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My Favorite Coffee Cup

Uncategorized Aug 27, 2014

I feel slightly ridiculous even writing this post, but I always appreciate it when other folks review and suggest products that have made their lives a little better. So, here goes.

The Tervis 12oz Tumbler is the best coffee cup I’ve ever owned.

You would think it wouldn’t matter what sort of coffee cup you use, but after picking one up on a lark from a kitchen store and then ordering four more on Amazon, I can tell you that it absolutely does matter what you’re drinking from.

But, first, what’s wrong with a regular old coffee mug?

As it turns out, a lot of things. For starters, have you ever actually held a coffee cup after filling it with coffee? It’s almost guaranteed to burn your hand. That’s why they all have handles. But the handles are never ergonomic. At best, you can wrap two or three fingers around the handle and then you have to do that awkward balancing act where you counterbalance the weight of the coffee mug by placing your thumb on top of the handle. Making matters worse, after making coffee with my AeroPress, my hands are always wet from rinsing it out. That makes holding onto the mug a slippery proposition. And, if you lose your grip and drop the mug, it’s going to shatter.

Do any of those problems really matter on their own? No, probably not. But together they add up to me always being frustrated with my usual coffee cup.

After complaining about the problem one morning, my wife finally said “Why don’t you just get an insulated mug?” It seems like an obvious solution, but every insulated cup I’ve found was always too large – sixteen or twenty ounces. I wanted something the size of a standard coffee cup.

I finally found what I was looking for with a 12oz tumbler from Tervis. And why is it the best coffee cup I’ve ever owned?

It’s insulated. I heat the water for my coffee to boiling using a BonaVita electric kettle (another fantastic product). By the time the coffee is in my cup, it’s not quite boiling any longer, but it’s still scalding. The outside of the Tervis cup stays completely cool. I never worry about burning my hand. Also, even with wet hands, the mug is very easy to grip. There’s no silly handle. It’s just a nice, round shape that fits naturally in your hand. It’s also an appropriate size for coffee – twelve ounces. That means I can fill up with my usual ten and not worry about the coffee level being close to the lip and spilling over.

The material of the mug is extremely sturdy plastic. I’ve dropped it a couple times (once on purpose!) and it’s never shattered or chipped. Other insulated mugs I’ve tried came apart after going through the dishwasher a few times. The Tervis mug has seen four months of cleaning and has held up like a champ.

If you make your coffee with an AeroPress, you’ll be happy to know the press fits nicely on the top of the mug. Not too small, not too big. And as a bonus, the mug is clear so you can see your coffee being filtered as you press down. It’s a neat effect the first time you see it. You also always know how much coffee you’ve got left in your cup, which would have saved me a few times when I quickly picked up other coffee cups not realizing there was still liquid inside.

The only real downside is the price. I’ve never found them cheaper than $10 a mug. I think they’re completely worth it, but your mileage may vary.

So, there. Nearly six-hundred words about something as ridiculous as a coffee cup. But it really has made my morning coffee routine much better.