Listen, I love coffee too. I work from home and I drink it all – day – long… the only problem? It cools down way before I can finish enjoying it!
If you take an hour or more to finish a cup of coffee, you probably know how frustrating it can be to constantly have to take trips to the microwave to reheat your beverage. Your cup of coffee will only stay at the optimal temperature for a short while before it needs to be reheated.
This is especially true when working from home. With the screen glaring at you and your furry coworker making cute little stunts around your workspace, getting some work done could be quite a hassle. A good cup of coffee makes all the difference. You take one sip, and you’re back to work. But before you know it, seconds have rolled into minutes, and your second or the third sip is a total letdown. So you’ve been there too eh?
Fortunately, you can avoid all this drama by getting a coffee mug warmer. I’m personally trying this one out now which I got from Amazon and so far I love it! Coffee warmers ideally let you take control of the temperature of your hot liquid companion so that you can take all the time you need to finish it. The good thing about them is that they come with fun, quirky, and helpful features, and you can be sure that you will find one that suits your lifestyle and needs.
This is the one sitting on my desk in my home office
Mine for instance has two-in-one functionality; its main job is to keep my coffee warm and the other a wireless charger for my phone. Also, what I like about this one is that it is a USB self-heating mug! You can’t see the USB cable in the back, but it’s a USB-C that I can plug directly into my iMac.
In this post, we have put together some of the best coffee mug warmers you can find in the market today. But first, let’s see what you want to look for when choosing the best coffee mug warmer to suit your needs.
How to Choose the Best Coffee Mug Warmer?
Coffee mug warmers generally work similarly to electric hot water kettles. They feature heating coils that heat up your beverage and keep it at your desired temperature. In most cases, they are compact, with a plate-like (or disc-like) design that takes minimal footprint. This means you can place them on your work desk without much hassle.
Ideally, the best coffee mug warmer should:
- Let you enjoy your hot beverage of choice for as long as you need
- Be portable and compact, allowing you to enjoy hot drinks on the go
- Look cool or stylish on your desk
It’s also a great idea to know the features of the mug warmers you might be considering to know whether it’s exactly what you’re looking for. The following is a checklist of factors you want to keep in mind when choosing a coffee warmer:
Adjustable Temperature
Everyone has a way they like their coffee. Some like to play it safe or simply prefer it warm, while others want a piping hot drink. So, you want to account for exactly how you prefer your coffee when picking a mug warmer.
Some warmers will only warm your mug to a constant temperature, while others will give you several temperature settings to choose from. In most cases, a dual temperature option will be good enough. However, there are many warmers that give you a much wider control over the temperature you want.
Length of the Cord
Generally speaking, some of the best coffee mug warmers you’ll find are the corded ones. As such, you can’t really overlook the length of the cord. Getting the cord length right will depend on you knowing exactly where you want to place it most of the time. If your workspace is close to a power outlet, choosing a unit with a short to medium-length power cord will be great. It will look cleaner and less weird too.
Still, your safe bet would be still getting a unit with a long cord. This ensures more movability and avoids making you feel like your cup warmer is on a leash. Alternatively, you could go for a battery-operated or USB-powered coffee mug warmer. This will be ideal if you like moving around with your mug, or are looking for a portable solution.
Durability and Construction
The material of construction will call the shots when it comes to the durability of your device. Stainless steel units are great – they are easy to clean and are super durable. A tempered glass material will do the trick as well. However, you want to avoid plastic and choose such materials. It’s also important to look for water resistance and dust-proofing in the body construction. You want a mug warmer that can survive multiple spills.
Safety Features
Ideally, a great coffee mug warmer should have features like Auto-shut-off in place. This ensures that your device can turn itself off even after you’ve forgotten about it. Nearly all of our best coffee warmers for 2020 come equipped with this feature.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics aren’t always important when choosing electronic devices, however, for coffee warmers, it’s a bit different. A well-designed coffee mug warmer that’s easy on the eyes will make your countertop or desk look good. Coffee mugs reflect our taste and personality, so should their warmers!
Pricing
Of course, you will also want to consider how much you’re paying for the mug warmer. As you will soon find out, these devices come at a wide variety of prices. Plus, the cheapest one isn’t guaranteed to give you good service, and it might not be worth it to break the bank for a mug warmer.
Your best bet is to choose a quality coffee warmer that has a reasonable price point while delivering on the essential features as discussed above.
Best Self-Heating Mugs!
1) Best Overall
Cosori is a reputable brand and their coffee mug warmer offering is our best overall recommendation. The coffee warmer comes with food-grade stainless steel construction, with a cool-touch handle and a slip-resistant silicone sleeve. The construction is not only durable, but it also gives it a sleek, modern appearance.
The device comes with touch controls along with an LED display that shows the current temperature of your beverage. You can change the temperature one degree at a time, with the option to choose between Celsius or Fahrenheit. It features a 5-foot cord, and it’s safe for ceramic, glass, iron, and steel mugs.
2) Most Aesthetically Pleasing
Nopro’s coffee warmer is perfect for anyone looking to keep their desk tidy and attractive. The white surface is designed to look like marble, and is very aesthetically pleasing. It would go perfect with marble countertops and minimalist office setups. The construction is made from utilitarian, serviceable plastic, yet it looks very expensive.
The heating element is non-stick, meaning it’s even easier to clean. The device also comes with a long 60-inch cable, which should give you a lot of flexibility in choosing where you will place it. So, if you’re looking for a decorative yet functional and inexpensive option, then the Norpro warmer is a no brainer.
3) Best Value
This is a device that gives you quite a number of options when it comes to design. You can choose from red, black, white, and pink colors to suit the aesthetics of your homes. It’s also considerably more power-efficient, as it can keep your beverages at about 131°F only using 19 watts.
The coolest thing about it is perhaps its “smart” feature – an in-built gravity induction switch. This feature ideally enables the warmer to turn on whenever you set your mug down on it and turn off whenever you lift it off. This way, you don’t have to worry about remembering to turn off the coffee mug warmer on/off as needed. So long as the indicator light comes on when you place your mug, you know the warmer is doing its thing.
Moreover, this low-power consumption unit is simple to use, easy to maintain, and clean and comes at a very reasonable price. It’s also backed by a 24-months guarantee, which makes it a rather compelling option.
4) Most Feature-Packed
Ember Smart Mug with Temperature Control
This is the most expensive option on the list. However, for the money, you get a lot of nifty features. For instance, you get the option to pair your mug with the Ember app on your phone. With the app, you can customize presets and even set the ideal temperature for your beverage between 120°F and 145°F.
Ember Smart Mug also features a newly re-designed charging coaster that you can use to keep your coffee warm all day. Alternatively, charging the mug’s built-in battery will let you warm the beverage for up to 1.5 hours. And while there’s an in-built battery, the mug is water-resistant, and you can hand wash it or submerge it in up to 1 meter of water with no problem.
There are other smart features, such as the ability to automatically sense whether the mug is empty so as to enter sleep mode or turn on when filled with a liquid. There’s also a smart LED light that will automatically turn on when your beverage reaches your preferred temperature. You can customize this light to your desired temperature.
5) Most Popular
Mr. Coffee is one brand that knows a thing or two about hot beverages, which can be evidenced by the popularity of their mug warmer. The warmer can hold just about any size of mug and even a small bowl of soup. Its power cord is long enough to reach your nearest outlet without much hassle. It is also very portable due to it’s round and compact design.
Although it doesn’t feature an auto-off function, it has a light indicator that will let you know when the unit is on, thereby reminding you to switch off when you’re done with your beverage. The device is also user-friendly, and its surface is easy to clean and maintain.
6) Honorable Mention
The Vobaga Coffee mug warmer has a few outstanding features that it had to appear on this list. For starters, you can choose to have it in a wide variety of colors, including blue, black, white, pink, or a wood-grain finish.
The hot plate features three temperature settings: high, medium, and low, which simplifies its usability. There’s also a 4-hour auto-shutoff function, which means that the mug warmer will automatically shut itself off after being on continuously for 4 hours, ideally leaving a flashing blue light to remind you that the plate is still hot. The 3.5-inch hot plate is big enough for most cups, including ceramic, stainless steel, and glass mugs. Its cable is 5-feet long, and the construction is heat resistant, fire-resistant, and features non-skid feet at the bottom to prevent spills.
Final Thoughts
Reaching for a cold coffee after it has been sitting on your desk for a while is terrible. But this doesn’t have to be the case, now that you know a few coffee mug warmer options that can make sure your coffee stays warm.
What’s your favorite coffee mug warmer? Do you have any experience using any of the coffee mug warmers featured above? We’d like to hear your thoughts on the comment section below.
