Product Review Monday

This week's book review is entitled "Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things" by Charles Panati.

This is a wonderful volume combining trivia and history with the fun of a treasure hunt. If you're curious about the origins of such varied things as Kleenex, Little Red Riding Hood, the bikini, or cologne, this is the book for you. Each entry ranges from one to two pages, and makes (ahem) wonderful bathroom reading. "Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things" is highly recommended.

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This week's product review is something Don and I use, literally, every day.

To back up ... over the years, we've each had favorite coffee/tea mugs that have come and gone. The biggest issue for me was keeping my tea hot enough for my taste, so as it cooled I often turned to the microwave to zap it hotter. I like BIG MUGS, so finding something big enough that was also zapable in the microwave was a challenge. I didn't especially like zapping my tea (or Don his coffee), but we couldn't think of any better alternative.

Don's not a tea drinker and I'm not a coffee drinker, so it makes no sense to have either a coffee pot or a tea pot in the house. So, for years, we just zapped our way through the mornings.

Then one day about eight years ago, a friend came to visit and he spent the night. In the morning he poured his coffee into something we'd never seen before: A French-press travel mug made by the incomparable Stanley.

Instantly Don and I knew this was the solution to our zapping woes. Stanleys are famously durable (Don still has a thermos from the 1970s in perfect condition), and here was something likely to keep our beverages piping hot far, far longer than our ceramic or plastic mugs. We each ordered one.

And. Oh. My. These mugs have surpassed every expectation and we've never looked back. Neither have we had to zap our beverages in the microwave ever since (especially since the mugs are metal).

While the mugs come with screw-on lids with a flip top for traveling, we seldom use them because we seldom travel. Don uses his French press every day...

...but over time I graduated to a tea strainer for mine, which fits just inside the mug and which I remove once the tea is steeped.

Without the lids, these mugs keep our beverages piping hot for about an hour, which is about how long it takes us to slowly drink them. With the lid on, the coffee or tea is effectively in a thermos, and so will stay hot for hours.

Folks, these French-press Stanleys were some of our best buys ever. For $36, these sturdy mugs are likely to last us the rest of our lives. Can't beat that!

(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, we earn a small commission.)

(Don't forget: A complete list of all our book and product recommendations are linked here and at the upper-right column of the blog.)