The best mug warmers to keep your coffee hot for longer

Do you often find that you make a cup of tea, only to get distracted by work, children or life and to find a lukewarm cup of tea or coffee hours later?

Help is at hand - get yourself a mug warmer and keep your brew warm all day long.

New parents know the difficulty behind making - and drinking - a hot cup of tea or coffee; and if you're hectic at work, you can find yourself going until lunchtime without taking a sip of your morning brew. Take the stress out of drinking a cuppa before it goes cold by making sure it stays warm - with a mug warmer.

Whether you choose an electric coaster design or one with a matching mug, treat yourself (or your busy friends) to the gift of a hot drink. Browse our choice of the best mug warmers you can buy today.

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What is a mug warmer?

A mug warmer is a nifty device designed to keep your cup hot and drink warm so it doesn't cool down so quickly and keeps that lovely hot temperature you want for longer.

Much like a kettle, many mug warmers are designed as a tabletop gadget with small heating coils inside that heat up when switched on, others as an electric-powered mini hotplate. You can rest your mug on top and they're designed to act like coasters which helps prevent ring marks on the furniture too. Some use more advanced tech but with all, you simply switch on or off when not in use to let your favourite hot drink stand the test of time.

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Are mug warmers safe?

Most mug warmers you can buy are perfectly safe and are designed to be waterproof. However, for peace of mind, it's worth choosing a mug warmer with built-in safety features. This can include an automatic shut-off after a set period of time or gravity detection so it'll switch off when not in use. If this isn't an option on your chosen warmer, make sure to be wary to turn it off when not in use and be careful with the hot plate which can become extremely hot. And of course, keep out of reach of little ones!

What should I be looking for?

You'd think there's not much to it but in our list, we've included the key specs you should be looking for to make sure you're picking the right mug warmer for you. This includes:

• Temperature settings: Some have a couple and you may want to consider one with more than just a standard setting if you’re looking to vary the temperature depending on the drink or person.

• Temperature range: Some have larger temperature ranges than others, generally ranging between 40-75 degrees Celsius. You can tailor your mug warmer to make sure it includes your temperature of choice, whether that’s slightly warmed or boiling hot!

• Power: On our list, we’ve included plug-in electrical mug warmers, USB-powered mug warmers and even a wireless option. The choice is up to you but each comes with its own benefits.

• Cable length: You need to make sure the cable length of the device (if it has one) is suitable for your drinking spot, especially with plug-ins. We’d make sure to measure the distance between your wall socket and your favourite coffee spot so you won’t be short-changed on delivery.

• Heating time: We know some of us are more forgetful than others and life can really get in the way of enjoying your much-awaited cuppa. Whether you need it heated for an extra 30 minutes or all day, we’ve got options for you. Both are better than having to pour your cold brew down the sink or nuking in the microwave.

• Dimensions: This might not seem so important (a coaster is a coaster right?) but if you’ve got a favourite coffee mug or cup, you want it to fit! Hopefully, this can help guide your decisions.

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Best mug warmers in detail:

Keep your cuppa perfectly toasty with GARMEE's excellent mug warmer, the perfect solution to those half drunk coffees that are too good to waste.

Simply plug in and keep your cup warm for up to eight hours before automatic shutoff - so you can enjoy your java worry-free.

GARMEE's mug warmer is fantastic for cramped and cluttered desk users, taking up very little space during use.

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We love this mug warmer - purely because it looks like an Oreo cookie. Doubling as a coaster, this cup warmer is powered by USB and is sure to brighten up your desk when working from home. Simply plug into your computer or laptop and you're good to go! It will keep your brew warm and you can unplug when not in use. It might take a little while to warm up to the max temperature but it's certainly a good saviour if you tend to leave your cuppa to cool for a little too long.

This is the only USB powered mug warmer on our list but there are plenty to find online. Mug warmers plugged into the wall tend to be more powerful but a USB powered one is really convenient for working on a desktop.

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This gadget will keep your cuppa warm for up to one and a half hours on a single charge with the mug itself, or all day when you use the coaster. The newest version of this mug has a longer-lasting battery than before so you can keep your drink warm on the move for longer and don't need to remember to place it back on the coaster. You can control it with an app, allowing you to choose the temperature you'd like your drink to be at and it turns itself off when empty, great for power-saving or if you're a bit forgetful.

Unlike a traditional mug warmer, this gadget is packed with advanced tech including a dial-band microprocessor controlled heating system and advanced lithium-ion battery technology. This takes your mug warmer to the next level with heating components included directly in the cup and leveraging precision sensors helping to maintain perfect temperature regulation and consistency. This combo is super nifty but by far the most expensive so we'd recommend if you're a coffee connoisseur, always leaving your drinks to go cold or want to gift to a coffee or tea lover. Also, keep in mind that you'll need to use the mug and coaster together so your favourite coffee cup won't benefit from the tech.

This plug-in mug warmer is made of high-quality aluminium and a heat-resistant glass panel, so it looks super sleek. It's waterproof so you don't need to worry about safety with any accidental spillages and can be used with glass, ceramic, metal or plastic mugs. To get thorough warming, it is recommended to only use those with a flat bottom so there's optimal contact and heating.

The smart touch switch regulation is easy to operate and you can switch between low-temperature heating (40-50 degrees Celsius) and high-temperature heating (55-60 degrees Celsius). It'll shut off automatically after eight hours, by which point we hope you'd have finished your cuppa anyway.

With three temperature settings to choose from, you can really get your perfect hot drink with this mug warmer. It'll keep your drink warm for a few hours and there's a shut-off function after four hours for safety. The glass panel top is waterproof, fireproof and a decent size making it suitable for certain cups, mugs, carafes and bowls (you can stop that lunchtime soup from going cold too!)

We really like that it'll remember your temperature settings which helps if you have a preferred temp for your brew and has a sensitive gravity switch so will turn off automatically when there's nothing on it. Reviewers have suggested that this one only works with mugs that have flat bottoms, so it's worth bearing that in mind.

The best-budget option on our list, at under a tenner you can't go wrong with this product. This mug warmer has one temperature setting and suits most cup and mug shapes (it's recommended to use one with a flat bottom for the best results). It also automatically powers off once it reaches 90 degrees.

This is a plug-in USB connector so you'll have to attach it to a port rather than a plug. If you want to try one out to see if it's your 'cup of tea', we'd recommend this one for its great affordability so you can decide if it's worth introducing to your home (we think so!)

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If how your mug warmer looks are important, you'll probably like this version from NAJOV with a wooden base and trim. It's sophisticated and will look the part on your desk or coffee table. Featuring a nickel plate to keep your beverages warm, this waterproof mug warmer looks good and does what it says on the tin.

The simple touch-control lets you switch between three settings, but it does get rather hot on the highest. Keep your brew warm for up to 6 hours with the safety shut-off at this point and heat your cup of choice no matter the material (with the exception of plastic). It's worth noting that this is another one that will suit flat-bottomed mugs.

Sophie Knight is Editor of WhatsTheBest and Contributing Editor for Mother&Baby, Closer, Heat, Yours and Empire websites.

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