Here at Muddy Towers we usually don’t argue over products - I likes certain things and Damian has his likes, and usually we don’t match, but this 12 oz Insulated Coffee Mug from Hydro Flask seems to be good enough to keep both of us wanting it as our own (he will lose this fight).

First up the TempShield™ insulation is amazing. If you make a cuppa and put the lid on in the closed position expect your bevarage liquid of choice to stay at tongue-burning level for hours (I’m not kidding), and with the slider open it will still stay pretty piping for longer than you may want it to. This also works for keeping your drinks cold too.

Lets talk about that lid, it pushes on, but grips incredibly well, so you can be assured that you will have no problems with it popping off and spilling your drink all over the place. It has a slider that opens enough so you can easily drink with the lid on, and you can also fit a straw in if you use one. The only problem I had was actually getting the lid back off when there is liquid inside as it takes quite a bit of effort, and if your drink is hot there is a potential for an accident when you tug.

One morning I tested out how long my hot chocolate would stay hot and drinkable with the lid completely off. I made my Options Hot Chocolate with the kettle, then added some straight-from-the-fridge milk to make it creamier. I left it on the side and went for a shower which entailed a full body wash, shampoo and conditioner, so came in around the 10 minute mark. I dried off, did a quick hairdryer blow, got dressed, another 5 minutes, and then headed back to test out my hot choccy.

To my delight, the drink was still lovely and hot, and now at the perfect temperature to drink. That’s impressive!

I usually hate stirring things in metal cups, it gives me the absolute willies when it scrapes metal to metal, but not with this mug. I don’t know what they have done, but the inside looks like it has a matte finish, and the feel of the spoon on the inside was almost silky. The outside also has a lovely soft-touch feel, almost rubbery but not quite, making it comfortable and a delight to hold.

I used to have a red MG mug that was my favourite, but this Hydro Flask one has taken over, and now the MG one only gets an outing if the Hydro Flask has been pinched by Damian.