Coffee is one of those beverages where the temperature is super important. Hot coffee needs to be HOT, and there is nothing more disappointing than taking a nice sip of coffee in anticipation of warmth and goodness only to be greeted with a cool, tasteless liquid.
Sometimes, though, we’re just in too much of a hurry to be able to sit and enjoy coffee, so we have to space out our enjoyment – which is why there are some really neat ways to keep coffee hot. Here are our 10 favorites. There is no right or wrong way here, so if you have an innovation of your own, please feel free to share in the comments.
Some people may like their coffee cooler, but I prefer it to be halfway between hot and cool. For me, the heat and warmth add a whole dimension of flavor.
10 ways to keep coffee hot (or warm, depending on your preference)
1. Immersion heater
Immersion heaters are really neat devices that you place inside the liquid you wish to warm up, and in a few minutes, you’ll have a piping hot liquid ready to go.
It’s basically a hot water kettle without the kettle – the heating element is portable and you immerse it in the liquid, and then plug it in, let it do its thing until the liquid is hot enough, and you have a warm beverage good to go!
Immersion heaters are actually quite common and there are a lot of defective models out there too, but the way to keep it going as long as possible is:
- Plug it in?after fully immersing the coil in the liquid
- Leave it in the liquid for a 20-30 seconds after unplugging so the residual heat can dissipate through the liquid
Most immersion heaters run on AC(wall outlet) power so they’re not something you can take in the car, but because they’re so portable, you can easily use them for traveling. You can use this to heat up the water before brewing, too.
2. Mug warmer
This brilliant design is a little heated plate that you just put your mug on and it heats the mug and liquid through conduction and convection. You can power it with a wall outlet up to 110-120V. It’s a super way to keep coffee hot.
For a desk or kitchen or anywhere at home, it’s brilliant. The continuous heating will make sure you have an evenly heated and consistently warm coffee.
However, a word of warning: don’t let coffee sit on the warmer for too long, as it will eventually cook the coffee more than it should be and the taste will be ruined.
3. Heated Travel Mug
A heated travel mug is a great combination of the mug and heater listed in number two. This brilliant design is a standard coffee travel mug except it has a little plug in it. Plug it in, and the heater turns on and warms up the coffee(or any beverage). It comes with a USB plug and a car adapter.
The brilliance of a heated travel mug is that there is already built-in insulation. So if you pour hot coffee and take it on the go, you may not need to plug it in unless you plan on drinking it after a very long time.
4. Car warmer
If you like to get your coffee from your favorite coffee joint, you can keep it warm with this portable car warmer for take out coffee. This is the most spill-proof and car friendly option on this entire list. It can fit into the existing cup holder or also double as a cup holder(though you’ll have to find some place to secure it) and it plugs into the car’s DC outlet.
5. Classical Thermos
How can we write about keeping beverages hot and forget the good ol’ thermos? Built to keep liquids warm for up to 24 hours, thermoses are the perfect way to keep a lot of coffee warm.
The options we listed above are only for single servings, but you can get a thermos in a variety of sizes(the one below is 40 ounces), so if a lot of people need hot coffee at once, thermoses are your best friend. Plus there is no hassle of electronics or anything.
6. Cozy
A more traditional way of keeping coffee and other beverages hot is by using a simple cozy. This little insulator will just wrap around your mug and prevent the heat from escaping quite as quickly.
Another neat cozy-related tip is to cover your glass french press in a cozy to keep your coffee hot as it brews.
Cozies are good options for drinking at home and in the office, and they’re also the most inexpensive option of the lot.
The only issue is that you can’t expect to keep your coffee hot for?too long, as the cozy will only be able to keep so much heat in.