The Overnight Coffee Challenge

Picture this predictable morning scenario. Brewing that perfect cup of espresso and sitting down to savor the first sip only to be pulled into a meeting. Upon returning to your desk an hour later you find said espresso room temperature, the cream beginning to separate in a cloud-like swirl. Not exactly the delicious jolt you were hoping for…

Unless you’re making an iced Americano, there’s really not much worse than a lukewarm cup of espresso in the morning. That’s why when we heard about an ingenious PR stunt brewed by the folks over at Thermos, we just had to share the warmth. To prove its insulation prowess, Genuine Thermos® teamed up with local coffee roasters to overnight boxes filled with steaming cups of Joe to various journalists on the east coast. Referred to as the “Overnight Coffee Challenge,” the stunt was performed to promote the brand’s vacuum-insulated 40-ounce Stainless King beverage holder and to substantiate claims that the tumbler can keep hot beverages hot and cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours. Let’s take a moment to consider all the things that…taking the logistics into account, and the fact that FedEx wasn’t in on the stunt…could have gone askew. 1. There’s a shipping mishap and the coffee remains in a distribution center, not arriving at its specified destination in time. 2. The Thermos is improperly sealed, and the package recipient opens a box soaked in coffee. 3. Referred to as bottle shock by wine aficionados, there’s really no telling what spending more than twelve hours traveling via air will do to the coffee’s original flavor. Kind of needless to say at this point, the package arrived with steaming coffee intact: Brewed at 205 degrees, entering the Thermos at 179 degrees, and allegedly arriving an impressive 150 degrees. Well within the optimal drinking temperature range. The flavor on the other hand, didn’t fair as well. According to Sprudge.com writer Liz Clayton, the “dimension and body decreased, and any sense of delicacy was muddled. It had that airpot flavor, there was no doubt about it.” Check out the details of this truly amazing caffeinated journey in this recent Atlantic piece. And FYI…The Overnight Challenge will continue through the end of 2014, with Thermos partnering with coffee shops around the country to send steaming brew to winning fans. You can nominate your favorite coffee shops to be featured in the program on the Thermos Facebook page or tweet @Thermos #OvernightCoffee.