Topl Cup Review

I was in the market for a really nice travel mug. I’ve had something like a flask/mug before from Thermos, and it was truly exceptional. The price of it was lovely too, but there was just one thing wrong with that flask… it was clunky. Quite clumsy looking, and way too big for what I wanted it for.

I’m not really a person who drinks a massive quantity of coffee, therefore as a whole, I would never consume 470ml of coffee in one sitting, same with tea. Basically - I’d need maybe half that, or 100ml less than that. That got me onto one of those rabbit holes where I was on the search for a travel mug that fit the following criteria:

• Stylish
• Keeps drinks warm for a while
• Sealable
• Travel friendly (duh)
• Decent price
• Not too big or clunky
  
  

Went onto Amazon (as everyone does nowadays) and looked for a decent travel mug. The problem was this though:

• Many travel flasks keep things piping hot for ages, but aren’t stylish, and also not the right size (generally 400ml onwards)
• Many travel mugs aren’t sealable, and keep heat for maybe 2 hours max. They also spill, and the lid isn’t spillproof.
  
  

Based on the above, let’s go to my local store and see what’s available:

So here’s the cups that aren’t sealed lids or spillproof:

And here’s a typical travel coffee container:

There wasn’t really anything in between that. There were some potential mugs but all of them were a bit clunky looking. When you’ve browsed for around an hour, you do need a bit of inspiration to help you along your way. You go on a Google search and type in something like “Best Coffee Travel Mug”. That’s when you see it in almost every search result going… the Topl cup.

What is the Topl cup?

A simple, minimalistic designed travel cup that looks both beautiful, and functional. The reviews look absolutely amazing, and the product itself looks awesome. I’m immediately smittened.

So the first thing I was a bit meh about was the price. I’ve never paid that much for a travel mug/flask before, so I was a bit hesitant in forking out that amount of money for a travel mug (singular). However after receiving it, it’s well worth the money that I spent on it.

Let’s cut straight to the chase. These cups are £30. They are gorgeously designed, and come in 5 different colours - each of which come in 2 sizes (8oz or 12oz). I got the 12 oz Teal for myself, and the hot coral for my wife. When they arrived, I immediately thought they looked amazing. Sturdy, solid, well built cup. Premium in every sense, and the colours were gorgeous.

What I love about this mug is that it oozes class in everyway. The little bag that comes in cup, and the packaging, both very classy. They really put the effort into making this a premium thing.

The main selling point of this mug is that fact that it has a patented spill proof lid. This not only helps for things like keeping your coffee/tea hot, but also stops accidents from happening. This was a great selling point for me, and probably the main one because of the previous travel mugs I’ve had before.

Let’s give you some insight into what I’ve used in the past.

TOPL vs Thermos King Travel Tumbler:

This is my old travel mug. It’s actually brilliant. It keeps drinks hot for ages. I sort of ruined mine with a brief stint of ketogenic and bulletproof coffee. After that, the Thermos always smelt awful despite the fact I cleaned it over and over again with so many different kinds of things.

That aside, there were 2 things that were a bit wrong with it:

1. This travel tumbler is huge. It fits in my cupholder and bag ok, but I’m not likely going to travel with 470ml of coffee. That was just insane.
2. The locking mechanism at the top. I’m a rather forgetful person most times, so there have been times when I’ve travelled with my coffee mug and it’s spilled everywhere because the lid was opened. Trust me - a bag with buttery coffee (or even just coffee) is not a fun day.
   This cup isn’t massively flawed, it’s just that it didn’t suit me overall.
   
   

Topl vs a generic travel mug:

No idea where the hell this came from, but this is the standard travel mug you either get for free or from the pound store.

Where do I start?

• Lid not sealed so spills
• Coffee cold after 90 mins
• Clunky
• Plastic body
• Awkward
  
  

What’s my opinion of the TOPL cup:

I did the Topl Cup test to see if it was spillproof:

As you can see - it works really well. It’s a very capable travel mug, and it’s just fantastic. As I said with the Thermos, I’m a naturally forgetful person. With this mug, it kinda takes care of the spillages for me. That’s not an absolute guarantee but it is definitely a piece of mind thing.

How long do drinks stay hot?

According to Topl, it’ll keep hot drinks for around 3 hours. I’ve done some basic testing for this mug, and brewed a cup of redbush tea with it (no milk). This was to see what the temperature was like after several hours. I done what the instructions said - Locked it at 65C (NO MORE!) and left it in the mug for 4 hours 25 minutes (random time I know, I just forgot about it).

After 4 hours and 25 mins, The tea was a very respectable and still hot 38C. It’s lost nearly half the temperature, but 38C tea is still very drinkable.

For comparison, that plastic travel mug - coffee went cold after 1 hour and half, we’re not talking lukewarm, at that point the coffee may as well be iced coffee.

What’s it like to use?

This thing is AMAZING. I literally get joy everyday from holding and using it. I wash it and smile because it’s so beautifully crafted. The lid is very simple to use, and the drinks stay hot for a long time. In fact, I use this cup at home now, it’s pretty much my everyday mug.

Prior to that, I was contemplating on getting an Ember mug, but the price of it is just awfully offensive. The Topl mug keeps my coffee hot enough that I don’t ever get cold coffee anymore because I had to dash to a meeting and forgot about the coffee etc.

The cup itself stays cool to the touch, so you don’t need to have a sleeve around the cup. The bottom has silicone so it grips on, and doesn’t make that clang noise when you set it down. The lid is a simple rotate and press, and you got hot drink. The spill feature is pretty ingenious. I’ve tried so many times and it never ceases to make me smile how well it works.

Topl Cup - Should you buy one?

Whether you drink take away coffee alot, need a mug for work, need a mug for travelling, or simply just need a mug…

YES GO AND BUY THIS.

This literally is one of those r/BIFL (Buy it for life) travel mugs. It’s very well built, the finish is superior to any mug I’ve ever seen, packaging is gorgeous. This will, from now on, be my go to gift for anyone that needs a travel mug or likes coffee. Just go out and buy one, this cup is amazing.

Speaking of coffee, how does it work with the Topl mug?

Let’s cover this one in a separate post, I was curious of this myself and wanted to ensure that I didn’t damage the Topl cup, and that it was able to fulfill my everyday needs. You can read about how I use the Topl Cup here.

The Topl mug is fantastic value for money, and everything you’d really want from a travel cup.

Quick update - I reached out to Topl the other day, my lid seem to have a weird jamming problem and it also leaked a bit. The customer service I received from them sorting it out was stellar. Basically sending out another lid, and they got back to me within 10 minutes. This company has catered for people like me, and I think they are a fantastic company. Go show them so love and buy a cup. Also, get that feel good vibe for saving the planet because you got a reusable cup.

https://www.toplcup.com/