Travel Mug Temperature Experiment

How well do
different mugs keep
your drinks hot?
By: mug for life®
21 January 2012
Please note: Our experiment was carried out in a home kitchen and not laboratory conditions. It
was performed by our team members who did their best to make sure everything was as consistent
and accurate. Please use the results as a guide to how well each mug keep drinks warm.
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 1
The three mugs we tested:
The original mug for life®
A double walled, thermal,
BPA free, polypropylene
plastic mug. Weight approx.
240g, holds 12 fl. oz. / 355 ml.
£12.99 +P&P from Amazon: htt
p://
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/produ
ct/B004W0HOWG
Ceramic / Porcelain mug.
A double-walled, thermal,
porcelain mug with silicone
lid. Weight approx. 454g,
holds 10 fl. oz. / 250 ml.
n: http://
£12.95 inc. P&P from Amazo
04NSI9S0
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0
Disposable Card
board Mug
from Costa. A wa
x-backed
cardboard cup w
ith plastic
lid. Weight appro
x. TBCg,
holds 12 fl. oz. /
355 ml.
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 2
Experiment setup:
Our aim was to measure the
thermal properties of
different mugs to keep drinks
hot. To see if the mugs for life®
were any better than regular
disposable coffee shop mugs
or the porcelain ones. We
repeated our experiment
under the same conditions for
each mug and recorded our
data using time-lapse
photography, a digital
thermometer (Accuracy
within 1˚C), and an iPhone 4S.
We measured the temperature change of the hot water in each mug over
a period of 1.5 hours. We boiled water and added straight into each mug
and sealed the lids. Then using the digital thermometer and a timelapse photo application we could monitor the reduction in degrees over
the 1.5 hours.
We ensured that each mug was filled with the same volume of boiling
water and that the starting temperature of each empty mug was the
same (room temperature). They were kept in the same position and
distance from the window in the kitchen.
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 3
Thermometer position:
With limited access to the water
inside the mug (through only the
drinking hole) this meant that the
temperature reading was from the
outer edge of the water inside the
mug. Ideally we would have liked to
measure the center, but the probe is
ridged. The metal temperature
probe is 125mm and therefore was
suspended about 5cm from the
bottom of the mug (around where
the rubber sleeve ends).
We ensured that in the disposable
and porcelain mugs the position was
also consistent. Against the side and
5cm from the bottom of each mug.
Unfortunately the thermometer had
an auto power switch off. So we had
to turn it back on every so often. We
did our best to not move the position
or disturb the water inside. This was
quite easy as the rubber buttons on
the front were easy to use.
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 4
Temperature reduction over 90 minutes:
Time
(in minutes)
mug for life®
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
90.3
88.8
87.6
86.5
85.6
84.8
83.9
83.1
82.5
81.5
80.9
80.1
79.3
78.6
77.9
77.2
76.5
75.9
75.3
74.6
74
73.9
72.8
72.1
71.5
70.9
70.4
69.8
69.2
68.7
68.1
67.5
67.1
66.5
66
65.5
65
64.5
64
63.5
63.1
62.5
62.1
61.6
Porcelain Mug
90.5
88.6
87.2
84.9
83.2
81.8
80.5
79.5
78.4
77.5
76.3
75.3
74.2
73.1
72.2
71.1
70.2
69.4
68.7
67.8
67.1
66.3
65.7
65.0
64.3
63.6
62.9
62.2
61.7
61.0
60.4
59.8
59.2
58.7
58.1
57.6
57.0
56.5
56.0
55.5
54.9
54.5
54.0
53.5
Disposable Cardboard Mug
90.9
89.2
87.6
86.1
84.9
83.4
82.1
81.2
79.6
78.5
77.3
76.2
75.2
74.1
73.1
72.1
71.2
70.3
69.4
68.5
68.2
67.3
66.3
65.4
64.7
63.9
63.1
62.6
61.9
61.1
60.5
59.7
58.8
58.2
57.6
56.8
56.2
55.5
54.9
54.6
54
53.4
52.9
52.3
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 5
Time
(in minutes)
mug for life®
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
61.2
60.8
60.3
59.9
59.5
59
58.5
58.2
57.8
57.3
56.9
56.5
56.2
55.8
55.4
55
54.6
54.3
54
53.5
53.1
52.8
52.7
52.2
51.9
51.6
51.2
50.9
50.6
50.3
50
49.7
49.5
49.1
48.8
48.5
48.2
48
47.9
47.9
47.8
47.8
47.7
47.6
47.6
47.5
Porcelain Mug
53.1
52.6
52.2
51.8
51.3
50.9
50.4
50
49.6
49.2
48.9
48.4
48.3
48.1
47.6
47.2
46.8
46.3
45.9
45.5
45.2
44.9
44.5
44.2
43.9
43.6
43.3
43.0
42.8
42.4
42.2
41.9
41.5
41.3
41.1
40.8
40.5
40.2
39.9
39.7
39.5
39.2
39.0
38.8
38.5
38.1
Disposable Cardboard Mug
51.8
51.3
50.9
50.3
49.9
49.4
48.9
48.5
48.1
47.9
47.9
47.5
46.9
46.3
45.9
45.2
44.9
44.3
43.9
43.4
43.2
42.9
42.4
42.1
41.8
41.4
41.1
40.8
40.5
40.2
39.9
39.7
39.3
39.2
38.9
38.7
38.3
38.1
37.9
37.8
37.4
37.2
36.9
36.7
36.4
36.1
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 6
mug for life®
Porcelain Mug
Disposable Cardboard Mug
100
90
80
Optimum drinking temperature
70
˚C
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
6
11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76 81 86
Time in minuets
What is the best temperature to drink coffee?
Searching the web for the best temperature for hot drinks we found this
helpful post: http://chugginmccoffee.hubpages.com/hub/What-Is-TheBest-Temperature-For-Coffee
It recommends drinking between 70˚C and 80˚C.
And this post: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/
DianaGendler.shtml talked about the best temperature to brew your
coffee. Recommending between 88˚C and 93˚C.
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 7
So we have highlighted the optimum-drinking-temperature for each
mug and how long they managed to keep the liquid at that ‘optimum’
temperature.
mug for life® Porcelain Mug Disposable Cardboard Mug 16 mins in the 80˚C to 70˚C band
11 mins in the 80˚C to 70˚C band
9 mins in the 80˚C to 70˚C band
How long did it take to drop below 50˚C?
We believe that drinks are still quite ‘drinkable’ at 50˚C so we took this
as another indication of good performance.
mug for life® Porcelain Mug Disposable Cardboard Mug 75 mins to drop below 50˚C
52 mins to drop below 50˚C
49 mins to drop below 50˚C
mug for life® keeps your drink hotter for longer; 26 minutes longer
than the Disposable Cardboard Mug (that’s 53% longer) and 23 minutes
longer than the Porcelain Mug (that’s 44% longer).
The most surprising result was that the Porcelain Mug was only 3
minutes better than the Disposable Cardboard one!
The mug for life® also keeps your liquid at the optimum temperature:
(80˚C to 70˚C) for 78% longer than the Disposable Cardboard Mug and
45% longer than the Porcelain Mug!
Yes, of course we are really thrilled that the mug for life holds up to
temperature retention test! Also we are proud that we have carried out
this test in a unbiased way (we believe we were rigorous in our
methods).
Please help us:
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 8
If you know of any retailers who would like to find out how they can
stock our great mugs then please ask them to email us at
info@mugforlife.com
More about mug for life®
•
•
•
•
•
Re-usable double walled insulated mug
Made from BPA free polypropylene
Rubber grip with mug for life Brand
The alternative to disposable paper cups
1 Tree planted for every 10 sold
Product Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 15.5 cm
Boxed-product Weight: 240 g
Item model number: MFL001
ASIN: B004W0HOWG
Date first available at Amazon.co.uk: 10 April 2011
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
I am the first, the one, the only, the Original Mug For Life...together we will make a
difference
Use me and reuse me
but don't abuse me,
fill me with your favourite drink
together we'll make a difference and make people think.
If you're a conscientious coffee, tea or hot chocolate lover, I will be the new passion in
your life.
I am the vision of one but the desire of many. I have a purpose - to change the hearts
and minds of the
disposable cup sinners and binners.
The coolest way to enjoy your favourite hot or cold drink?
Take me wherever you are
home or work or out in the car,
when you relax, when you shop
especially to your local coffee stop.
I am dishwasher and microwave safe, but I'd prefer you not to use either.
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 9
I'd much rather you gave me a nice warm soapy hand wash and avoided the
microwave all together.
I am 15.5cm tall with a base that's 6cm across and a lid that's 10cm in diameter
and I can hold almost 35cl.
I hope you'll grow to love me as much as you love what goes in me.
And now proven to keep your drink hotter for longer.
PLEASE NOTE: Sealing screw lid is designed to delay most spills from
accidental tipping. And not intended to be spill or leak proof.
The mugs for life® have a great drinking lid; one that does not taste of
silicon or plastic. Our customers rate this one of the best mugs allround. Read this great review from a happy Amazon customer:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mug for life - Fab, 18 Jan 2012
By Johnny - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Original Mug For Life - BPA Free Eco Travel Mug
“I bought one for my daughter and my niece as Christmas gifts as they are Costa and
Starbuck fans. I liked the mug too and ended up getting one in my stocking. Having
this mug makes the journey to work much more comfortable. I have several of those
thermal travel mugs but don't use them as I end up wearing the coffee! This mug is
the perfect shape for cup holders and to drink from unlike those other travel mugs. I
can take coffee to meetings (where they don't give us a drink) and so use it all the
time. I asked Starbucks to put a drink in it today (takes a small (tall) latte/ coffee/ tea)
and I am sure I got a reduction in the price as "Own Cup" came up on the till and the
price dropped - I don't think I imagined it. I tried a plastic mug once before and the
drink tasted of plastic but this one is fine. I am buying another today for my wife and
loads of people have asked about it so I have directed them here. If you buy and drink
coffee etc on the run - this could save you a shed load of money as you can fill it up
with your own favourite drinks - I think I have saved about £20 in 3 weeks (not to
mention the reduction in recycling)- Hmmm that's a lot of coffee so I am switching
to decaf (some of the time).”
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 10
Additional info:
Environmental impact of paper cups:
Source wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_cup
Most paper cups are designed for a single use and then disposal or recycling.
A life cycle inventory of a comparison of paper vs plastic cups shows
environmental effects of both with no clear winner.[10]
A study of one paper coffee cup with sleeve (16 ounce) shows that the CO2
emissions is about .11 kilograms (.25 pounds) per cup with sleeve - including
paper from trees, materials, production and shipping.[11] The loss of natural
habitat potential from the paper coffee cup (16 ounce) with a sleeve is
estimated to be .09 square meters (.93 square feet).[12]
Over 6.5 million trees were cut down to make 16 billion paper cups used by
US consumers in 2006, using 4 billion US gallons (15,000,000 m3) of water
and resulting in 253 million pounds of waste.[13]
Very little recycled paper is used to make paper cups because of
contamination concerns and regulations. Because most paper cups are
coated with plastic, both composting and recycling of paper cups is
uncommon.[13]
Although paper cups are made from renewable resources (wood chips 95%
by weight), paper products in a landfill may not decompose, or may release
methane if decomposed anaerobically. The manufacture of paper usually
requires inorganic chemicals and creates water effluents.
Paper cups may consume more non-renewable resources than cups made of
polystyrene foam (whose only significant effluent is pentane).[14][15] A
number of cities—including Portland, Oregon—have banned XPS foam cups in
take-out and fast food restaurants.[16]
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 11
PE is a petroleum based coating on paper cups that can slow down the
process of biodegrading. PLA is a biodegradable bio-plastic coating used on
some paper cups. PLA is a renewable resource and makes paper cups more
compostable, whereas PE is not renewable and is not compositable.
Notes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
^ "Waxed Paper Food Containers & Lids". Solocup.com. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
^ Kennedy, Garry: Apollo Glossary, Retrieved on June 9, 2007
^ "Paper Products & Dispensers >>Cup Dispensers". Toiletpaperworld.com. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
^ Raloff, Janet (2006-02-11). "Wind Makes Food Retailers Greener". Science News.
^ a b "Dixie Cup Company History". Lafayette College Libraries. August 1995.
^ John H. White (1985). The American railroad passenger car. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 432. ISBN
0801827434.
^ Beulah France (February 1942). "Uses for Paper Cups and Containers". The American Journal of Nursing 42 (2):
154–156. doi:10.2307/3416163. JSTOR 3416163.
^ Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation, Springfield-Greene County Library, Springfield, Missouri
^ Savolainen, Antti "6" Paper and Paperboard Converting Papermaking Science and Technology 12 Finland: Fapet OY
pp. 170–172 ISBN 952-5216-12-8
^ Hocking, M. B. (1 February). "Paper Versus Polystyrene: A Complex Choice". Science 251 (4993): 504–5. doi:10.1126/
science.251.4993.504. PMID 17840849
^ "Report of the Alliance for Environmental Innovation". edf.com. Retrieved Feb 6, 2008.
^ "ecological effects of a paper cup". ecofx.org. Retrieved Feb 6, 2008.
^ a b "Paper Cups = Unsustainable Consumption". aboutmyplanet.com. Retrieved Feb 6, 2008.
^ Don R. Hansen and Maryanne M. Mowen (2005). Management Accounting: The Cornerstone of Business Decisions.
Thomson South-Western. p. 503. ISBN 0324234848.
^ Chris T. Hendrickson, Lester B. Lave, and H. Scott Matthews (2006). Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Goods
and Services: An Input-output Approach. Resources for the Future. p. 5. ISBN 1933115238.
^ M. William Helfrich & Justin Wescoat Sanders (2003-08-13). "The Coming Cup-tastrophe". The Portland Mercury.
^ Adman Y. Tamime and Richard K. Robinson (1999). Yoghurt: science and technology. Woodhead Publishing. p. 97.
ISBN 1855733994.
Temperature retention of the original mug for life against disposable and porcelain mugs. PAGE 12