Who uses a thermos / tumbler !
So I’m officially fed up with my thermos (Nissan 12-Ounce Stainless-Steel Tea Tumbler with Infuser). What I realized was that I don’t really have a need for the infuser as I make my cup of tea before I head to work, carrying around the infuser basket is just cumbersome (the thermos has 4 components—the base, the lid, a sipping/drinking top and an infuser basket). Basically what is happening is the plastic lid is acting like a yixing pot and absorbing whatever tea I drink. So the following day the teas taste blends. So today I had a delicious cup of Ceylon with a hint of roasted rice. The previous day it was Genmaicha with Darjeeling. I guess it’s cool that I’m able to create my own blends, but some days the blends I create are pretty nasty.
Anyone getting a similar experience or is it just me? I think I’m going to need a new thermos, but I don’t trust plastic / hot temperatures. I don’t think boiling water + plastic is that good for me either, woaps! I think the worse case scenario is that I’ll have to drink lighter tea / stick with one type of tea to avoid the contamination.
So if anyone has any thermos / tumbler recommendations or experiences it would be great to hear.
I have tried numerous ones as well…so far not happy. Ricky, I am concerned w/plastic as well and some steel ones leave an off taste. I have some glass and porcelin but they are not always condusive for travelling. I am waiting for some ingenious person to invent some form of carrier that is all things to all people I guess???
I was thinking of finding a glass one but I’m afraid it would break in my bag. Couldn’t someone just create something with a stainless steel thermo body and place a thin layer of glass on the inside? That would prevent both stains and the leeching of chemicals. As for the lid, I have no clue. They would need to secure it without the use of plastic. The problem with my design is that if you drop it, the glass inside would shatter. Condensation would probably also be an issue =(
Oh Joey Roth, could you surprise us with something that’s aesthetically pleasing and practical =]
OO i have one its really cool i use it for work and it keeps my tea hot for 4 hours ive even left it outside sitting on the ground in the snow for an hour as i work outside. and i took a sip and it was still nice and hot :) http://www.gocontigo.com/autoseal-stainless-steel-travel-mug.html you can get them at target. it also keeps cold liquids cold for 12 hours
I was actually looking at this one before I purchased my Nissan one. I believe I see plastic, which will cause the same issue =(
poo! how about http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/Tea-Cups-Mugs/Travel-Tea-Cups/Harmony-Glass-Tea-Tumbler-with-Infuser.axd it is glass which makes me nervous because i am so clumsy but it looks so nice!
http://www.thermos.com/product_details.aspx?ProdId=967&CatCode=MUGS this one is nice but i dont think they could have possibly made it any more feminine lol
Haha, they both look fairly feminine. =D
I actually should have gotten these, actually I would still need something spill proof. I’m going to dig around this weekend.
I did a little testing today and let the tea cool down a bit before I closed the lid and it seemed to alleviate the problem a little. It’s my temporary solution. That and I’ll start drinking some lighter tea.
:) hopefully you can find the perfect travel mug. i have like 5 travel mugs lol and oddly enough most are blue :p my fav one is that 1st one i sent the link to and my extremely cheep one i got at walmart YEARS ago thats cracked and the plastic outside “shell” comes off now when it isnt suppose to lol i got it jammed under my car seat one day and the only way to get it out was force and it cracked the outside. i like it even more that way lol now its dishwasher safe :D
lighter teas arent all bad but for a morning cuppa i prefer something strong.
Idk if it’s the same w/ tea, but I’d be careful w/ stainless steel cuz I put a raspberry smoothie in it once and years later it still tastes like raspberry.
eeek! ill deff be careful now with that info. maybe no herbals in the stainless? not that ive been hard up for some herbals lately lol
I use the SIGG ring thermal bottle…the tall one and it keeps my steamy for about 5 hours. I think I payed $45 for it, but if you rinse it out every day it doesn’t retain odor.
I only soaked it in baking soda. It’s because I have a plastic lid, so that thing retains flavors like crazy. I semi solved the issue, by not filling up the thermos as high and removing the plastic lid when I drink the tea.
I use a Libre tea glass on the ship which I picked up in Canada on a port visit. It has a glass body which holds the tea and a plastic exterior which should possibly make it drop proof at least once. I’ll keep you posted on that score. Granted like the one offered by Teavana it isn’t very Macho but it’s perfect for flowering teas. (They also make a glass/glass version) I often have to explain what it is, does and promise that I have not brought a part of my aquarium to work.
The only issue I have found with the tumbler is that the gasket in the strainer does leak when filled to the tippy top. If you don’t fill it to the very tippy top, your fine. No rhyme or reason to it. I do like the fact that I am not bound to tea bags in my travels due to the tumbler. As to condensation, it has only leaked once between the glass and plastic and that is due to that gasket being misaligned and my poor washing choice of soaking it despite my noticing the gasket issue.
So word of advice when purchasing, do so in person and verify all the little gaskets are seated properly. Libre does have a website and excellent customer service which repeatedly offered to replace the cup at no expense. I was simply too in love with it to part with it for a simple repair.
That’s excellent. I really enjoy the Libre company. They sent me an email saying they were working on a larger size but with the flowering teas I really think this size is perfect. It flowers and allows the tea to cool in perfect sync so that you can enjoy and refill in just enough time not to over steep the green tea varieties. And again, customer service was very interested in my feedback and personal experiences. They truly wanted to replace my glass and asked numerous times… and this was during the young woman’s wedding preps. So any woman willing to make a customer (an online customer at that) happy while in the midst of the final days of their wedding plans says A LOT!
I hope you are just as happy with the tea tumbler as I am with mine!
It’s already arrived, I’ve tried it out, and I think that it is wonderful! I’m so glad that I read your recommendation.
I recently picked one of these up at Murchie’s (the ones Murchie’s orders in are customized with their logo above the ‘Libre’ logo, neat) and I understand what you mean by the misaligning. I didn’t look close enough at it when I got it—but the two lids don’t line up on mine either. It’s not too bad, but pretty noticeable up close.
I’ve only had one leaking incident, and that was this morning. I don’t believe I filled it up TOO much, but maybe I did… I was steeping black tea (thus I put the leaves in the top, not the bottom, like they say), and had it inverted. It didn’t leak until I went to right it, and then water started coming out from between the two lids for the second or two it was on its side. I played with it after that, but only a certain amount came out and then no more, so I think it was just some water that got trapped up there or something. Hrm.
I do wish the mesh was finer, though. I get quite a few tea leaf bits coming through. It makes the last few drops of tea very bitter.
Ummm, I like it! That libre tea glass might be my very next purchase. I just wish it was 12oz instead of 9oz. Glass interior and plastic exterior. It wouldn’t survive a drop, but it would certainly resist bumps. How well does it retain heat though?
It is no where near what say a stainless tumbler would do for you or even a thermos. But like I stated before, I like it with green teas and flowering teas especially. It cools quick enough to enjoy and re-steep the tea without the threat of real bitterness. You might get 20-30 mins but I work in spaces that are kept at 40 degrees (or they try too) so things by nature don’t stay too warm. To be fair I will have to experiment with teas and temps for you.
So I emailed them and they told me that they have two sizes coming out in the Spring. A 13oz libretea (yay)! They will also have a 280ml tea mug. The thermos keeps the tea hot for an hour.
How about one of these? https://xiuxiantea.merchantsecure.com/category.aspx?CatTable=3&CatId=1&ProductType=4
I have the one at the top (Tea Cup – Plastic) and it works great, for my standards anyways. Yes, it is plastic, but I love that it is clear, double walled, and nothing changes colors or absorbs flavors. This is the mug that I normally bring with me to class. However, it’s not the best at holding the temperature… it only stays hot for about an hour, but I get to class and start drinking it before that amount of time. The reason I gave you that particular link is so you could see that they also offer glass thermoses… in case you don’t like plastic.
If you need something that keeps your tea hot for a VERY long time, I would suggest this stainless steel thermos. http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/Timolino_Travel_Mug_with_Infuser_p/xc021_par.htm
But, beware because I have found that this mug keeps the tea SO hot (because it is so well insulated) that it basically continues to cook it. The result tastes like over-steeped tea even without the leaves still in the brew… especially by the time you get to the bottom of the cup. However, I know other people who use it and they love it which is why I still told you about it despite my dislike for it.
Happy mug hunting!
I really like that first link. The added chamber to keep the leaves separate is a great feature. But knowing me, I’d loose it if I left it off the cup. LOL
Umm, seems they have the 12oz of the libreteas! I’m just wondering which part is plastic? The outer shell or the steeping compartment?
Alicia, I thought the libretea has a leaves steeping chamber as well.
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