The Hario Insulated Mug, SMF-300, is the best $10 thermal mug in the world, twenty times over. That makes it all the more unfortunate that this $10 retail mug (in Japan) costs $38 in Canada (almost criminal), and $24 in the USA (still more than 2x. the Japan price).

But first, some history.

I first reviewed thermal products way back in 2002 when Thermos Nissan sent me their entire lineup of thermal products for coffee. I spent a month developing a testing regimen to give them all a fair shake, and wrote out a gazillion page review for the products. (sidenote, I still have that titanium Nissan thermos, as well as a cherished 6oz Nissan mug). I’ve reviewed many thermal coffee devices since, many of them getting even more stringent and strict testing parameters that we developed over the years at CoffeeGeek.

All that said, I am not going to give this product that kind of testing regimen. Instead, it’s all about how the mug feels, how it handles retaining heat, and how it looks.

The mug is Hario’s “SMF-300-GR Mug Bottle” Or more simply, the Hario Insulated Mug. I paid just $10 for it on Amazon Japan but if you want to buy it in Canada, you’ll pay $38 for it at the only importer I could find online. In the USA, it’s listed for $24. My review talks about prices at the end. Here we go!