Are mug warmers worth it?

MSE_Ciara

Has anybody ever used a temperature-controlled mug warmer to help stop your tea/coffee/[insert other warm beverage] from going cold while you work, or reheat it when you inevitably get distracted? 

We don't have a microwave (and since it's a cardinal sin to reheat one's tea in there anyway!), so looking for a good mug warmer that will last but won't cost a small fortune. All those I found on Amazon around £18-25 seem flimsy. Is there one you would recommend?

Thanks folks!

Marcon

MSE_Ciara said:

Has anybody ever used a temperature-controlled mug warmer to help stop your tea/coffee/[insert other warm beverage] from going cold while you work, or reheat it when you inevitably get distracted? 

We don't have a microwave (and since it's a cardinal sin to reheat one's tea in there anyway!), so looking for a good mug warmer that will last but won't cost a small fortune. All those I found on Amazon around £18-25 seem flimsy. Is there one you would recommend?

Thanks folks!

Have you thought of/tried a double-walled glass mug? They are brilliant - will keep a hot drink hot for ages. They are also pretty robust provided you don't actually drop them!

MSE_Ciara

Marcon said:

MSE_Ciara said:

Has anybody ever used a temperature-controlled mug warmer to help stop your tea/coffee/[insert other warm beverage] from going cold while you work, or reheat it when you inevitably get distracted? 

We don't have a microwave (and since it's a cardinal sin to reheat one's tea in there anyway!), so looking for a good mug warmer that will last but won't cost a small fortune. All those I found on Amazon around £18-25 seem flimsy. Is there one you would recommend?

Thanks folks!

Have you thought of/tried a double-walled glass mug? They are brilliant - will keep a hot drink hot for ages. They are also pretty robust provided you don't actually drop them!

Ooh. I have not, but that's a great shout, thank you for the recommendation!

MattMattMattUK

Marcon said:

MSE_Ciara said:

Has anybody ever used a temperature-controlled mug warmer to help stop your tea/coffee/[insert other warm beverage] from going cold while you work, or reheat it when you inevitably get distracted? 

We don't have a microwave (and since it's a cardinal sin to reheat one's tea in there anyway!), so looking for a good mug warmer that will last but won't cost a small fortune. All those I found on Amazon around £18-25 seem flimsy. Is there one you would recommend?

Thanks folks!

Have you thought of/tried a double-walled glass mug? They are brilliant - will keep a hot drink hot for ages. They are also pretty robust provided you don't actually drop them!

I second this, I have a bunch of the Bodum ones (different sizes) and some DeLonghi ones which I have had for more than ten years and still immaculate and going strong, and they are great, lovely to drink out of as well. 

Grumpy_chap

The double-walled mug as suggested by others seems simple - rather like a vacuum flask I imagine.

When we were children, my Grandparents had mugs with hats (which had to be lifted to drink).  The modern version of that would probably be the travel mugs, which are also often double-walled.

I would also be very pleased if someone could explain what a "temperature-controlled mug warmer" actually is and how they work?  Do they use power?  If so, it may be more MSE to dispose of the cold tea and start over.

MattMattMattUK

Grumpy_chap said:

The double-walled mug as suggested by others seems simple - rather like a vacuum flask I imagine.

They work very efficiently, the outside never gets more than warm so there is a huge reduction in area that is emitting heat, though there will be some radiative losses through the glass, I think mine keep a drink warm for at least half an hour, it might actually be longer, where as a normal mug would be cold in fifteen minutes or so. 

Grumpy_chap said:

When we were children, my Grandparents had mugs with hats (which had to be lifted to drink).  The modern version of that would probably be the travel mugs, which are also often double-walled.

The modern double walled metal ones with a lid keep drinks warm for a long time, I have one where I have several times made a coffee at half six in the morning and ended up drinking it on my way home in the evening and it was still hot enough to drink. 

Grumpy_chap said:

I would also be very pleased if someone could explain what a "temperature-controlled mug warmer" actually is and how they work?  Do they use power?  If so, it may be more MSE to dispose of the cold tea and start over.

They are usually resistive heating devices, some are mains, some are USB powered (usually not USB specification compliant and can seriously damage the port or bus on the device) in the shape of a coaster that can keep a mug warmer for longer, some are larger. Based on boiling one mug of water in a kettle costing around 1p and the devices costing £15-25 one would have to reheat a lot of tea to recover the cost of the device itself (although I am ignoring the cost of the tea/coffee, milk, sugar, lemon etc.).

Marcon

Just spotted these at half price on Ocado (£12 for 2 mugs): https://www.ocado.com/products/judge-double-wall-coffee-mugs-408859011

I've had exactly these for the last four years and they are still in perfect condition, and just the right size for a good mugs-worth of tea or coffee. They really aren't that fragile unless you treat them like their more robust cousin the pottery mug! Very comfortable to hold and to drink from.