I had read lots of reviews of lots of travel mugs before I settled on the Contigo Autoseal. My needs are pretty easy to fill, I wanted something that would keep black filter coffee hot when I drive long distances ... it should keep the stuff hot for a couple of hours, must not leak, should fit in the cup holder of my car, and should be easy to clean.
I guess the advantage of using it with filtered coffee is that it tends to be a little cooler than water straight out of the kettle, so no burnt lip, but I can see where people are coming from ... after 2 hours in the car with my air con on (cup holders in my car are position just under the vents) my coffee was still pretty hot.
Having read a number of reviews I was concerned about the veracity of the claims ... but I have never had a problem ... I alway tip the thing upside down over the sink when I have filled up and not a drip!.
Very easy to clean, I just rinse out with warm water as soon as I get back ...
The one area where a star gets knocked off is for fit in my car ... my Audi has cup holders that come out of the dash, and to be honest, the design of the mug does not allow a very secure fit ... fine on the motorway, but you don't want to do any enthusiastic A and B road driving otherwise you will be playing catch!