The Best Insulated Coffee Mug

If you’re looking to upgrade your gift, we recommend the Miir Camp Cup. Many of our clients prefer recognizable name brand products when gifting but does that perceived value match reality? With this Miir Camp Cup, we think it does. With clean design and great performance, this mug is likely to be a highly coveted piece of drinkware.

We loved that Miir partners with worthy causes all around the world to give back 3% of revenue. Additionally, Miir is a Certified B Corporation. We have found that many of our clients like to give gifts that are responsible and part of a broader mission, even if it means spending a little bit more. On the bottom of each Miir product is a code to track the cause your product is supporting. The Camp Mug we tested is supporting a sustainable, non-profit farm and incubator in Skagit Valley, WA called Viva Farms.

Miir’s premium elements and brand promise sets it apart from the competition. Even companies like Patagonia and REI trust Miir for their custom insulated mugs.

Why gift an insulated mug

Insulated mugs are durable and likely to last a long time. These products are going to sit on desks, accompany people on camping trips, and provide comfort throughout the year. Desk mugs are great gifts for any office worker, outdoor adventurer, or coffee aficionado.

Insulated coffee mugs carry reasonable minimum order sizes, making them perfect client holiday gifts or just a nice treat for employees around the office.

Our research

When reviewing these thermal mugs, we considered several categories: how efficiently they retained heat, the overall look and feel of the product, and the capability to decorate and customize the mug.

The Heat: The entire point of an insulated mug is to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. Room temperature is the enemy here. We tested all five of our mugs by boiling water and starting out at the same temperature – 196 degrees Fahrenheit. Every hour we measured the temperature of the water in each mug over the course of an entire eight-hour workday.

Quick note for coffee fans: Actual science has been conducted by the National Institutes of Health – the optimal temperature for serving hot beverages is between 155- and 125-degrees Fahrenheit. While individual preferences may vary, all mugs maintained this ideal time to consume the beverage for several hours.

In this heat test, the Camper and Arctic Zone mugs kept the contents hotter than the other three by at least a few degrees. For all mugs, we see the largest drop-off in the first two hours. However, most people will not be serving their coffee at near boiling temperatures, so users shouldn’t notice as much of a drop.

Some may wonder why there’s a difference at all in our heat test. The answer lies in a few factors. First, not all insulation is created equally. There are several different insulation options listed below in order of effectiveness:

1. Single wall – this is your standard coffee mug. It’s a basic cup with a single wall made of any material (in most cases, ceramic). They are the most cost effective but do not retain the temperature of the liquid for long.
2. Air insulated – this double walled container is very common in plastic tumblers, where the space in between the two walls is, you guessed it, air. While you may avoid rings on your table, this only provides marginal improvement in your temperature.
3. Foam insulated – a step up from air, foam insulated has double walls with a layer of foam in the middle to increase the longevity of your beverage temperature.
4. Vacuum insulated – this option removes all the air from between the walls for optimal insulation. Vacuum sealing a mug means that the air is removed from the space between the double wall construction, and heat (or cold) can’t use the air to escape. The Yeti and Miir mugs use this method.
5. Vacuum insulated + copper – the double wall construction is vacuum sealed and has a lining of copper on the inside that allows the temperature of the contents to evenly disperse over the container. This helps in maintaining the temperature of the beverage for the longest period. The Rover, Camper, and Arctic Zone mugs utilize this method of insulation.

The lid and surface area also play a role in temperature over time. All tested mugs have plastic lids, but only the Camper and Arctic Zone have a way of covering the drinking spout when not in use (this is likely why they performed slightly better in our test).

The Aesthetics: We like the classic look of the camp style mug, something grandpa would have in his camping box – next to the Coleman lantern and hatchet. The Rover and Miir mugs come closest to this rustic vibe, with classic design and angled handle that’s comfortable to hold. These mugs feel like they’re ready for adventure, waiting for a carabiner to attach them to a backpack.

Many of our clients like choice, which includes color options. The Miir aims for classic look and feel, offering just white and black in their “medical-grade” stainless steel. The Camper Mug presents more options, with a whopping eight colors to choose from. It also has a nice brushed stainless rim around the top, giving it a retail finish.

Decorating Capability: For these thermal mugs, you can take advantage of two decoration styles: print and laser. Printing allows for more flexibility and color. Laser engraving, on the other hand, provides a more permanent feel, but without the color options.

Each mug comes with different capabilities for decoration. Some are only able to be laser engraved, some recommend only print, while others do both.

The Camper Mug provides great flexibility when it comes to decoration. There’s no limit to the amount of colors you can use (pending the clarity in the art) and there’s an option for a single-color print on the handle, something no one else offered. Some of its competition limits colors to three or allows for laser engrave only.

Our upgrade pick, the Miir Camp Cup, recommends laser engraving, but print is possible as well. Consider the look and feel you are going for from a design perspective before selecting the mug to gift.

Care and maintenance tips

All tested mugs are built with longevity and durability in mind. With that being said, we have a few tips to keep your insulated coffee cup in tip top shape.

Most insulated mugs are listed as handwash only. While you can likely get away with putting them on the top rack of the dishwasher, we still recommend hand washing with a gentle dish soap and warm water to keep the powdered, brushed steel material in pristine condition. Some of the premium models, including the Miir Camp Cup, tout having stainless steel that will prevent odors from setting in.

Be mindful if consuming a carbonated drink. While you don’t need to worry about corrosion from soda or sparkling water, if you’re on the move with the mug, the carbonation can add pressure and cause drink explosions if an airtight lid is on.

Insulated mugs are made from a form of steel, so they are not microwave safe. Additionally, most manufacturers don’t recommend freezing the mugs themselves. Warm or cool your liquid in another vessel before transferring to the thermal travel mug when hitting the road or trail.

Why trust Kotis

Kotis has been decorating and shipping insulated coffee mugs for as long as they’ve been around. Our goal has always been to create the best swag for our clients, and we’re happy to work with you in that endeavor. Shaina Rogers, our product expert, spent weeks using, testing, and reviewing these products.

Over the years, we have distributed tens of thousands of mugs. We utilize the feedback from our clients, combined with our testing to create these recommendations. These are not endorsed by any supplier, we simply want to help make your life easier when choosing merch. Let’s do swag together.

*Prices are current at time of publishing, please reach out for updated cost and styles