Commitment is a funny thing as an adult. Not the sort where you commit to one person. Not the sort where you go to the same job. Not even the sort where you drive the same vehicle for years at a time. Those things are easy. I’m talking about the difficult things. Like travel coffee mugs.
Who knew this could become such a vexing decision. I’ve had a Sip by S’Well mug that has been a serviceable companion for several years. I fell in love with S’Well’s water bottles years ago and when Target brought the travel mug to the shelves, I was an early adopter without giving it much thought. The mug fit nicely in my hand, is leak proof so I can toss it in my bag between the parking structure and my office, and it keeps my coffee hot for long enough a period of time to get it all into my gob. But the thing is, I didn’t give it much thought when I bought it. I was a late adopter of coffee so I hadn’t done much travel with coffee to have really developed a true set of needs for my travel mug.
Fast forward several years, add in shower coffee becoming a daily necessity and a wearing out of the Sip mug and, well, Houston, we have a problem. These days, coffee isn’t optional. I don’t drink soda and tea just takes too much fuss in the morning. Mostly because my hubby kindly delivers that shower coffee to the bathtub ledge while I’m busy with my morning ablutions and I’d rather set the coffee up to brew the night before so he can make this delivery as efficiently as possible early into my shower. And since the coffee follows me out the door those things that were nice but not critical back when the last one was purchased are now major concerns that must be addressed. So began a weeks long dilemma over what to replace it with.
My first thought was stick to what you know. S’Well has served me well enough, but as a visual person, I can’t tell you that there any designs that really knocked me off my feet. And I covet a couple of the designs by the good folks at Black Rifle Coffee Company, who deliver my beans to my door step like clockwork each month, ensuring that I have a steady supply of this nectar of life, but their offerings fail in one of the most significant needs- a lid that seals so I can toss my coffee in my bag without it spilling. Turns out this is in the top 2 criteria my mug must meet.
So as I wandered the local grocery store on Saturday I remembered my go-to water cup of choice, Tervis, has come out with the stainless steel option. And sometimes I can find them in my favorite fandoms. So I perused the rack and what to my wondering eyes should appear but an Harry Potter emblazoned version. And I stood in front of that rack picking it up, putting it down, hemming, hawing, fretting for longer than I care to admit, over whether or not this mug would meet my needs. There is almost nothing that can put me off a solid HP design so that wasn’t an issue. But the cup is a bit larger than my Sip. From a volume perspective, what could be wrong with a 20oz capacity vs the 15 I was replacing, right? BUT the 20oz is a bit larger to hold onto. I have small hands so this is potential disaster waiting to happen. But its tapered and I felt like I could hold it solidly enough.
Then the lid. It seals, but the vent hole is not sealed, which means potential for leaking. I don’t like leaking. But if I’m careful in how it goes into the bag, and I usually am, this isn’t a huge concern. The lit stays solidly seated so that’s good. But it has taken me FOUR DAYS of testing to finally take the leap and commit to this being my new mug of choice for daily use. Four days over which much thought was put into coffee mugs. Much more than I ever dreamed possible, honestly. But today I did it…
I took the sticker off. No turning back now. This sucker is mine, for better or worse. And I’m still not certain it’s the right call. That’s not weird or anything ,right?
Twisted Sheep Knits 