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Sasha Pavlovich is a coffee expert with years of experience as a barista, and she knows quite a bit about caffeine and coffee. She manually curates every single page on CaffeineStats.com to make sure that you are getting the right information at your fingertips.
Sasha's expertise is backed by a strong foundation of credentials. She is a certified Coffee Roast Master, specializes in Green Coffee Analytics, and is a certified Sensory Cup Taster.
Sadly, the great things we enjoy in life don’t last forever. Maybe that’s a reason why we work hard at preserving relationships, time and valuables. Well, I don’t want to sound too philosophical or pessimistic. We want it all. Even if we already do.
Some of us are simple and would like to prolong one of our beloved moments: our coffee time.
Let’s see how choosing the best coffee thermos can help us at enjoying our favorite drink everywhere, for longer. Although, not forever.
Are going to use a thermos for yourself only, or perhaps for your spouse as well? Do you drink lots ofs coffee (the whole coffee pot on daily basis)? If yes, most likely you want to settle for a larger volume thermos. If you are constantly on the go, most likely a travel mug would do.
Insulation is the key to maintaining liquid temperature. The most effective is vacuum insulated with double stainless steel walls. Depending on your budget, but try to avoid the plastic ones if you want to retain the temperatures for more than a couple of hours.
Up to you, but I recommend something stylish and easy to use.
Before I forget, let me warn you about something. The fact that you can hold coffee in a thermos or vacuum flask for long periods of time, does not mean you should. That said, let’s explore practical ways of using a coffee thermos for coffee lovers.
A thermos is a genericized trademark. What that means is that we associate all similar holding containers with the most popular and first brand item of this class. Just like we use terms like aspirin, Jello-O, Q-Tip, Scotch tape, etc. Thermos, LLC did not invent the “thermos.” Back in 1892, Sir James Dewar invented the vacuum flask. This technology is still in use today. Unfortunately for Sir Dewar, he didn’t patent his invention, but the people behind what became Thermos LLC, did. Sad. The man behind the best thermos idea never recovered the rights to his invention, although he tried.
Maybe you think there’s no reason to complicate things when choosing the best thermos for coffee or hot water. However, it’s very important to know how thermoses work and understand some of the materials used when shopping for one. It could be very confusing when you have 100 to choose from. That’s how many you get if you search on Amazon. Yet, you only need one or two. To make things more confusing, most claim to be the best insulated thermoses in the market.
The thermos is essentially two containers, one inside the other. One container is narrower, creating a void, or space, between them. Ideally that gap should have no air. That’s where the name, “vacuum flask,” comes from. This lack of air, delays conduction and convection or the movements of temperature. Maybe a simplistic definition, but we’re looking for the best coffee thermos, not a degree in thermodynamics. Stainless steel ranks low in the heat transfer scale, when compared to other metals. Therefore, the best material for insulated thermoses.
That wasn’t so bad. Right?
Clearly, your best bet is to choose vacuum sealed stainless steel thermoses. You won’t get better insulation for this application.
True, you could insulate with foam, glass or sand if you want to. Still, the vacuum created between two layers of stainless steel is the best. Just be wary of some products being constructed with an inner stainless steel flask, and the other layer with plastic or the like. For example, the promotional ones given away as promotion. Those come apart while sipping for the first time. The hot or cold liquid, break it apart.
Stainless steel will also have a neutral effect on odors and flavors, and is also resistant to acidic drinks.
You’ll also see many thermoses, advertised as 18/8 stainless steel. Cool… Do you know what that means? It’s simple, once you know. Still, the vendors never explain this in their advertising. 18 stands for chromium and 8 for nickel in percentages. Chromium is a corrosion resistance material. Hence, the best construction for a hot water thermos. No one likes to see brown in clear water.
So if this kind of stainless steel has 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel, what else is in the formula? Stainless steel is an iron-based alloy of carbon, manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, nitrogen and iron. Just remember: the minimum amount of chromium in stainless steel, should be 11% in order for the alloy to resist rust. (Just in case you find a bargain.)
Everyone has a preconceived idea of what great coffee should be. In that, we reflect the diversity that exists in our society.
Holding coffee in a thermos for long periods of times may seem like an abomination to a coffee snob, a purist. On the other hand, it may seem like a viable alternative to a practical person who works long hours or the graveyard shift.
In defence of the purist, let’s clear something out. Coffee will oxidize with time. Holding coffee inside a thermos for 8 hours, for example, will affect its taste. For many of us, fresh coffee is 10 minutes old, tops. All the benefits of the “vacuum-sealed flask,” work against it in this scenario. It’s somehow slow cooking the coffee longer than its optimal life.
Maybe a better idea is to use it as a hot water thermos. You could get a French press for example and make coffee in your office or car. Perhaps you could use an aeropress, or a single cup filter (paper or muslin). The alternatives are there for the purist who wants a perfect cup of coffee every time.
Just for the sake of being thorough, another variation is to use instant coffee. It’s real coffee.
And yet, there’s the crowd that likes to sip their coffee for hours (in the same cup or small thermos). Holding coffee for a long time doesn’t seem to be a problem for them. Coffee is just one more of the other components in their drink.
Others experiment with alternatives. I know a guy who keeps a 32 ounces thermos full of cold brew with ice cubes. The ice cubes don’t seem to melt much after 8 hours. The cold brew keeps POTENT! This would be a great scenario for a large thermos.
One more thing before moving on to the reviews. It’s very important to prime your thermos. This is simple but often skipped because we are always in a rush. All you have to do is fill your thermos with water that matches your drink’s temperature.
Stainless steel is cold. Tempering (conditioning) the bottle prior to filling it with your hot or cold drink, won’t cool or warm your coffee as it’s poured in.
All that said, let’s try to find the best thermos for coffee.
It’s best to prime your coffee thermos before using it. All you have to do is fill it with hot water for about 10 minutes to temper or condition the inside of your vessel. If this is not done, your liquid will cool down a few degrees and that’s a lot for you to notice. You might mistakenly think that your thermos is defective.
You can do the same with cold water or ice, but that is not a must. Now, if you are going from hot to cold, this is a must or your liquid will warm up as you pour it.
This is where you must be careful to guarantee you get a good life from your thermos.
Always wash it manually. Most claim to be dishwasher safe, but you should avoid it if you can.
A mild detergent and a brush are all you might need. You can soak it in water and dish detergent for 10 minutes, then brush in a stirring motion and up and down, followed by a rinse.
For difficult stains, you can use vinegar and baking soda. Be mindful there will be a volcano-like reaction to this mixture. Then scrub, use dish detergent and rinse. Another alternative is to use ice and salt. Fill the thermos with ice and some salt, cover it and shake like making a Martini.
I would only use this method if the previous one failed.
A mild detergent and a brush are all you might need. You can soak it in water and dish detergent for 10 minutes, then brush in a stirring motion and up and down, followed by a rinse.
Put one tablespoon of baking soda, and fill your thermos with water. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse. You might have to repeat this process.
Thermos Stainless King 68 oz. It promises 24 hours of either hot or cold.
The Thermos Stainless King 68 oz. It promises 24 hours of either hot or cold. The Stanley makes the same claim. Both have a track record of excellence. Thus, either one can be the best thermos for this application.
Twenty-four to 36 hours if you follow the instructions and prime your thermos before every use. The materials and science make the difference.
I’m not too fond of declaring winners. Sometimes, what’s spectacular for a person may seem ordinary for another. These thermoses are all very good, with pros and cons. It would be up to the individual, as needs and budgets differ. One might not even dream of holding coffee (even worst drinking) for 24 hours. Another person would think it practical during a long night shift, when the caffeine dose is more desirable than its flavor.
Nevertheless, I’ll tell you what’s really a reliable and smart investment, and that’s my intellect speaking. The Thermos vacuum insulated 18/8 compact stainless steel bottle, the first one reviewed, wins. It comes in three sizes, up to 48 ounces. The best bang for your money.
Finally, my heart and senses choose the Zojirushi. Why? Because I’ll have coffee until it cools downs, for an undetermined amount of time. Most likely, my cup won’t be full too long. Coffee tastes better, cup after cup. And I like pink.
