Some people love coffee so much that it is something they think about immediately after waking up! Maybe you imagine it now? A delicious hot cup of coffee. For many people, it is their actual breakfast.
Today, there are many people who even add protein powder to their coffee, making it even more healthy. Keeping your delicious cup of coffee hot will help avoid that horrifying moment when you realize that your brew has gone cold.
However, imagine buying a cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop or café, and it is not hot! Yuck! It happens at home too. You make your coffee and get distracted by emails or your partner, and the coffee you looked forward to all morning is lukewarm. How do you keep your coffee hot then?
Ways to Keep Your Coffee Hot
There are many different thoughts on how to do this. There are mug warmers, mug cozies, immersion heaters, special cups, cup warmers for your car. We will discuss them all here.
Put a Lid on it!
The most obvious is to put a lid on it! A lid on your cup keeps the heat inside.
Preheat
Martha Stewart once said the best way to enjoy your coffee is in a pre-warmed mug. She always gives excellent advice! Preheating your mug preps it for maintaining its ideal temperature.
You can and should even preheat your carafe in your coffee maker at home. Preheating the carafe or mug also aids in bringing out the flavor of the beans you choose. Simply put boiling water in a cup and let it sit for a minute or two and you are done. You could even put the mug in the microwave with water and boil it that way to preheat your cup.
Microwave your Coffee?
Can’t you put the coffee into the microwave after you brew it? This isn’t a good idea at all. Sure, microwaves are convenient, and they do heat things up quickly, but they can ruin your delicious cup of coffee.
Because of the way a microwave heats, your coffee can end up heated unevenly (just like anything else you heat up in a microwave), and coffee can also come out tasting burnt or bitter. The hot spots created can get an aftertaste too and can be worse if you use cream or milk.
Hot Plate or Mug Warmer Anyone?
How about an old fashioned hot plate or one of the new mug warmer hot plates? Hot plates do heat things up but might not be great for coffee. Some feel that the direct heat can over-extract your coffee and make it bitter. It is also very hot direct heat.
There are some small mug warmer options that may work better. Less old fashioned hot plate, and more mug plate, they work on the same principle but are smaller and can be plugged in at your desk and even with a USB port! This is an alternative for those of you who live at your offices all day. They are also inexpensive and can be used in your car.
Make sure your cup has that all-important lid, especially if you have a bumpy ride.
A Candle Warmer for the Coffee
A candle warmer is about the size of a coffee mug; why not use that? It can warm a candle and make your house smell nice, why not your coffee?
It works on the same principle as the hot plate or mug plate and may cause your coffee to overheat and turn bitter and burnt tasting. Might it be better to stick to heating candles on this- perhaps coffee-scented ones?
Keep it warm instead of adding heat
So, besides preheating your mug, what else can work to keep your coffee hot?
Thermal Carafe
One idea that works great is using a Thermal Carafe. The carafe uses the original heat of the coffee to keep it warm. These are particularly helpful if you brew multiple cups at a time as you are not one cup a day coffee drinker.
It won’t over-extract the grounds because they are not sitting in the carafe. Near boiling temperature somewhere near 200 degrees, Fahrenheit is the water temperature for perfect coffee brewing. This is too hot to drink, but a well-insulated thermal carafe will keep your coffee at ideal drinking temperature for hours!
Many drip coffee machines on the market don’t use glass carafes anymore and use thermal ones.
Insulated Mugs
This can keep your coffee warmer for a more extended period. There are stainless steel insulated mugs as well in case you don’t need a whole carafe full of coffee. Perfect insulated mugs are pricey but worth it. The less expensive ones do not work as well. They also come with a lid and can be used in the car and at home.
Preheating for the insulated mug or carafe still stands as a good idea. Many drip coffee makers come with and can accommodate travel mugs now. This is helpful, so you don’t have to stand there holding the cup while your coffee brews.
Cup Warmer for the Car
Are you going straight from the coffee pot to your car for a long commute? Stopping off at your favorite café and then straight into traffic?
Keep your coffee hot in the car as well with an electronic cup warmer! No one wants to sit in traffic or drive to work or school with cold coffee. Get an electric cup warmer that plugs right into your car! Use it in the afternoon while you are driving your children around to activities to warm your afternoon coffee or tea.
Precision technology keeps your drink at the optimum drinking temperature. It also doubles a cup holder and will keep your coffee cup in place while driving. Fewer spills! The only negative is that it only works when your car is on, so if you stop to get gas or run an errand, your coffee will cool off a bit.
Self-Heating Mug
There is even a temperature-controlled mug available. You can set the temperature to your taste. Expensive but worth it so you can have perfect coffee every time.
One of these mugs can even boil the water for your coffee using battery power! Hello, great coffee while camping and hiking. Is there an app for that? You betcha! There is even a mug with an app to control the temperature of one of these mugs. It is so smart that not only will it keep your coffee at your perfect temperature all day. It turns off when your cup is empty and on again when you refill it. How is that for smart and convenient?
Insulated French Press
Love French Press coffee instead of drip? Many people do. There is an insulated French Press that will keep your coffee warm, but unfortunately, the water in the press will continue to brew the grounds long past the time you plunge them. Such a bummer! This leads to over-extraction, and your coffee will not taste good at all.
Travel French Press
French Press coffee should be enjoyed right away after pressing. Then what is a French Press coffee lover to do? Get a Travel French Press, of course! Put in your coarse ground coffee (Reuse Coffee Grounds in a French Press?), any sweetener or milk you want, boiling water, and press the plunger. Four minutes later, voila! Fresh French Press coffee to go.
The double-wall stainless steel cup keeps your coffee hot, and of course, there is a silicone and mesh filter to decrease sediment in your cup.
Wrap a scarf around it
How about some simple ways to keep your coffee hot? If you live in a colder climate, you stay warm in winter by wearing a scarf or gloves. Well, this will work for your coffee cup too.
Put a scarf or even a sock around your cup, and this will insulate it and keep it warm. There are mug cozies as well. You can find a cute knitted design or saying, and it will look better than an old sock for sure.
This is the same idea as the silicone or cardboard cup sleeve from your favorite coffee shop. It insulates the mug and keeps the heat from your hands. These ideas are inexpensive and handy.
Try an Immersion Heater?
Another inexpensive idea is the immersion heater. It is an alternative to an electric mug warmer. Simply plug it in anywhere, pop it into your cup, and heat up your coffee. You can use it anywhere there is a plug.
Metal Beans
Have you ever heard of metal beans? They aren’t magic beans, but they will keep your coffee hot. They have stainless steel shells that keep your coffee at a perfect drinking temperature by absorbing heat.
They are the size of soup spoons so that you won’t swallow them. Like your cup, preheating them will help keep your coffee hot for a more extended time. It is still a good idea to have the right size cup and insulation and a lid for an even hotter coffee longer.
Right-Size your Mug
Size matters! If your cup or carafe holds more air than liquid, your coffee will cool down faster, so pay attention to the size of your vessel.
Unless it is a hot summer day and you are dying for an Iced Coffee, your coffee should be steaming hot, and you will want it to stay that way. This takes a bit of effort. There are many smart ways and cute ideas to keep your coffee hot, and some are better than others. The better ways keep the delicious flavor while keeping it warm.
Keep Warm or Heat Up?
In general, adding heat back into the coffee isn’t as ideal as keeping it hot, to begin with. Always start with a vessel that has been preheated.
Think about ways to keep your coffee hot instead of how to reheat it. Preheating, mug cozies, sleeves, and of course, lids are a great start! If you are using an insulated mug, it is worth the investment in a more pricey insulated mug and not a knock off as you will have hotter coffee longer. A well-insulated mug or carafe keeps the heat created by brewing in the cup and not out into the air.
The less ideal options heat themselves and then transfer that heat into your cup of coffee. Quick, yes, but this can change the taste of your coffee, and not in the right way.
Wrapping it up
Coffee that is both fresh and hot is the objective, don’t forget. These ideas should help you find your perfect way of keeping your coffee warm each day, ensuring you never have to drink room temperature coffee again any time soon. Enjoy!
