Finding Your Perfect Brew: The Best Travel Tea Mug with Infuser

I can hear my better half, Steve, now: “Do you really need a dedicated travel tea mug? Can’t you brew a cup of tea and then use any ol’ travel mug to take it on the go?”

Yeah, babe, you could. But having the right tool for the job makes a difference, and there’s good reason to be particular when it comes to a dedicated tea travel mug with infuser. Sure, you could place loose tea leaves in a single-use paper steeper or basket steeper and use your favorite travel coffee mug. However, dedicated travel tea mugs are specifically designed with built-in tea steepers that allow you to tightly close the lid while your tea steeps, resulting in no waste and a hotter finished brew. Plus, traditional coffee mugs tend to absorb coffee flavors over time. A dedicated tea travel mug with infuser and lid helps keep a serious tea drinker’s tea tasting pure and clean, unaffected by past beverages. Finding a dedicated container ensures your tea retains its intended flavor profile. While considering portable beverage solutions, some might also look into options like a plastic free travel coffee mug or even a water bottle with filter travel for different needs, a specific tea mug is key for optimal tea enjoyment on the move.

In my quest for the best travel mug to take my cuppa on the road, I sought out a leak-proof model that ranked high in heat retention. I also wanted a mug that was easy to grip and to drink from. And because it’s nice to have stylish gear, one that looked good, too. Here are my winning picks and how I tested:

Water pouring through a stainless steel tea infuser basket.

The Very Best Travel Tea Mug with Infuser: The Tea Spot Everest Tea Tumbler

The Everest’s double-walled, vacuum-sealed stainless steel insulation kept 22 ounces of tea hot and fresh tasting, and its screw-down BPA-free top was terrifically leak-proof. I fell hard for its rugged adventure-meets-urban-chic look and had a hard time deciding which of its four stylish colors I liked best.

The Everest also won my vote for smart design and functionality with an innovative screw-top and sipping mechanism that stay connected to the mug while you drink. This means when you remove the part of the lid that allows you to drink your tea, it won’t go tumbling down a cliff, through a subway grate, or down between that impossibly narrow space between the seat of your car and your cup-holding console.

The stainless steel steeper basket on this model provided ample room for water and loose leaf tea leaves to mingle as my tea steeped, and its small holes kept fine leaves from passing into my tea, making a clean and full-tasting brew. The easy-to-grip exterior is much like that of the popular Hydro Flask water bottle, so if you’re a Hydro Flask fan, you’ll likely love The Tea Spot Everest, too.

The Everest fit well in a tote bag and was also comfortable to carry on the outside of a backpack using a carabiner clip. And, like all of the travel tea mugs I tested, it can be used for iced tea as well as plain or infused fruit (aka spa) water.

The Tea Spot Everest Travel Tea Tumbler mug with infuser shown.

The Next Best (aka Runner Up) Travel Tea Mug with Infuser: The Tea Spot Voyager Tea Tumbler

The Voyager, also by The Tea Spot, won my runner-up vote for a top Travel Tea Mug With Infuser. At 16 ounces, it’s a smaller mug than the Everest, but that’s where most of the differences end. This mug kept my tea hot and fresh for 6 hours and is fitted with the same type of high-quality stainless steel steeper basket as the Everest. Its smartly designed leak-proof lid has a comfortable, easy-to-drink-from sip-cup style and doesn’t require removing to use—simply press down on a pop top to drink, then press it again to lock the top into spill-free mode.

With its sleek metallic, glossy finish and no loop handle (for carabiner or finger hold), this model is stylistically more ‘urban’ than ‘adventure,’ but also, according to highly-rated reviews for both products, a bit more vulnerable to scratches than the Everest. It’s easy to grip and carries well in a tote bag or pocket of a backpack or gym bag. It performs excellently as a portable tea steeper and insulated container.

The Tea Spot Voyager Travel Tea Tumbler mug with infuser in metallic finish.

Other Brands I Tried:

The Zojirushi travel mug with tea filter surprised me and my editor when this mug didn’t win over my other contenders. Though this darling brand of the product review world took the gold in our best travel coffee mug test and kept my tea even hotter than its competitors at 6 hours, it is designed with a problematic steeping mechanism for on-the-go tea drinking. To use this mug, you place loose tea leaves inside and add hot water. A filter fitted at the top of the mug blocks the leaves from flowing out while you drink your tea, but, as any true tea drinker knows, for however long you travel with your tea, the tea continues steeping. So, whether we’re talking a few minutes post-ideal steep time or several hours, you’ll be drinking an over-steeped brew (not tasty!).

(One reviewer on Amazon noted that tea leaves can be put into the strainer basket, steeped with the mug turned upside down, and then removed. But the basket is so small that, though this works with some tea leaf types, it allows neither ample space for leaves to mingle with water while steeping, nor enough room for large loose tea leaf varieties to steep.) The top, which is made up of multiple and functionally unclear parts (a pain to both wash and keep track of), must be entirely removed to drink the tea, which makes it awkward if not impossible to safely drink from on the go. Used as a canteen-style tea-steeping vessel (to pour tea from as soon as it’s steeped) or to keep tea that’s brewed in a bag or independently from and then transferred to the mug incredibly hot for over 6 hours, this is a great product, but as an on-the-go Travel Tea Mug With Infuser, it doesn’t quite meet the mark for continuous steeping methods.

Conclusion

While a standard travel mug can transport brewed tea, a dedicated travel tea mug with a built-in infuser offers superior control over the steeping process, better heat retention, and a purer tea flavor profile free from lingering tastes. Based on our testing for leak-proof design, insulation, ease of use, and style, The Tea Spot Everest Tea Tumbler stands out as the best option for enjoying perfectly steeped tea anywhere. The Tea Spot Voyager Tea Tumbler is an excellent runner-up, offering similar performance in a slightly smaller, more urban-styled package. Choosing the right tool ensures your favorite brew is always just a sip away, no matter where your travels take you.