Single-use takeaway cups belong with throwaway supermarket carrier bags in the landfill of history. Usually made from plastic-coated paper, the billions used each year burn through copious amounts of energy and water, while also contributing significantly to landfill.
The solution is simple: switch to a reusable coffee cup. These take various forms, such as cups, bottles and mugs, and are more eco-friendly options when used multiple times. There are leakproof travel mugs that can sit in a rucksack pocket; small ones ideally suited to car cup holders; and ones made from recycled post-consumer materials.
Two different terms are used for this type of product: travel mugs and reusable coffee cups. Travel mugs are usually better suited for transporting coffee from place to place, whereas reusable coffee cups are often just something to sip from wherever you get a coffee. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, and you should always check the product specifications to ensure you’re getting the right mug for your purposes. Some coffee chains incentivise the use of these cups through discounts and reward schemes, too.
It may seem obvious, but one of the best things about these travel mugs is that you can fill them at home before going out, so the coffee machine collecting dust on your counter might finally get more use, too. To help you find your sip-friendly sidekick, I tested 15 cups from brands including KeepCup, Yeti, Ocean Bottle and Chilly’s, and I’ve featured the 11 best options below.
A note of caution from a guy with a singed tongue: some of the cups and bottles featured are excellent at keeping your coffee or tea hot. That’s mostly beneficial, but you should check whether your drink has cooled before taking a hearty sip, which may require leaving the lid off for a few minutes.
At a glance
Why you should trust me
As a regular reviewer for the Filter, I’m well versed in testing products. You may have spotted my guide to the best suitcases, which culminated in me throwing the unfortunate baggage off a stepladder, or my feature on sunrise alarm clocks, where I played the role of sleep-testing guinea pig. I’ve been writing about consumer products for the past decade, and I still take joy in getting to grips with interesting, useful things.
I’m also into my coffee, and I care about how the material and form of a vessel affect a drink. I always carry a reusable cup on days out or while working on the go, so my thoughts on these products are rooted in the daily grind.
How I tested
I used each model several times while travelling and working. I filled them with coffee at home for my first caffeine hit of the day, before having them refilled at various coffee shops, where I asked baristas for their feedback. Throughout testing, I considered how securely the cups held liquid, how pleasant they were to handle and drink from, and how well they maintained the temperature of hot and cold drinks.
On the first point, for more rigorous assessment, I held the cups upside down and shook them over kitchen paper to see how much they dripped; I also bounced on a trampette with them (first with the lid closed, then with it open) to test the degree to which they were leakproof. Finally, I filled them with boiling water and measured the temperature over eight hours to gauge the effectiveness of the insulation.
Not all reusable cups are intended to provide the same qualities (eg leakproofing or insulation), and I kept this in mind while writing the reviews. During the process, I drank dozens of hot drinks, preventing the use of a stack of disposable cups and ensuring a pleasantly caffeinated state throughout.
Mugs that were not requested back by the manufacturer were donated for fundraising to the Leeds branch of Cat Action Trust 1977, a small national charity dedicated to the welfare of feral cats.
My favourite travel mugs and reusable coffee cups
Best travel mug overall:
KeepCup Commuter
Widely credited as the originator of the reusable coffee cup, KeepCup remains the best in the business. This Commuter model is advertised as “barista standard”, and it certainly proved a cut above during my tests.
Why we love it
I was impressed by its temperature regulation. It kept hot drinks hot for several hours, and cold water refreshingly cool while out and about. Removing the broad lid will quickly bring down the temperature of the cup’s contents, though, so your coffee will be sippable before you know it.
The flip lid is a well-known KeepCup feature, providing a secure closure that couldn’t be simpler to suss out. Do take care to screw it on properly, though.
“This mug will fit under the group head on an espresso machine, so saves us from using another vessel to prepare the coffee before pouring it into the reusable cup,” said Scarlet, barista at Holding Patterns listening bar in Leeds.
Hand-washing is recommended to preserve the mug’s finish. Thankfully, reaching inside with a soapy sponge didn’t prove a chore. The Commuter claims to offer “leakproof coffee on the go”, and this rang true. It performed very well during my bounce and drip test.
It’s a shame that … this mug may be too wide for some cup holders and backpack pockets.
Capacity: 340ml
Material: silicone, electropolished steel, polypropylene
Dimensions:
8.6 x 12.7cm
Temperature after one hour:
74.4C
Temperature after eight hours: 34.1C
Weight: 218g
Dishwasher safe? Hand-washing recommended to preserve finish
Warranty/guarantee: 12 months, with three years for stainless steel parts
What we love
Resists leaks and retains heat
What we don’t love
Too wide for certain pockets
Best budget travel mug:
Yeti the Rambler
What we love
Beautifully designed and well made
What we don’t love
Lacks the capacity for long drinks
Isn’t this a fine little thing? I found the Rambler ideal for small drinks such as espressos, short blacks and cordials on the go – and it proved effective at keeping drinks suitably hot or cold.
Why we love it
Perhaps the best trait of this cup is its portability. It’s small and narrows towards the base, which makes it handy for rucksack pockets or car cup holders. Thanks to the ridge about halfway up, it’s convenient to carry by hand, too.
I was impressed with the Rambler’s chunky Magslider closure, which makes it easy to open or seal the aperture on the splashproof (note: not leakproof) lid. In my bounce test, it didn’t leak whatsoever when the lid was closed, but it did spray out coffee with the lid open. Just remember to close it before running to catch a bus. This mug’s vibrant colourways are just my cup of tea, too – especially the Rescue Red.
“It’s a convenient size, but it would’ve been helpful to have a mark inside the cup to show the right fill level,” said Saeed Hussain, owner of Cravings By Sid in Calverley. “You might be best off handing it to the barista with the lid, so they can see how high to fill it.”
It’s a shame that … rinsing suds out from under the lid is slightly tricky, as some of the dishwater gets under the slider.
Capacity: 236ml
Material: stainless steel, ceramic and plastic
Dimensions: 7.2 x 10.5cm
Temperature after one hour: 74.1C
Temperature after eight hours: 34.9C
Weight: 200g
Dishwasher safe? Yes
Warranty/guarantee: five years
What we love
Beautifully designed and well made
What we don’t love
Lacks the capacity for long drinks
Best leakproof travel mug:
Stanley AeroLight transit mug
Stanley
AeroLight transit mug
from £23
What we love
Exceptionally leakproof
What we don’t love
If anything, it keeps drinks too hot
The aptly named AeroLight feels dainty. The lid seal is secure, barely allowing any steam through, even when opened for drinking. In normal use and temperature testing, it proved effective at keeping things hot. On opening, this bottle sometimes greeted me with a tiny spray of coffee, but that’s a small price to pay for its tight closure.
Why we love it
This was the model I trusted most to stay sealed inside my bag – and, as expected, it didn’t leak. I bounced on the trampette with it, shook it upside down, threw it over my head – and not a drop was spilled. Note that Stanley advises that users fill the AeroLight no higher than 7mm from the threads of the lid.
The narrow, fairly tall profile of the AeroLight is ideal for backpack side pockets and slimline cup holders, although it also means its capacity may be lower than you expect. The barista who served me at an excellent King’s Cross coffee kiosk was utterly bemused when I asked her what she thought of the bottle. I’ll take this as a sign that it’s easy to fill up.
The AeroLight is dishwasher safe and comes with a lifetime guarantee.
It’s a shame that … the insulation of this bottle may be too great, if anything. I had to leave the lid off for quite some time to bring coffee down to a drinkable temperature.
Capacity: 350ml
Material: stainless steel and plastic
Dimensions: 6.9 x 16.3cm
Temperature after one hour: 83.8C
Temperature after eight hours: 49.3C
Weight: 180g
Dishwasher safe? Yes
Warranty/guarantee: lifetime
Stanley
AeroLight transit mug
from £23
What we love
Exceptionally leakproof
What we don’t love
If anything, it keeps drinks too hot
Best travel mug for iced coffee:
Zwilling Thermo Plus Thermo Straw tumbler
Zwilling
Thermo Plus Thermo Straw tumbler
£39.95
What we love
Perfect for iced drinks
What we don’t love
Doesn’t fit all drink holders and pockets
Zwilling’s high standards are showcased in this double-wall insulated travel tumbler, with its robust lid and smooth stainless steel interior. The grooved texture on the handle makes it tactile and pleasant to hold.
Why we love it
As well as ensuring hot drinks stay hot, which it does effectively, this tumbler is designed to keep cold drinks cold. I was impressed when using it with iced coffee, as the ice cubes were still barely melted by the time I finished sipping, about an hour after the drink was made.
Another plus point for cold coffees is the straw accessory, which comes with a cleaning tool to scrub inside it. The collapsible section at the bottom of the straw means you can reduce its length for storage inside the tumbler after sipping your drink. The cleaning tool also turned out to be useful for scrubbing towards the bottom of the tumbler, as this area proved impossible for me to reach with a scourer.
It’s a shame that … this tumbler proved cumbersome. I struggled to fit it into a car cup holder, and only certain backpacks proved capable of carrying it in their side pockets. On the plus side, it never leaked during testing.
Capacity: 900ml
Material: stainless steel, BPA-free Tritan plastic (lid), silicone seals
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.8 x 25.6cm
Temperature after one hour: 85.3C
Temperature after eight hours: 49.3C
Weight: 550g
Dishwasher safe? Yes
Warranty/guarantee: lifetime
Zwilling
Thermo Plus Thermo Straw tumbler
£39.95
What we love
Perfect for iced drinks
What we don’t love
Doesn’t fit all drink holders and pockets
The best of the rest
Bru ceramic travel mug
Bru
Ceramic travel mug
£23.95
What we love
Tight seal and neutral taste
What we don’t love
Lid retains water from washing
Best for: taste
This travel-friendly option from Bru has a nice outer texture that I found both smooth and grippy, while the ceramic surface on the inside ensures a neutral taste.
For me, the level of insulation was just right – coffee bought on the go was nice and hot, but drinkable, after about an hour stored in the cup. The lid feels secure and is intuitive to open or close with a press.
The maximum fill-level line on the inside seemed to help baristas avoid overfilling the cup, allowing for the lid to be replaced without any spurting. It proved perfectly leakproof, even when I turned it upside down and shook it.
It didn’t make the final cut because … while the lid works well at preventing leaks, it tends to retain water after cleaning, so you’ll need to give it a good shake and dry before taking it out.
Capacity: 340ml; material: stainless steel body, ceramic-lined interior, polypropylene lid with silicone seals, and a silicone base; dimensions: 6.5 x 17.5cm; temperature after one hour: 84.2C; temperature after eight hours: 50.4C; weight: 320g; dishwasher safe? No; warranty/guarantee: two years
Bru
Ceramic travel mug
£23.95
What we love
Tight seal and neutral taste
What we don’t love
Lid retains water from washing
Grind reusable coffee cup
Grind
Reusable coffee cup
£18.72
What we love
Lovely design
What we don’t love
Not the easiest to grip
Best for: cute design
I felt compelled to test this cute, chic reusable cup from Grind, which sports a line drawing of the Pokémon Eevee that sings the song of my millennial soul. If you’re not a Pokémon lover, though, you can also buy the cup in Grind’s signature pink or black from £24.95.
As well as looking lovely, it’s great at controlling temperature, keeping drinks like americanos and long blacks hot while barely transferring any heat to the outside of the vessel. It also comes with a stainless steel straw for sipping iced or cold drinks.
“It’s beautiful,” said Scarlet, from Holding Patterns. “This has one of the better form factors of the reusable coffee cups we get handed over the counter, and it’s great that it means we save on disposable takeaway cups.”
It didn’t make the final cut because … I think the flat, smooth outer of this cup could make it easy to drop when filled, and it isn’t leakproof. So, this model is perhaps best suited to home use.
Capacity: 360ml; material: stainless steel, plastic (on part of lid); dimensions: 11 x 9cm; temperature after one hour: 75.6C; temperature after eight hours: 34.9C; weight: 200g; dishwasher safe? No; warranty/guarantee: none
Grind
Reusable coffee cup
£18.72
What we love
Lovely design
What we don’t love
Not the easiest to grip
Chilly’s Big Mouth
Chilly’s
Big Mouth
from £60
What we love
A family-size option
What we don’t love
Best when used with cups
Best for: a family-size reusable bottle
Family-size flask meets trendy reusable bottle in the Chilly’s Big Mouth. It has plenty of space for everyone’s tea, coffee or water on a group trip, and it serves equally well as a daylong sipping solution for the chronically hydrated.
The rim of the bottle is pretty deep, and I found I had to drink from it carefully to avoid a drenching. Personally, I’m OK with that, but dainty sippers might prefer to decant their drink into a cup.
This bottle’s lid felt very secure, and I was confident enough to carry it, filled, in my bag. But given how good the Big Mouth looks, vibrant and pleasantly textured, proud owners might prefer to tote it by the handle instead. It performed exceptionally well in my bounce, drip and temperature tests.
It didn’t make the final cut because … most people will need something smaller for on-the-go coffees.
Capacity: 2l; material: 90% post-consumer certified recycled stainless steel, plastic, rubber base; dimensions: 13.5 x 26.5cm; temperature after one hour: 88.8C; temperature after eight hours: 65.4C; weight: 862g; dishwasher safe? No; warranty/guarantee: two years
Chilly’s
Big Mouth
from £60
What we love
A family-size option
What we don’t love
Best when used with cups
Ninja Sip Perfect travel mug
Ninja
Sip Perfect travel mug
from £34.99
What we love
Maintains a good drinking temperature
What we don’t love
Low capacity relative to size
Best for: daylong use
Ninja’s mug was one of the top performers in my drip, bounce and temperature tests. If you’re looking for a large, leakproof option to fill at home and drink from throughout the day, this would be a fine choice. Interestingly, it’s supposed to cool hot drinks down initially, then keep them at a pleasant sipping temperature. This is exactly how the mug worked in my temperature testing.
Drinking through the lid is very simple – you pop down the seal and then sip through the opening, which allows just the right flow for my taste. I often find Ninja’s products intuitive and well designed, and that’s certainly true of this bottle.
I wouldn’t recommend drinking without the lid while on transport (especially with a driver who tends to slam on the brakes) as the metal is thin and could cause harm if jolted towards your mouth.
Baristas Ivy and Theo at Flamingos Coffee House in Leeds were happy to use the Sip Perfect, but they had some reservations. “It’s too tall for our machine, so I had to pour the coffee into a mug first,” said Ivy.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s not quite a match for our top picks in terms of portability. However, you may feel that the higher capacity justifies the added heft.
Capacity: 400ml; material: stainless steel, BPA-free plastic; dimensions: 7.7 x 22.7cm; temperature after one hour: 62.2C; temperature after eight hours: 47.4C; weight: 573g; dishwasher safe? Yes, but hand-washing is recommended to preserve the finish; warranty/guarantee: five years if registered
Ninja
Sip Perfect travel mug
from £34.99
What we love
Maintains a good drinking temperature
What we don’t love
Low capacity relative to size
Ocean Bottle Brew flask
Ocean Bottle
Brew flask
from £35
What we love
Excellent eco credentials
What we don’t love
Releases water quite slowly
Best for: an eco-friendly bottle
This is a useful little bottle to have in your collection. It’s perfectly leakproof (even when you take it on a trampoline), insulates hot or cold liquids very well, and slots neatly into a backpack pocket or cup holder.
Perhaps its most important role is its environmental impact: maker Ocean Bottle funds the collection of the equivalent of 1,000 ocean-bound plastic bottles with each one bought.
It didn’t make the final cut because … the lid doesn’t allow enough liquid through at once for a really satisfying sip. I also needed a few tries to learn when the lid is properly sealed. Make sure you figure this out before taking the flask on your travels.
Capacity: 350ml; material: recycled stainless steel, BPA-free plastic, silicone; dimensions: 6.8 x 16.8cm; temperature after one hour: 81.8C; temperature after eight hours: 47.1C; weight: 226g; dishwasher safe? Yes; warranty/guarantee: 10 years
Ocean Bottle
Brew flask
from £35
What we love
Excellent eco credentials
What we don’t love
Releases water quite slowly
Klean Kanteen Rise Mug 399ml
Klean Kanteen
Rise mug
£29.95
What we love
Big enough for generous pours
What we don’t love
Lacks portability
Best for: camping
The Rise mug has a lovely brushed steel, canteen-like interior, while its double-wall vacuum insulation helps keep drinks hot.
I found it one of the easiest reusable cups to clean. It’s wide enough to reach inside effortlessly with a sponge, and the lid has a simple design that should minimise grime buildup.
Whereas most reusable cups probably won’t get used much at home, this one’s so pleasant to drink from with or without the lid that you might reach for it when in need of a homely cuppa.
It’s worth noting that the Rise mug is not leakproof – as I discovered when I tipped it upside down for a drip test. However, the lid seal holds up well when you’re using the cup sensibly.
Cravings By Sid’s Hussain only had good things to say about this mug. “I loved it – I’m tempted to get one for myself,” he said, after filling the mug with a large iced coffee.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s too wide to fit conveniently inside most rucksack pockets. The handle is ideal for looping on to the strap of a hiking backpack or bikepacking pannier bag, however.
Capacity: 399ml; material: 90% post-consumer recycled steel, BPA-free plastic; dimensions: 9.7 x 9.9cm; temperature after one hour: 76.5C; temperature after eight hours: 32.5C; weight: 309g; dishwasher safe? Yes; warranty/guarantee: lifetime limited warranty
Klean Kanteen
Rise mug
£29.95
What we love
Big enough for generous pours
What we don’t love
Lacks portability
Ecoffee cup
Ecoffee
Reusable cup
from £13.95
What we love
Great for short coffee drinks
What we don’t love
Gets hot in the hand
Best for: affordability
Its stubby form makes this a convenient cup to squeeze into a tight backpack pocket or cup holder. I really appreciated its ease of cleaning, its lightness and most of all its natural feel: the cup itself is made from a plant-based material derived from sugar beet.
There are limitations to this style of cup. It leaked a little during my trampette testing, and released coffee liberally when upended. For quickly drinking a short coffee drink bought from a cafe, it works very well, but I wouldn’t recommend it for transporting liquids.
It didn’t make the final cut because … heat transfer through the cup’s material is considerable. You wouldn’t want to keep a tight hold of it when it’s freshly filled with black coffee.
Capacity: 240ml; material: PLA (plant-based), silicone; dimensions: 8.2 x 10.1cm; temperature after one hour: 48.3C; temperature after eight hours: 24.8C; weight: 150g; dishwasher safe? Yes; warranty/guarantee: three years
Ecoffee
Reusable cup
from £13.95
What we love
Great for short coffee drinks
What we don’t love
Gets hot in the hand
What you need to know
Which brands have perks for bringing your own cup?
The eco-friendly decision to carry your coffee in a reusable cup or bottle is well rewarded by various coffee chains and independent cafes.
Ideally, you’ll keep taking your reusable cup to your favourite local independent when you can. You won’t always get a discount, but savings of about 10% are not uncommon.
Several of the big chains offer incentives to use a reusable cup, including:
-
Starbucks: 25p discount
-
Pret a Manger: 50p discount
-
Caffè Nero: double loyalty stamps via its app (so the sixth coffee is free)
-
Costa: double loyalty card stamps (so the sixth coffee is free)
-
Greggs: 25p discount
Supermarkets are also getting in on the trend. Waitrose provides free hot drinks to its members who bring a reusable cup; Marks & Spencer cafes offer a 50p discount.
Are travel mugs actually eco-friendly?
A travel mug comes with environmental costs. Manufacturing and selling one requires energy and materials, and it will be cleaned with soap and water by the eventual owner.
Thankfully, the environmental toll of a reusable cup tends to be lower than that of habitually drinking from single-use cups, which are typically made from paper modified with plastic. A study by Ciraig (a sustainability research organisation based in Canada) found that a reusable cup becomes less harmful than using single-use cups after 20 to 100 drinks, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions generated. This varies depending on the material of the reusable cup.
You would hope to use your cup or bottle at least that many times – and perhaps even for a lifetime. Some models are built to last with decades-long guarantees.
Reusable cups are sometimes made largely from recycled materials, which reduces their embodied carbon (the sum of emissions created by making the cup and getting it into the customer’s hands). The maker’s business model might also seek to offset or outweigh environmental costs. For example, Ocean Bottle funds the collection of plastic waste through the sale of each product.
In short, reusable coffee cups are the most eco-friendly solution we’ve come up with for carrying hot drinks on the go. To minimise the environmental downsides, use yours for as long as you can, apply minimal (eco-friendly) washing-up liquid and hot water during routine washes, and choose a sustainability-focused brand.
For more, read the best reusable water bottles and the best backpacks for work, travel and wild adventure
Pete Wise is a journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering everything from global development and social causes to technology and music. He’s written various articles about coffee, including reviews of coffee machines and coffee grinders, and features on the health effects of caffeine. He’ll take a long black to go, please – in a reusable cup
This article was originally published on 30 July 2025. Reviews published in the Filter may be periodically updated to reflect new products and at the editor’s discretion. The date of an article’s most recent update can be found in the timestamp at the top of the page. This article was amended on 16 October 2026; the Zwilling, Bru and Grind cups were added after testing, discontinued models were removed, and prices were updated throughout.
