Keep Coffee Hot on the Go: An Official Guide
Does this sound familiar? Every morning you wake up, and there is only one thing on your mind — coffee. Until you've got that steaming hot cup of joe in your hands and caffeine in your bloodstream, there is no use thinking, speaking, or doing anything else. Our daily cup of joe is a tradition from World War I, and we have no desire to change it up.
If you're like us, you have a few cups every morning because coffee is amazing, and we need to enjoy the little things. There’s only one problem: when coffee cools down, it can make even the earliest riser a little grumpy.
Keeping your coffee hot at home is no problem; just heat it back up (unless it has milk or creamer in it). But when you are on the go, you need to keep your coffee from the time you leave your home until you’re out of coffee. However, not every thermal or insulated coffee mug or water bottle is as effective as all others.
Knowing what to look for and what keeps your coffee hot is key to making a smart decision. Here is the Patriot Coolers Official Guide to keeping coffee hot on the go.
Thermal Transfer: An Overview
To understand why some insulated drinkware is better than others, we need to do a quick science lesson on heat transfer. When your coffee gets cold, it is because, over time, the liquid transfers the heat to the surrounding air.
This happens in three ways:
Conduction
Conduction occurs when heat travels through a material without the material itself moving. In other words, the heat energy transfers from molecule to molecule within the material. This process can be thought of as a "chain reaction," with the molecules passing on their energy to the nearby molecules.
While all materials are capable of conducting heat to some degree, some materials are better conductors than others. Metals, for example, are particularly good at conducting heat.
This is why metal objects often feel cold to the touch; they quickly conduct away any heat that they come into contact with. On the other hand, materials like wood or plastic are poor conductors of heat and tend to feel warm or even hot to the touch.
The rate of heat transfer by conduction depends on several factors, including the temperature difference between the two objects and the material's conductivity. Generally speaking, the greater the temperature difference and the better the conductivity, the faster the heat will transfer.
Convection
Convection is the movement of heat through a fluid, such as air or water. The hot fluid rises while the cooler fluid sinks, creating circulating currents. This process helps to evenly distribute heat throughout a room or space.
While convection is a natural process, artificial convection is possible with fans or pumps. By moving the fluid around, we can speed up the rate of heat transfer and more quickly achieve the desired temperature.
Radiation
Radiation occurs when thermal energy is emitted in the form of electromagnetic waves. These waves can travel through empty space, making radiation an effective way to transfer heat over long distances. Although it is often associated with nuclear radiation, radiation can also be created by the sun and other heat sources.
In fact, radiation is the primary heat transfer method from the sun to the Earth. When objects are heated, they emit infrared radiation, which is invisible to the human eye but can be felt as heat.
Every object emits some amount of infrared radiation, but hotter objects emit more radiation than cooler objects. That's why you can feel the sun's warmth on your skin even though the air around you might be cool. Radiation can also be used for medical purposes, such as X-rays and cancer treatments.
To effectively maintain your drink’s temperature, you need a mug or insulated water bottle that can prevent or limit conduction, convection, and radiation.
How Insulated Coffee Mug Keeps Your Drink Hot
Insulated coffee mugs protect your drink from all three different kinds of heat transfer to keep your coffee steaming hot for hours.
To prevent conduction, coffee mugs rely on double-wall vacuum insulation with a copper lining. This unique combo helps prevent conduction from taking heat from your coffee into your cup.
When it comes to slowing convection, a Spill-Proof Lid keeps hot air from escaping your drink while blocking colder air from entering the cup. This double-duty process ensures that the heat is sealed into your favorite mug.
And lastly, to use radiation to our advantage, the stainless steel reflects heat back into your drink and away from the walls of the cup. Now, you can cheers a flawless morning commute with a toasty cup of tea or coffee.
What To Look For in an Insulated Coffee Mug
When you need to take your coffee or hot tea on the go with you, you need to have an insulated coffee mug that stands up to the task.
Our Patriot Coolers Insulated Coffee Mug is a brilliant option for a few key reasons. Here’s why:
What Material?
The best travel mugs are made out of stainless steel. Stainless steel is non-toxic, so you know it is safe, as well as easy to clean, and helps keep your drink at your optimal temperature. Not to mention it is super durable.
What Kind of Insulation?
Any coffee mug worth its salt needs to be insulated. This insulation prevents conduction, which is how much of the heat will be lost.
The elite option is double-wall vacuum insulation with a copper lining, a state-of-the-art advancement in the beverage world.
Is the Lid Spill-Proof?
If your coffee mug doesn't have a Spill-Proof Lid, it doesn't prevent heat loss through convection. A lid that creates a tight seal is critical, and you should also make sure you can open and close the mouthpiece for even more of a seal.
Is There a No-Slip Grip?
Many insulated mugs suffer from issues with condensation forming on the exterior of the bottle. But with Patriot Cooler Insulated Mugs, you don't have to worry about this problem. All of our stainless steel drinkware features our sweat-free design to keep the outside dry and your grip secure.
What Sizes Are Offered?
Finally, you need to know what size coffee mug you want, depending on your taste and preference. At Patriot Coolers, we have 10, 12, and 16oz insulated mugs, so the only hard decision you have is what kind of brew you want.
The Patriot Cooler Difference
More than anything, what makes our Patriot Coolers Insulated mugs stand out the most is the force that drives and inspires us. Patriot Coolers takes inspiration from the bravery and fortitude of the servicemen and women of the United States military.
These men and women put in the hard work daily to provide us with reliable, consistent, and durable protection. All of our gear, including our insulated drinkware, are built to last and withstand battlefield conditions. We want our products to be as reliable as humanly possible.
We give a portion of our profits to the charity Home For Our Troops, which helps build accessible homes and find long-term housing solutions for our nation’s veterans.
When you use a Patriot Cooler mug to keep your coffee hot, you know that we have your back. You know your mug will be reliable, dependable, and durable for whatever life might throw in your path — because we know you take your coffee seriously.
Keeping Coffee Hot on the Go: Takeaways
If you want to keep your coffee hot on the go, then you need an insulated coffee mug. Your days can take any number of unexpected turns; your coffee might need to sit and wait until you put out a literal (or metaphorical fire).
Any good insulated mug that will keep your coffee hot will protect against all three heat transfer methods: conduction, convection, and radiation. By tactically working against these three elements, your travel mug keeps your coffee hot anywhere you go.
Patriot Coolers offers the best-insulated coffee mugs on the market. Our insulated mugs are made of stainless steel and double-wall vacuum insulation with a copper interior lining, limiting all three types of heat transfer. Our mugs also feature a sweat-free design, so you've got a strong grip wherever you go.
Sources:
How Does Vacuum Insulation Work? | HomeGrounds
Why Coffee is Called “Joe” | Quartz
Understanding Heat Flow From a Coffee Cup | Chem13 News Magazine | University of Waterloo
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