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Q: I feel like I spend a lot of money on fancy coffee tumblers, only to have all of them eventually leak all over me. Is there a solution to this, or will all coffee holders leak?

A: The nature of many to-go coffee holders is to leak eventually. Plastics seem to have the most problems — even with tight-fitting lids, they can warp or the suction loses its hold over time. A solution exists, but it isn’t fashionable, ergonomically correct or shatter-proof.

Anything that seals with a tight, screw-on lid is most likely to keep your beverage safe and sound, says 15-year coffee industry veteran Stewart Fritchman, president of Bellatazza Coffee Co. That means the same containers that act as your water bottle are good for coffee, too, as long as you don’t mind unscrewing the top and carefully taking a sip so you don’t pour it all over yourself.

Buy an “old-school thermos,” Fritchman says. While you can’t guarantee they will be appropriate to use while driving, thermoses have deep, screw-on lids, covered by another screw-on cap that doubles as a cup. You can find inexpensive thermoses that are heavy-duty enough to keep your coffee hot and secure, even if you drop it on snowy pavement, for less than $20. Most stores that sell other coffee products, such as grinders and brewers, will have thermoses.

Look for coffee holders that can take eight to 10 ounces. Hand wash them and they’ll last years.

Fritchman says some of his customers bring glass mason jars for their coffee, which seal closed with a lid and screw-on ring. They won’t insulate the drink, but neither will most of those designer plastic tumblers from the coffee shop.

Dave Beach, co-owner of Backporch Coffee Roasters in Bend, says he recommends anything porcelain or glass for to-go coffee containers — no metal or plastic.

Stainless steel — a common metal for coffee tumblers — makes drinks taste a little metallic, he thinks, and plastics retain the smell of whatever has been sitting in them a while.

He’s seen customers bring in glass jars fitted with home-sewn cozies that protect their hands from the hot surface.

His new favorite to-go coffee holder was a gift: a porcelain mug shaped like a paper coffee cup. It is fitted with a rubber cap, which keeps his drink snugly inside.

“It gets all the compliments when I go out,” Beach joked.

Amazon.com sells the “I Am Not a Paper Cup Reusable Mug” for $19.99, plus shipping. The porcelain mug has a silicon lid and claims to be dishwasher safe.

If you are too attached to your plastic tumbler that is decorated with pictures of your boyfriend or girlfriend, keep it, but take care of it. Hand-wash the tumbler and do not microwave it, which is a sure way to cause leaks and cracks. And if you want an extra precaution, wear dark clothing.

— Anna Sowa, The Bulletin