Five on Your Side: Top products for coffee lovers this Christmas

If you’re an all-day coffee drinker or you immediately go back for a second cup, you want your coffee hot -- but zapping it in a microwave can change the flavor. Consumer Reports tested several products to see which ones will keep your coffee hot the longest.

One of the most interesting findings in CR’s testing was that products from some well-known brands, including Yeti and Starbucks, fell short of the competition. In certain cases, a mug that was beautifully designed had a flimsy plastic lid or other flaw that allowed heat to escape or liquid to spill.

The top performer: Zojirushi for $28. It keeps drinks piping hot for 13 and a half hours, 6 hours longer than the closest competitor.

Second place: The Thermos Stainless King is a bit cheaper and keeps drinks hot for 7 and a half hours.

Third place: Then there’s the Takeya Traveler, which should keep your cup of joe blazing for 6 and a half hours.

There’s no doubt that you save money by making coffee at home. If you’re the kind of person who likes to brew a pot in the morning and then go back for a second or third cup later in the day, you’ll want a coffee maker whose carafe can keep your java hot for hours.

The top spot for coffee makers with a glass carafe: Cuisinart DCC-T20 Touchscreen 14-Cup Programmable. The model receives top-notch ratings for brew performance and convenience.

Hot plates keep coffee hot by cycling power on and off. Glass carafes on hot plates can vary the temperature of coffee by about 2 and a half degrees in either direction after one hour, on average.

If you prefer a thermal carafe, Consumer Reports recommends the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT. It garnered superb reliability and owner satisfaction ratings in CR’s member surveys. Coffee in thermal carafes loses about 4 degrees after an hour.