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After nearly 78 hours of research and testing in the past four years, we still believe that the Zojirushi SM-SC48 stainless steel vacuum flask is the best travel mug to keep drinks hot, prevent leakage and accompany you on your commute. In our latest round of testing, Zojirushi kept the liquid at an extremely high temperature that is hotter than any other cup we have tried, which is important even after 8 hours in a harsh, icy environment- This is important if you want to enjoy drinks for a long time.
Zojirushi SM-SC (or SM-SD or SM-SA in some colors) has excellent heat retention, one-handed operation and a lockable leak-proof cover.
The Zojirushi SM-SC stainless steel vacuum flask is an excellent vacuum insulated travel vacuum flask that can keep the beverage heated for several hours even in a cold environment. It has a well-designed appearance, easy-to-clean non-stick PTFE internal structure, and a foolproof lid locking mechanism that can be operated with one hand. The cup is light and slim, but this means that it may not fit tightly in some cup holders. The price of Zojirushi cups is also very high, but after our long-term testing, the cups we trust most are the cups that will not be scattered in the bag. It is difficult to pay for it. (Actually, this is about the price of a new schoolbag, laptop, mobile phone, and anything else at the time.) It is available in 12-ounce (SM-SC36) and 20-ounce (SM-SC60) versions and the 16-ounce size we tested ( SM-SC48). Zojirushi also offers SM-SA and SM-SD mugs, which are exactly the same as SM-SC but in different colors.
Contigo’s Autoseal Transit is a wider cup that fits better in the cup holder than our first choice. It does not retain heat like Zojirushi, but some people may find that the flat lid is easier to drink and clean.
The Contigo Autoseal transport cup is a very different mug from the Zojirushi SM-SC, but it has several features that we like. The lid has fewer parts, is easier to clean, and prevents overflow through its automatic sealing button, which you must hold down to keep the suction port open. In addition, when you drink, the flat lid will not hit your nose or come into sight like the flip-top lid of Zojirushi. Although Transit will not keep the beverage hot like Zojirushi for a long time, some people may prefer to do this (we have heard complaints about Zojirushi’s beverage making the beverage too hot). Transit is a bit wider than SM-SC. If you want to fix the cup more tightly in the car cup holder, or directly use equipment such as Aeropress, inverted dripper or steeper tea set for the coffee cup, that’s great. But this means it is also heavier and more bulky.
If you don’t plan to carry a mug with you, the Contigo SnapSeal Byron mug is half the price of most mugs we tested, making it a good budget choice.
Contigo’s SnapSeal Byron travel mug is a basic mug that has passed our leak test. It is easy to drink and clean, and is wide enough to fit snugly against a car cup holder. We like that it is simple to use (a pop-up button allows you to drink from the cup) and easy to clean. Like Transit, it also has a rubber grip, so it is easier to hold. It can keep the drink warm for hours at room temperature, even though the pipe is not as hot as our preferred choice (it performs as well as Transit in the heat test). We dare not throw this cup into a bag because the tongue on the lid cannot be locked firmly like our other picks, but if you don’t throw it so much, this is a good cup.
The OXO baby bottle cleaning kit is equipped with a fine straw brush and a circular detail cleaning brush, which are necessary to keep the travel mug squeaky.
And don’t forget that these things need to be cleaned from time to time. This is why when you need to clean up debris, we will also provide you with bottle scrubbing recommendations.
Zojirushi SM-SC (or SM-SD or SM-SA in some colors) has excellent heat retention, one-handed operation and a lockable leak-proof cover.
Contigo’s Autoseal Transit is a wider cup that fits better in the cup holder than our first choice. It does not retain heat like Zojirushi, but some people may find that the flat lid is easier to drink and clean.
If you don’t plan to carry a mug with you, the Contigo SnapSeal Byron mug is half the price of most mugs we tested, making it a good budget choice.
The OXO baby bottle cleaning kit is equipped with a fine straw brush and a circular detail cleaning brush, which are necessary to keep the travel mug squeaky.
In the past four years, we have spent 60 hours researching the travel cup to keep this guide up to date. In this update, I (Anna Perling) spent 10 hours researching and comparing cups from 12 different brands and four major retailers, and spent 18 hours testing 13 finalists with our top picks product. I also traveled to Target to see how the cup feels in real life.
I talked with two engineers about the design of the cup, namely, the director of the Thermal Management Center at the University of Missouri, Dr. Bill Ma, the owner of ThermAvant Technologies, and Dr. Michael Dickey, professor of North Chemical and Environmental Engineering. Carolina State University. In order to understand the ideal drinking temperature of coffee and tea and how these beverages break down over time, I emailed Rachel Sandstrom Morrison, the digital editor of Fresh Cup magazine. Rachel also got in touch with Dapper & Wise’s coffee supervisor and Michael Wise of a licensed Q grader (basically a coffee sommelier) to find out how long the coffee can stay in the travel mug.
As the name suggests, the travel mug is designed for those who want to take a drink with them. In addition to being easy to carry, the travel mug can also be kept high or low for several hours so that you can enjoy coffee, tea or cocoa over time. Compared with paper or styrofoam portable cups or open ceramic cups, high-quality travel mugs can provide better insulation and prevent leakage or spillage. If you are commuting, working or traveling, or just want to enjoy a drink for a long time, then the travel mug for you.
If you are commuting, working or traveling, or just want to enjoy a drink for a long time, then the travel mug for you.
You can also save money and reduce the environmental impact by having a drink in the travel mug instead of buying one during the trip. According to a 2012 report, the average American spends $1,092 on coffee each year. According to a 2014 CNN report, more than 50 billion paper cups are discarded every year (many paper cups are lined with plastic, making them unrecyclable). A travel cup provides a green solution to these two problems.
So, what about cousins ​​close to travel mugs, tumblers, thermos and thermos? The have mouth of the tumbler is not as tight or firm as the travel cup, and the mouth is wider, so you can add ice cubes. Many people also have straws to drink cold drinks. If you are looking for these cups, you can consult our tumbler guide. As for the thermos, most of them lack the slim size and lid design, which makes the travel mug both portable and convenient. To use a thermos, you don’t need to unscrew the lid and take a mouthful. Instead, you need to unscrew the lid and pour the liquid into an open cup to drink. (Try to do this while driving. Actually, please don’t.) Thermos bottles are designed to keep drinks cool and do not have ports like travel mugs (instead, they usually have screws that require two hands to tighten Cover) or sports cap not suitable for hot drinks).
For our 2017 update, we combed the internet to find any new editorials published since the last guide. Cook’s Illustrated (subscription required) reviewed the content of 2014, and the same is true for “Outside Online”. We also reviewed the reviews in “Your Best Digging and Good Housekeeping” and read through hundreds of reviews about our existing cups, kettles and tumbler reviews. We compared the top 40 best sellers from Amazon, Target, Walmart, Costco and REI, and reviewed the cups we fired in 2016 to see if there are any updates or discontinuations. Then, we ventured to Target to see how the cup in our hands felt. Based on our expert interviews and research, we searched for cups that meet the following conditions:
Vacuum insulation: All the cups we considered are double-layered and vacuum insulated. Dr. Michael Dickey, professor of chemical engineering at North Carolina State University, explained that vacuum insulated cups have the best insulation properties: “The heat is transferred by conduction. Consider the heat transfer from the hand to the surface. But if the two If there is a gap, such as a vacuum, the heat transfer speed will not be so fast.” There are almost no atoms in the vacuum to conduct heat, which is why it performs particularly well in terms of insulation.
Heat preservation: The cup should maintain the high or low temperature of the beverage within the range of its specifications. We are always looking for the cup with the longest heat preservation time. The two engineers who spoke with us pointed out that most of the heat is lost through the lid, and a cup with a wider lid is more likely to dissipate heat faster. Therefore, we prefer to choose a cup without a wide opening drinking spout. But because some people like to drink from a wider mouth, it feels more like a ceramic cup, so we did include some wide-mouth glasses in the test.
Stainless steel: Most travel mugs are made of glass, ceramic, plastic or stainless steel. We prefer stainless steel because it is more durable than glass or ceramic and retains heat better than plastic. It is also the best material for vacuum insulation (and heat preservation). When you look at various other guides on the subject, including the extensive insulation tests conducted by Tested, the cup that rises to the top is always double-layered, vacuum insulated and stainless steel.
Occasionally, the travel mug will have a stainless steel outer cover and a ceramic or glass liner. This may be because some people believe that stainless steel will affect the taste of beverages, but there is no scientific evidence to prove this phenomenon. The problem with glass or ceramic interiors is that they break easily. In addition, more and more cups lined with stainless steel are now equipped with electro-polished interiors, which makes it unlikely that this steel will retain strange smells and flavors. Our choice has a non-stick Teflon inner coating, so it is easy to rinse.
Anti-leakage and anti-spillage: When the cup is placed in a bag or cup holder, the lid will not leak. The best cups have two sealing mechanisms: the first seals the straw port, and the second locks the lid in place to prevent it from being pushed away. For some cups, you have to press and hold a button to open the drinking spout for drinking, so it will automatically seal when you release it. This automatic sealing mechanism prevents spills when the cup falls over.
Easy to use: The travel mug should be easy to use. This may sound stupid, but we think some of these cups are more difficult to handle than others. If you plan to use the cup while driving or riding a bicycle (we don’t recommend this), then you definitely need at least one hand, and you may need two eyes. A good cup should be easy to open and close, and lock and unlock with one hand. When driving, the lid will not completely block the line of sight, do not hit the nose when drinking alcohol, and should be easy to remove for cleaning.
Hands-free: For many reasons, we decided not to test cups with handles. First of all, they are unnecessary: ​​with vacuum insulated cups, you don’t need to worry about getting your hands hot on the cup. The handle will increase the weight and weight of the school bag or backpack, and may also prevent the cup from being loaded into the cup holder.
Size: Some people prefer wider cups, which do not rattle in the cup holder, while others prefer thinner cups, which take up less space in a backpack or bag. We prefer lighter cups because they are easier to carry, and we are always looking for cups that fit the cup holder while still being easy to hold with one hand. We also considered the function of the universal cups used to prepare beverages, and whether they are equipped with inverted drippers, Aeropresses, our favorite tea infusers or single-cup brewing equipment such as Keurig machines. We chose to test a cup with a capacity of 16 ounces, which is the median size of most cups we considered (the one exception we tested was a cup with a size of only 18 ounces).
Durability: When the cup falls from a reasonable height or starts to leak afterwards, the cup should not dent or break. After cleaning, the paint or coating will not wear out according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We eliminated poorly reviewed cups that complained of leaks, peeling paint or dents.
When designing this updated test, I considered the daily wear and tear that travel mugs may encounter in various real worlds: commuting on bicycles, cars, trains, fishing boats, etc. I tested the cups for leaks, dropped them, and measured how long they can keep warm in a cold environment. I also washed them by hand, removed their lids, and tested them in cup holders and various brewing equipment.
First, I did an overnight leak test. I filled each travel mug with water and a few drops of green food dye, put them on paper towels and tarps on the kitchen floor (sorry, roommate), and left them overnight. In the morning, I disqualified any cups with green stains on the tissues below.
In order to see if the cup leaked when it was placed in the bag, I conducted a shock test. I wrapped the cups that were still full of water and green food dye with paper towels, and put them in a plastic bag. I put the plastic bag in my backpack, and guided me to the Jazzercise days in high school, pumping some music, jumping on 30 jacks, running for 30 seconds, and then shaking it by hand for 30 seconds (I don’t recommend this to finish eating. Do this operation after breakfast, should I perform the thermos cup test by myself).
Then, I filled all the cups with water, went to the parking lot of my apartment, and then dropped each cup three times from a height of 4 feet. I eliminated any cups that broke or leaked due to the impact.
Next, I studied how each travel mug retains the heat of the liquid inside. According to 2012 American Barista Champion Katie Carguilo and the American Professional Coffee Association, the ideal coffee (and black tea) brewing temperature is about 200°F, and the best drinking temperature is about 145°F to 155°F. Using these temperatures as a benchmark, I tested the insulation of each cup in a cold, harsh environment: my refrigerator. 1 I pour 200ºF water into each cup, put it in the refrigerator, and check the temperature of the water every hour for eight hours. Together with the best performer, I repeated this test at room temperature.
I also washed all the cups by hand and read their manuals to learn how to disassemble and reassemble the sometimes worn lids.
In order to understand the versatility of the cup, I tried to put the cup in the bicycle cup holder and the cup holder of the 2010 Hyundai Elantra. I tried putting a pouring dripper and an Aeropress on each cup, and then measuring each opening to see if our favorite steep tea set fits. I also asked several Wirecutter employees to measure their Keurigs height to see if the cups are suitable for disposable coffee machines. Most people report that after removing the bottom platform, the gap is 6-7.5 inches.
Zojirushi SM-SC (or SM-SD or SM-SA in some colors) has excellent heat retention, one-handed operation and a lockable leak-proof cover.
Zojirushi SM-SC is definitely the best travel mug that can keep drinks hot for a long time. It has impressive thermal insulation capabilities and has a completely leak-proof locking cover. Compared with similar Zojirushi cups, SM-SC is slimmer, lighter and more comfortable to drink. The size of the mug is 12 ounces, 16 ounces and 20 ounces (SM-SC36, SM-SC48 and SM-SC60 respectively). After spending nearly 78 hours of research and testing, and considering more than 98 travel mugs in four years, we have no doubt that this is the best travel mug you can buy.
SM-SC has a strong leak-proof seal and simple locking mechanism, we believe it can keep the property dry. Just close the lid and switch the lock switch to the appropriate position to ensure that the top lid will not pop out when you don’t want to open it. Although other cups (such as Contigo Autoseal Transit and Avex ReCharge) are automatically sealed to prevent overflow, we found it more difficult to use them with one hand because you need to hold a button to drink.
In our insulation tests, Zojirushi’s stainless steel cups have always dominated the competition. After 8 hours in the refrigerator, the water inside the SM-SC was 142°F (a decrease of 58 degrees). At room temperature, the performance of the mug is better, with water reaching 188°F after 1 hour and 165°F after 8 hours. This means that eight hours after brewing, even if it is stored in an ice-cold environment, you can drink hot coffee above 140 degrees. (However, if you open the thermos cup more frequently than once per hour, its cooling rate may be faster.)
After spending nearly 78 hours of research and testing, and considering more than 98 travel mugs in four years, we have no doubt that this is the best travel mug you can buy.
The other Zojirushi cups we tested, SM-KHE (old version of this cup) and SM-LA (wide mouth option with screw cap) keep the temperature of the liquid during the whole process and placed in the refrigerator the same as SM-SC 8 hours. The structure of these cups is also good, but we prefer SM-SC to other Zojirushi cups because of its lighter weight, simpler lid and fewer parts to clean. The flip on the SM-SC is also more compact than the flip on the SM-KHE, so it makes your vision more blurred. However, if you like other Zojirushi, we think they are all good choices; we will also break down all the differences of Zojirushi mugs in the competition section.
Zojirushi recommends rinsing the cup and washing hands immediately after use. It is easy to clean the SM-SC with some soap and occasionally with a bottle brush when necessary. You can completely remove the plastic cover to remove any odors or black skin remaining in places that may be difficult to reach, although small plastic parts may be difficult to cover up and down. The inside of the nonstick pan also helps prevent odors and stains, but the instructions for use of the cup warn against using milk or juice in the cup. The non-stick coating is made of the fluoropolymer used in polytetrafluoroethylene and will not cause harm to people even if ingested. 2 If you prefer to drink from a container without a non-stick coating, then you may prefer SM-KHE, which has an electro-polished stainless steel interior.
SM-SC is durable. After the drop test, it did show some wear, but no more than the other cups we tried (some of them were dented, chipped and worn more severely). Zojirushi supports the vacuum insulation of its stainless steel vacuum flasks and provides a five-year limited warranty, and in the event of a cracked or worn cover, Zojirushi will sell all individual replacement parts online.
SM-SC also has an eye-catching design, and its simple and concise appearance is eye-catching. It has slate gray, blue-green and coral colors. The same SM-SD has matte gold, red, stainless steel and blue. Although the same SM-SA has been discontinued, you can still find some products online. SM-SA is available in black, cinnamon gold, red and pearl pink.
Although we did not pay particular attention to keeping cold liquids cold in this guide (check our kettle guide for the best way to do this), historically we have found that Zojirushi SM-SC is more resistant to cold than all other cups . Our test lineup.
In our previous test, after eight hours, this cup heated our cold 33°F water by only 4 degrees, while the other cups in our test group increased the temperature during this time. Bigger. Therefore, if you are looking for a dual-purpose container that can store both hot and cold well, SM-SC can store its own container, especially because it has a larger capacity of 20 ounces. Note that when you are trying to quench your thirst behind a high hill, its narrow opening is not ideal.
Our only major complaint about Zojirushi SM-SC is that sometimes its insulating properties are too good. We found that if we make a pot of fresh coffee and pour it directly into the travel mug, the liquid will eventually remain hot for a few hours, and we have also heard feedback from readers on this. To prevent this from happening, you can cool down the beverage before closing the lid.
We also got in touch with some coffee experts to find out if it is a good idea to put coffee in a cup for 8 hours. Coffee roaster and licensed coffee grader Michael Ryan told us: “Hot coffee will still suffer from flavor damage. When stored in a sealed insulated glass carafe, its evaporation and heat loss are minimal. After a while, the taste of coffee will remain It’s bad.” He explained that this happened because the acid in the coffee decomposed over time and caused a bitter taste. Therefore, please note that even if the coffee is still hot, your coffee may not taste good after a long period of time.
Another small complaint is that this cup is thinner than your usual travel cup, which means it may not fit snugly in a car cup holder or bicycle bottle holder. The narrow width of the SM-SC also means that you cannot use it with Aeropress, pour-over drippers or steep teas, and it is too high to accommodate a single-cup brewer (such as Keurig). If you prefer a travel mug with a large circumference, please check out our selection and budget selection.
Although SM-SC is leak-proof, it is not as leak-proof as our runner-up. If the cup is knocked over when the lid is opened, it will not automatically seal to prevent water from gushing out.
Finally, the 16-ounce SM-SC is priced at around $25, which is at the high end of the travel cup price range. But we believe that due to its excellent structure and performance, it is worth spending some more money in the competition.
The Zojirushi travel mug is probably the only product that most Wirecutter employees own and use on a daily basis-it is a selection of multiple iterations of this guide and has proven itself time and time again. After years of use, it can still work well and is praised for dripping onto the concrete (once from the three-story balcony) without exceeding the dent. Multiple Wirecutter employees also reported that they have successfully used Zojirushi to bring iced wine or other alcoholic beverages to parks and other public places, although we cannot tolerate such behavior.
Although it is not recommended to clean in the dishwasher, and Zojirushi specifies to wash your hands (see the “Care and Maintenance” section below), this cup survived several accidental dishwashing processes without any performance Significant decline (although the exterior paint may occasionally peel off as a result). It also traveled with many crowded bags, backpacks and purses without any leaks.
Contigo’s Autoseal Transit is a wider cup that fits better in the cup holder than our first choice. It does not retain heat like Zojirushi, but some people may find that the flat lid is easier to drink and clean.
If you want a cup that fits the cup holder and is easier to clean, please purchase a Contigo Autoseal transport cup. Transit will keep the drink warm for hours, but not as hot as Zojirushi. To prevent overflow, there is a button (automatic sealing) on ​​the bus that you must hold down to drink alcohol, and there is a cover that rotates to cover the water inlet. After passing our leak test, it does not have an actual lock that can hold the lid like Zojirushi. Since Transit is wider than SM-SA, Transit can be installed in car cup holders more safely. Although it is too tall to accommodate most single-cup brewers, it can also accommodate Aeropresses, single-point drip irrigators and medium-sized our favorite tea infusers. We think Autoseal is easier to use than our previous runner-up Contigo West Loop, and similarly, it adds barriers to the suction port to prevent dust from entering and prevent leakage.
Transit won’t keep your drinks hot until our first choice, but for some people who think Zojirushi keeps their drinks too hot, this may be a plus. In our room temperature test, the contents of the bus were 171°F after 1 hour and 114°F after 8 hours. This is 51 degrees lower than the water in Zojirushi after 8 hours. However, even though the temperature of 115°F is not high, it is still drinkable. However, in the freezer test, Transit cooled faster. After an hour, the material in the vehicle dropped to 158°F. The temperature is 26 degrees lower than our main pick. During the eighth hour of the cold room test, the water inside the Transit measured a temperature of 80°F. However, if you finish your drink quickly or don’t want to wait for the drink to cool before sealing the cup, then Transit may be your better choice.
When using Transit, you need to hold a button to keep the suction opening open and drink from the cup. Other cups such as Contigo West Loop (our former runner-up), Avex ReCharge, OXO Good Grips and Camelbak Forge have similar buttons, but I find that the horizontal button of Transit is easier to press and hold than other buttons, so it requires more pressure . Compared with just pressing the switch on Zojirushi, the operation of the button interface is slightly more difficult, and it may be frustrating for some people who don’t want to press the button before every bite. But this does mean that you will not accidentally spill anything, because the cup will automatically close.
The transportation tool also has a twisted lid that covers the suction port, while the similar West Loop only uses the pop-up tab to open the suction port. Transit’s screw cap is difficult to open with one hand, but it protects the suction port from black smoke or germs, and it also provides the first line of defense against any leakage. In our shock test and overnight leak test, Transit did not leak any droplets.
In our drop test, the Transit kept it well, but it was worn out on its plastic cover and rubber bottom. Contigo does offer a limited lifetime warranty and sell replacement lids in the event of a cup failure. Some other commenters mentioned that the lid has hard-to-reach corners and gaps, but it has fewer lids than Zojirushi and is easier to take apart. You can also immerse the lid in soapy water to clean it thoroughly.
If you care about color, Transit offers some interesting combinations: white with mint green or periwinkle accents, matt black or brushed stainless steel. It is only 16 ounces in size.
After more than 30 hours of research, researching dozens of tea infusers in the past two years, and drinking tea made from 15 infusers, teapots and travel cups, we found that the Finum brewing basket is the best choice.
If you don’t plan to carry a mug with you, the Contigo SnapSeal Byron mug is half the price of most mugs we tested, making it a good budget choice.
Although the Contigo SnapSeal Byron Cup is not as durable or leak-proof as our first choice, it is an easy-to-hold, wide-mouthed cup, and if you use it gently, it will work well. Byron has only one sealing mechanism-the tongue that opens the straw port by pressing-is easy to use, but does not lock and close like the lid of other picks. Byron hasn’t kept the drink hot and almost inferior to Zojirushi SM-SC. However, if you don’t throw your glass in the messenger bag or drink slowly all day, then we use Byron as a budget option.
In our tests, Byron’s performance was comparable to other Contigo cups we have tested. In the refrigerator, the 200-degree water cools to 153°F after 1 hour and to 78°F after 8 o’clock. At room temperature, the water in Byron cools to 172°F after 1 hour and to 115°F after 8 hours. As the insulation of Contigo Transit, we are also a good choice.
Byron’s SnapSeal lid is easy to use: you just need to press the tab on the top of the lid to open the straw port. Although Byron passed our two leak tests and should be leak-proof, we still worry about putting the cup in a bag containing our valuables, because the tab will not lock, and stray collisions may occur. Will push the SnapSeal cover open. On the other hand, our preferred product has two lines of defense to prevent water ingress and any other entry: Zojirushi’s lid can close and lock the suction port, and the Transit lid can slide over the suction port and automatically seal to prevent overflow.
If you don’t throw glasses in messenger bags or drink slowly all day, then we recommend that you choose Byron as your budget option.
Byron’s lid is one of the easiest to clean in the cups we’ve tested because it only has one piece. I found that the cap itself is more difficult to tighten and tighten than the cap on Transit, but this is a minor problem. In our drop test, Byron did have a deeper dent than Transit, but again, the asphalt dented or scratched all mugs. We have also seen some Amazon reviewers point out that the cup is dented and the soft rubber middle part is slightly soft, but Byron still has a high score overall. Contigo offers a limited lifetime warranty (drops are not covered), and if you run out, replacement covers are also sold.
Like Transit, Byron is wider than Zojirushi SM-SC, and the rubber in the middle of the rubber is easy to grip. Byron is compatible with the pour-in dripper, our steep tea set and the medium size of Aeropresses. With a height of 7.2 inches, it is likely to be suitable for use with a disposable coffee machine, but you should make sure that the cup can be used with your machine. In the 16-ounce version, Byron is available in silver and pink. It also has 20 ounces of emerald, blue and pink, and 24 ounces of blue and matte black.
The OXO baby bottle cleaning kit is equipped with a fine straw brush and a circular detail cleaning brush, which are necessary to keep the travel mug squeaky.
You should check the manual of the cup to see if it can be cleaned in the dishwasher. According to a Zojirushi representative, the dishwasher may damage the vacuum seal of the cup, which may reduce the cup’s ability to retain heat over time. The dishwasher may also scratch or abrade the surface of the cup.
When you wash the cup by hand, most of the time using soap and water can solve the problem. Regardless of the design of the cup, you may need to use several sizes of bottle brushes to clean the lid mechanism, nozzles, and deep into and around the vacuum bottle itself.
If your cup has a silicone seal (such as the one on our Zojirushi option), you may notice that over time, they will absorb the smell of what you drink from the cup. To remove the odor from the seal, you can bury it in fresh baking soda for two days. Zojirushi also recommends checking the ring once a year to make sure the ring is still sealing your cup.
We found that the best bottle cleaning device is the OXO Good Grips bottle cleaning device. It comes with a large bottle brush, a thin straw brush and a ring-shaped detail cleaning brush, all of which are held together by a convenient ring, so you won’t lose any parts. This set of cutlery can be used safely in the dishwasher. There are almost no one-star reviews on Amazon, so it is a good choice for anyone who wants to fish out trash from items that are difficult to clean. .
Zojirushi released a new cup, namely Zojirushi SM-TA. Compared with our Zojirushi pick, SM-TA has similar heat retention and the same large lock cover, but it is more expensive and has some different design features, such as a smaller cover with rounded openings. We will test the new model and report how it compares to our selection.
Zojirushi has released an updated version of its classic travel mug Zojirushi SM-TA, which is available in 12 ounces, 16 ounces and 20 ounces, and comes in a variety of colors. The cup has the same heat preservation and locking lid as SM-SC, but the lid and drinking hole are smaller, and it has a double anti-stick coating. We will consider future updates to SM-TA, but it only seems to be different from SM-SC in terms of design.
Similarly, we should mention that Zojirushi SM-SC is the same as SM-SD and SM-SA; the others just have different colors. Zojirushi has stopped using SM-SA, but you can still find some online. The Amazon page of the vacuum flask also lists the SM-SC, SM-SD and SM-SA versions.
If you can’t find Zojirushi SM-SC, or if you prefer to drink from a cup with an electro-polished stainless steel interior rather than a non-stick coating, purchase Zojirushi SM-KHE. KHE is our original choice for this guide. Its price is similar to that of SM-SC, and it can keep your beverages hot. However, its weight is a bit heavier than our main product, the lid is bulky, it is not pleasant to drink, and it is only 12 ounces or 16 ounces in size, and SM-SC is also available in 20 ounces.
At the time of writing, after comparing all the products on the company’s website, we also considered several other Zojirushi models for our 2018 testing (now there are some new screw top models, we will also Introduced in the next article) update). This is a breakdown:
The look and feel of the Tiger MMJ-A048 cup is similar to the Zojirushi cup, and we want to see how they compare in our tests. MMJ has a pop-up lid and locking mechanism similar to our picks, but it is more difficult to disassemble and clean. The Tiger vacuum flask also performed poorly in our temperature test, and after 8 hours, the temperature of its vacuum flask was 10 degrees lower than our selected vacuum flask. At the time of writing, Tiger is also about $5 more expensive than our options.
The Contigo Autoseal West Loop Travel Cup is our previous runner-up. It has a tab similar to Contigo Byron. You can press this tab to open the straw port. Like Contigo Transit, it also has a button that you need to click before drinking. The West Loop did not perform as well as Transit in our drop test, and we found its vertical buttons to be more difficult to use than those on Transit.
Contigo’s Thermalock TwistSeal Eclipse travel mug uses a twisted top to cover the suction port and prevent leakage. Although it performed well in our leak and drop tests, unlike our choice, it has only one leak-proof mechanism.
After reading the “Your Best Digs” review on the travel cup, the review named the now discontinued Camelbak Forge as the winner, and we retested the cup. We found it awkward to use and drink these beverages; it uses a sturdy button mechanism and has a very small straw port. You can pop up the lever to widen the suction port, but it is also difficult to figure out. The Forge is not an easy-to-use cup, especially before drinking coffee.
We re-tested the Thermos Commuter bottle based on good user reviews, but still found that the secondary locking mechanism (the metal ring in front of the cap is in use) is very flexible. The commuter bottle leaked during the shock test, and the latch that fixed the lid broke during the drop test.
We wanted to test the Thermos Stainless Steel mug based on its positive reviews, but in our overnight test, bag test and impact in the drop test, the Stainless King leaked.
Based on reader comments, we called the now-discontinued Avex ReCharge AutoSeal Drum Drinker, but found it difficult to use because it has a small metal rod that can lock and unlock the cup for drinking. This cup performed the worst in our temperature test, reaching 44°F after 8 hours.
We considered testing the Joeveo Temperfect cup, which purportedly uses a special insulation material to capture the excess heat and then release it over time to keep your beverage at the best drinking temperature. But it’s expensive: at the time of writing, it was priced at $40, and a new version was priced at $280 (wow).
We chose to conduct the Byron test on other cheap mugs from Ozark Trail and Mossy Oak because these mugs are obviously not leak-proof, or there are more complaints about leaks.
Klean Kanteen is our top thermos bottle choice for most of 2016 and early 2017, and it ranks second in this guide. Initially, this bottle had a cafe-style lid, which was prone to leaks, so it was not suitable as a thermos for travel. Klean Kanteen updated the cap in 2016, but when testing our bottle guide, we found that if the cap is left overnight, the cap sometimes leaks and also restricts the flow of the drink.
We tested the Timolino Icon vacuum travel tumbler (PCT-46KM) in 2015. It is a 16-ounce tumbler-style travel mug with a reversible lid and an electro-polished interior. We like the look and feel of the Icon, but every time we open the lid to drink from it, a small amount of liquid spills from the opening and falls off the rubber stopper of the nozzle. In addition, it cannot keep the beverage as hot as any beverage in previous tests.
We like the look of the 16-ounce Stanley Classic One-Handed Vacuum Cup that we tested in 2015. It is similar to an old-fashioned airless bottle, but has a modern button control cover, which can be conveniently drunk with one hand. But it can’t keep the beverage hot like our main choice, and we have seen many complaints about the button’s failure.
We have tested the Thermos vacuum insulated travel mug (with tea hook) before. Although we like its appearance, the insulation effect is not bad, and we found that we don’t need a tea hook. The thermos also has a button interface: when you want to drink, press the button on the top, and press it again when you are done to seal it. But just looking at the button to determine whether the button is in the up or down position can be confusing, so you may find yourself pressing the button multiple times to determine whether the button is on or off.
Bodum has made a combined French press and travel mug, which sounds attractive: you can brew coffee in the mug when you take it with you. However, in practice, this process is not much different from the process of brewing coffee and pouring it into the cup-in fact, it may be worse because Bodum can keep your coffee grounds in contact with hot water for longer , So that the coffee grounds and hot water contact for a longer time. The drink is more bitter and acidic.
We received some requests to view Hydro Flask, so we did it. This model is not as good as the other cups we have seen, let alone our first choice. It can only keep the heat at a drinkable level for a few hours (four or less), and the lid of the water cup cannot be locked, so there is a danger of opening and it may be scattered everywhere-this is the company The facts pointed out by your own website.
The instructions for Avex or Contigo mugs say not to freeze (of course, I only learned about it after freezing). But I contacted two companies and learned that this was because the liquid would expand in the refrigerator and cause the cup to explode. Freezing will not affect the insulation.
Teflon, also known as PTFE, also known as polytetrafluoroethylene, makes some cups and pots non-sticky. PTFE is inert and stable at a temperature of 500°F. If any PTFE is swallowed, it will pass through your body intact. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is a compound used by the company to make PTFE. It is a carcinogen and has recently attracted attention because it is a persistent environmental pollutant and may cause birth defects in people who drink contaminated water. DuPont, the company that makes Teflon, stopped using PFOA for non-stick pans in 2012. By the end of 2015, several companies stopped producing PFOA for any purpose. Even if you are using an older Teflon pot or cup, there will be a lot of PFOA. It disappeared at a very young age, this is not a danger.
Dr. Hongbin Ma, Director of the Thermal Management Center, University of Missouri, telephone interview, September 22, 2017
Dr. Michael Dickey, Professor of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University, telephone interview, September 26, 2017
Dapper & Wise Roasters Coffee and Licensed Q Grader Director Michael Ryan, email interview, September 28, 2017
Anna Perling is a cookware writer for Wirecutter. During this time, she covered various topics including sports bras, board games and light bulbs. Previously, she wrote food and lifestyle articles for Saveur and Kinfolk magazines. Anna is the mentor of Girls Write Now and a member of the Online News Association.
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