If you tend to forget about your cup as soon as you pour it, or you’re routinely dynamic or distracted throughout the day, you may be looking for a way to prevent all your warm drinks from turning into frigid brew. Here’s our advice: Instead of reaching for the microwave or scalding your tongue on a thermos of coffee that’s too warm, consider the humble mug warmer.
Functionally speaking, a mug warmer is a compact heating plate that sits on your desk and heats the bottom of your mug to keep the liquid inside warm. A good mug warmer will keep your drink heated without making it taste bad by burning it. It is significant to remember, however, that due to the inevitable consequences oxidation and given the way these drinks chemically break down over time, there is no way to fully retain the texture and flavor of freshly brewed coffee or tea.
“As coffee is brewed, its perceived acidity gradually increases due to the presence of quinic acid in coffee. This effect is most often observed when coffee is left on the hotplate for a long time,” said Chi Sum Ngai, founder Coffee Project New York. “After a while, the acidity will augment. The coffee tends to have a stronger flavor and is not as polished as when it was first brewed.”
Tea experts we spoke to include Bruce Richardson, owner Elmwood Inn Fine Teasunanimously agreed that tea loses its freshness and spoils the longer it is stored.
Since this is a category full of no-name brands and questionable marketing, we decided to test out a few classic cup warmers that had the best user reviews, a reasonable price (under $50), and an attractive range of features. Our goal was simply to see if a cup warmer would improve our overall drinking experience and if there was much variation among the myriad of models available.
To do this, we tested each warmer by brewing a pot of coffee in our favorite budget coffee maker, using the same settings and the same beans (specifically Kirkland Signature House Blend medium roast). We then measured the temperature and taste of the drinks over time. Our tea tests were identical, using both black and green tea bags from Save for later.
We also invited a couple of unique, higher-end products—the Ember Mug 2 and the Ohom Ui Mug—to see if they could fill a niche that the average cup warmer doesn’t offer.
