Value for money: Travel mugs

Thermos Travel Mug €9.95

This product from the grand-daddy of the flask world may not be hip – despite the company’s attempts to glam it up with the deep red colour – but it does work at keeping coffee hot. We found it to be just a little too big and clunky and it took up way too much space both in the Pricewatch car and the Pricewatch hand. The handle is massive and is clearly made for a giant. Of more concern was the spout. While it is easy to open and close, it is hard to drink from, at least without tilting your head back just a little too much – and all that tilting is grand if you’re sitting at your desk but not so much if you’re driving at 100km past the Red Cow Inn on the way to Kilkenny, say. Oh, and the lid is just a little leaky.

Verdict: Cheap and keeps it warm ***

Starbucks Travel Mug €14.95

We wouldn’t be the biggest fans of Starbucks coffee at the Pricewatch desk and having reviewed it in the past we reckon it is overpriced and a little bitter. Its travel mugs, on the other hand, are rather brilliant. This has a nice brushed chrome finish, the coffee stays hot for a very, very long time and it will never leak on you – not even if you turn it upside down and give it a good shake – we tried. It has a nice spout which pours without mess and is easy to open and close. Its ergonomic design means it fits nicely into the hand too. Oh, and if you present this in your local Starbucks you get 35 cent off the price of your coffee so, if you have a cup every day, in less than 10 weeks you’ll have got your money back.

Verdict: Top notch *****

Bodum Travel Mug €19.95

This expensive mug – from one of the world’s best-known manufacturers of things which dispense hot drinks – disappointed us on many levels. First off it was too dear. Secondly, it did not keep our coffee hot for long enough and, thirdly, when we knocked it over on our desk, the oddly-designed lid ensured that coffee went absolutely everywhere. Rather than having a spout like all the other mugs, the top here is partially screwed off to gain access to the coffee. This does mean you can drink from any angle but then there’s the spillage issue. It is also hard to open with one hand and you have to tilt it at a steep angle to drink the coffee.

Verdict: Disappointing **

KeepCup €9.95

According to the good people at KeepCup, this is “baristta standard” so it should fit neatly under the machines in your local coffee shop and will keep the crema intact. Truth be told we’re less bothered with crema than we are with heat when we’re drinking coffee and this funky little cup did not keep our coffee warm for too long. It also displayed an alarming tendency to leak all over the place. These may sound like major flaws but as long as you drink it quickly and have a steady hand you’ll be grand. It is easy on the eye however and comes in a cheery range of neon colours. There was a (very) slight odour off the plastic which wasn’t great but despite this and its other flaws, we kind of liked it.

Verdict: Hot, then cold ***

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