About Bubba
bubba brands was founded in 1997 on a single idea: build drinkware people actually love using, starting with the original bubba Keg before the line grew into mugs, tumblers, sport bottles, sport jugs, and kids' drink bottles. The company is based in Atlanta and was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid (now Newell Brands) in October 2014, where it now sits inside Newell's Outdoor and Recreation portfolio alongside other beverageware brands. In January 2026, bubba rolled out a refreshed brand identity with a modernized logo and a bolder color system, including new colorways across its water bottle lineup -- a sign of a company still actively investing in its core drinkware business almost three decades in.
That focus shows up in the bubba HERO, an 18-ounce vacuum-insulated stainless steel travel mug that has become one of Amazon's most reviewed handled mugs, with a track record built on more than 17,000 customer ratings. Independent outlets including Consumer Reports have tested entries in the Hero lineup, and the design itself is straightforward: a double-wall stainless body for heat retention, a push-button flip lid for one-handed drinking, and a silicone non-slip base -- the kind of small, practical detail that shows up more in a company that has been building drinkware for almost 30 years than in a newer entrant chasing a single viral design.
Brand website: bubbabrands.com
What Bubba makes
Bubba's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
HERO travel mugs
vacuum-insulated stainless steel travel mugs with a handle and push-button flip lid -- our featured pick — featured on Brew Gazette
bubba Keg
the brand's original 1997 product, a large-capacity insulated jug
Radiant tumblers
insulated stainless steel tumblers in the brand's newer color-forward line
Water bottles
insulated hydration bottles, including the Dual Sip Lid and Keg Multi-Function lines introduced in the 2026 brand refresh
Kids' drink bottles
smaller-capacity leak-resistant bottles built for children
Why we recognized Bubba
The Brew Gazette Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. Bubba earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, brewed with daily, and judged on what lands in the cup.
Bubba products we rated highly
Bubba HERO Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug with Handle 18 oz
The handle is the whole point of this mug and it is genuinely well executed -- a comfortable, full-finger grip that makes it the easiest mug in our testing to carry from the kitchen to the desk to the car, especially for anyone who dislikes cradling a hot metal tumbler by the body. A silicone non-slip base keeps it planted on a desk or console and protects surfaces, a thoughtful touch most handle-less tumblers skip entirely. At 18 ounces with double-wall vacuum insulation it holds a generous portion hot for roughly five hours, and it carries one of the longest proven track records in our roundup at more than 17,000 reviews. The push-button flip lid drinks easily one-handed, though it is spill-resistant rather than fully leakproof, so it is not one to pack on its side, and the handle's added bulk means it will not fit the narrowest cup holders the way a slim tumbler does.
Read the 10 Best Travel Coffee Mugs of 2026 guide →What earned Bubba the recognition
- A top pick in our travel mug testing for anyone who wants a handle, standing out in a field of handle-less tumblers for a genuinely comfortable, full-finger grip.
- A proven track record: the HERO 18oz carries more than 17,000 customer reviews at a 4.5-star average, among the longest and most reviewed handled mugs we tested.
- A practical, functional design -- a silicone non-slip base, a one-handed push-button flip lid, and double-wall vacuum insulation that holds coffee hot for around five hours.
- Independent third-party testing, including coverage from Consumer Reports of the Hero travel mug lineup, alongside Amazon's own review volume.
- Nearly three decades of focused drinkware manufacturing since the original 1997 bubba Keg, now backed by Newell Brands' Outdoor and Recreation division and a January 2026 brand refresh that shows continued investment in the category.