t a top pick due to its diminutive six-ounce size.
vsitoo S3 Pro Temperature Control Smart Mug ($96 on Amazon)
This mug performed well and we enjoyed using it, we just thought it could use an extra feature or two to justify the price.
COSORI Original Coffee Warmer & Mug Set ($21 on Amazon)
This warming plate and mug combo is a great value. The aesthetics might lean a little “travel mug” heavy for some tastes, but it works well.
What Didn’t Make the List
We also tested the SMRTMUGG Heated Travel Mug and found it heavy, difficult to clean, and lacking a user-friendly smart interface.
Our Expertise
This article was written by Summer Rylander, a food and travel journalist who has written about food, beverage, and cooking products for Food & Wine, Allrecipes, Serious Eats, and The Kitchn. She made her selections based on in-depth research and conversation with coffee roasting expert Heather Calatrello.
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