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This Sleek Travel Mug Is One of the Best Purchases I’ve Ever Made

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In all the years I worked outside my home, I never owned a travel mug. I’d drink coffee at home, swing by a café on the way to the office, or brew a cup once I got to work. And, um, sometimes I would do all three. But after being bombarded with slick social media ads from the company Fellow (you’ve probably seen them around the internet , too), I bought my first travel mug last year, right before the initial quarantine orders came through my state. For a few days, I stressed about what seemed like a suddenly unnecessary purchase: Who gets a travel mug, only to begin working from home full-time?

One year later, I’m happy to report that not only was my $35 Carter Everywhere Mug one of the best kitchen purchases I’ve ever made, but it is also the best travel mug you can buy . Even — no, especially! — if you work from home. Here’s why.

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1. It’s beautiful on the outside … with a smart interior.

I’ll admit it: I was originally drawn to this mug for its sleek look. When I purchased it in 2020, there were only three colors — white, gray, and black — but now they’ve got a whole rainbow of hues. Like, I am seriously mad that I didn’t wait for the warm pink !

And it’s not just beautiful — it’s also efficient and clever. There’s a thin stainless steel lip for drinking, but the rest of the interior is made of ceramic. Stainless steel interiors can add a metallic note to beverages, so this seems like a pretty crucial design upgrade. The lid has a leak-proof seal, which I have unscientifically tested multiple times by accidentally knocking it over or off my counter. It hasn’t spilled a drop yet.

Credit: Rochelle Bilow

2. It holds 16 ounces of coffee!

I think of this mug more like a Thermos-style tumbler aka the “ vacuum flask .” I’m not drinking directly out of it — although you can, and I have! — but it does a brilliant job of keeping coffee hot until I’m ready for it. Leisurely sipping on a cup of hot coffee throughout the morning is one of my life’s greatest pleasures, so I love that the 16-ounce Carter mug allows me to take it slow. (If that’s too much caffeine for you, Fellow also makes the Carter in a 12-ounce size .)

Two cups of coffee poured into a regular mug would cool down before I could even drink a third of it. The microwave works for some folks who find themselves with not-hot-enough coffee, but I don’t own one — and there’s even an argument to be made that nuking a mug negatively alters the taste . In contrast, this mug keeps coffee consistently hot for up to 12 hours. As with all of my mugs, I pre-warm it by filling it with just-boiled water for a few minutes before making my coffee.

Credit: Rochelle Bilow

3. It was designed to fit under a pour over dripper.

Here’s the real shining moment of this lovely little mug: Because Fellow is a coffee tools company , they designed the Carter mug not just for drinking the stuff, but for actually brewing it . It fits snugly underneath most standard manual coffee brewing tools. When I make coffee, my Hario 01 sits right on top of the mug and drips into it. When the coffee’s ready, I just set the Hario in the sink, pour a few ounces into my handled at-home mug, and enjoy.

However, while this mug is amazing, it isn’t perfect. The Carter Everywhere Mug oddly doesn’t fit in most car cup holders which seems … ironic. “Everywhere-But-Your-Car,” is perhaps a more accurate product name. I have brought it on errands and usually end up holding it between my knees as I drive. Again, not ideal!

As an answer to that, Fellow now makes a slimmer version called the Carter Move Mu g. The Move comes in 8-, 12-, and 16-ounce sizes, and also contains a splash guard if you’re really committed to that whole “drink on the go” thing. Because I have no plans to stop working from home, the Everywhere Mug suits me just fine for daily use. If I should ever find myself traveling more often, I’ll add the Move Mug to my collection.

Do you have a favorite travel mug? Tell us about it in the comments!

Rochelle Bilow

Contributor

Rochelle Bilow is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, the former social media manager at Bon Appétit Magazine and Cooking Light Magazine. She has also worked as a cook on a small farm in Central New York, and a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Connect with her @rochellebilow.

Source : food