The perfect cup doesn’t exist, but some cups are more perfect than others. For many years I have been carrying my own cup when I travel, for coffee, for tea, for drinking water at the venue. I also always carry chopsticks with me and sometimes a bowl.

For a few years I used a Keep Cup. That mug is made from sturdy glass with a ring of plastic, so one can touch it without burning oneself, and a plastic top. The advantage of glass is that it is taste-neutral and one can switch from coffee to tea or water without the mug retaining the coffee scent – as stainless steel mugs always do. However, I discovered that steam from hot coffee or tea works its way up and around the top and then drips down onto my hands and the floor. Not a lot, but too much. So I was looking for a new mug. It must not be steel, because I don’t like the taste.

I looked at Snow Peak, a Japanese company that specializes in Titanium ware. This is a double-walled titanium mug from Snow Peak with a top from Klean Kanteen, which happens to fit perfectly:

The mug is super sturdy and yet very light. Snow Peak make a similar cup with folding handles but I don’t need handles with a double-walled mug because it never becomes too hot to handle. They also make a top for the mug but I like the sleek Klean Kanteen top better. So far I am very happy with the mug. Titanium is taste neutral and the cup never spills a drop.