If you've ever pulled into a drive-through and ordered a coffee you'll see how expensive it is. Even a simple Americano (black coffee) can cost £4, not a lot compared to a laptop or holiday but a lot more than a fancy home coffee kit.
Indeed we found that for £8.95 (the price of two, maybe three black coffees to go) you could buy a bag of fairly sourced coffee that tastes like bourbons and will make 15 cups of coffee.
The thing is, unless you have a pair of hamster cheeks you'll need something to keep that coffee from sloshing about all over your car as you drive to work. Thankfully there are plenty of awesome, good-quality flasks available that will keep your coffee warm even if your daily commute is from Paris to Peckham.
The best travel flasks
The icon of warm beverages
Nothing is associated with keeping your cup of joe warm on the go than a Thermos flask. It's available in a range of colours and we particularly like the duck egg colour pictured, it reminds us of a retro-inspired Caterham.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1.2 litres |
| How long a drink will stay hot | 24 hoursN/A |
| How long a drink will stay cool | 24 hours |
| Weight | 540g |
Indestructible
Another heavyweight of the flask world, the Stanley water bottle makes use of clever double-wall vacuum insulation to keep your beverage at the desired temperature (hot or cold) for 24 hours. The build quality is also near-indestructible thanks to the stainless steel construction and lifetime warranty. Stanley even proudly claims that one survived being shot at, perfect then for surviving the lunchtime rush to the canteen.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1 litre |
| How long a drink will stay hot | 24 hoursN/A |
| How long a drink will stay cool | 24 hours |
| Weight | 830g |
Eco-friendly option
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This funky looking flask may not survive gunfire but it will keep a drink cool for 24 hours or one warm for 12 hours and it's made in an environmentally friendly way. It's also a very stylish design and it's available in several colours too, perfect for anyone interested in hydration.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 473ml |
| How long a drink will stay hot | 12 hoursN/A |
| How long a drink will stay cool | 24 hours |
| Weight | 329g |
Keep your lunch warm too
Flasks aren't just good for keeping tea and coffee warm, they can be used to keep food warm too. This flask is designed especially for food and will keep food warm for nine hours or chilled for 14 hours. It offers 470ml of food storage as well as an integrated cup in the lid. A small folding spoon is also provided to make eating a lot easier.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 470ml |
| How long a drink will stay hot | 9 hours (food)N/A |
| How long a drink will stay cool | 14 hours (food) |
| Weight | 360g |
A fancy option
Walmart
This is a fancy looking flask works the same as the others here (using a vacuum) but claims to keep drinks cold for up to 41 hours (and drinks warm for 18 hours). It offers 500ml of storage and has a nice distressed-wood finish, the perfect accompaniment for a Morgan or similarly British sports car.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 500ml |
| How long a drink will stay hot | 18 hoursN/A |
| How long a drink will stay cool | 41 hours |
| Weight | 310g |
Extra large storage
www.argos.co.uk
Thankfully this is not the worst Ferrari ever made, this is an excellent flask. Sometimes having bigger is best and this flask is easily big enough for two people. especially as it comes with two cups. Offering 1.8 litres of storage it will keep a drink warm for 12 hours and one cold for 24 hours. Be warned, you may need an American-sized cupholder for this one.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1.8 litre |
| How long a drink will stay hot | 12 hoursN/A |
| How long a drink will stay cool | 24 hours |
| Weight | N/A |
How the CAR team likes its coffee
Never one to do things easily the CAR team has a vast array of coffee-making devices that look like a mixture between a steampunk kettle and an extra from the set of Red Dwarf. But if there's one thing car journos know about (other than cars), it's coffee, so here are our top coffee picks.
Adam Binnie - " I use an Aeropress because it's a perfect storm of high strength brewing, low acidity and next to no washing up (you literally fire a puck of squeezed grounds into the compost bin), which results in a huge satisfaction-to-faff ratio. It also means a robust brew that stands up to being kept warm for several hours in a flask - emerging from the container several hours after being poured, it still tastes as fresh as simply balling a handful of coffee beans straight into your mouth."
Ryan Gilmore - "My coffee machine buying problem continues to be a blight on any available worktop space in my kitchen. The latest development is the simplicity of a dripper that produces some excellent tasting coffee without the need for prep and easy cleanup. The paper filter holds the left offer coffee grounds and can be placed into the compost after use. I use a medium ground coffee and the genius of the drip is that I can pour it directly into a flask."
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