I've had this thermos for about a month now and I am very pleased with it. I put my hot beverage of choice inside the thermos by 5:40am (what am I doing up so early?) And at around noon it is still nice and warm (not piping hot, but definitely not cold or even tepid) so that's give or take 6hrs. I have repeated this exact ritual nearly every day and it will always be deliciously warm at noon time. By the by, when I pour my beverage into the thermos it is piping hot, meaning if i were to drink it, my tongue would sting, but not really get "burned".
My tips/warnings:
- If you get one of the colored ones the paint WILL come off if you wash it in the DISHWASHER. I know some people were complaining about that, but in the safety manual it clearly states that only the unpainted stainless steel bottles are dishwasher safe.
- Wash it the way it shows you on the safety manual for optimal cleanliness.
- Rinse it right before every use. One time, there was some soap residue left over in my lid and I ended up with gross soapy tea, so unless you're into that just run the lid under warm water.
- DON'T tilt the lid and THEN press the button to open the sippy cup or you'll get a face full of hot liquid. In other words, press the button while the thermos is vertical then tilt it to take a sip. This may seem stupid, but I had no warning (maybe I'm just an idiot) and now no one else has to look like a complete goof if it happens in a public setting.
That's it for now, if anything else comes up I'll be sure to inform you guys.
This is the best coffee mug I have ever owned. bottom line: lives up to its promise. I actually forgot this mug in my office before a meeting and when I came back for it six hours later the coffee was still STEAMING. Bewildered by some of the negative comments... Why invest the time to log on to Amazon and complain but not take 67 seconds to read the enclosed instructions?? The rubber on the lid tastes funny? Wash the lid with soap and water before first use... AS INSTRUCTED. The cup overflows when you put the top on? Do not put liquid past the fill-line... AS INSTRUCTED. Yes, you just about fit an entire Dunkin XL (24 oz) inside if you go past the fill line, but this is sold as a TWENTY oz cup. So imagine that, overfilling it can cause it to overflow! Who knew? I burned myself because the coffee was too hot and/or I didn't know how to control the flow of liquid...? Surely that's a joke. Hot coffee is hot and this product is designed to keep it hot for a long time (which it does better than any other competing product I have tried in 2 decades). As for use... The, err, "drinking slit" (sorry, unfamiliar with technical coffee kid nomenclature) is exactly the same shape and location as that on every take-out coffee lid everywhere on earth. If you can't figure out how it works, go to the nearest Dunkin donuts or Starbucks or freaking McCafe and watch someone else drink a coffee. It is a fairly intuitive process.
I originally wrote this in reply to one of the less than delighted reviewers. Upon rereading, I'm moving it out front with the other big people reviews.
Where is the love folks? Where is happy? It's a travel mug for crying out loud.
Coffee hot for hours- check.
Iced tea cold for hours- check.
Reduced dry cleaning bills and reduced suspicions amongst my coworkers that I had "a little accident" in the crotch of my pants- check.
Operator savvy enough to know that items at temperature can pressurize a well sealed container and to exercise a weensy bit of caution when going for that refreshing beverage- check.
It is a machine and machines require a little maintenance. Regular, thorough cleaning of the parts, lid in particular, will result in years, measured in calendar years, years of faithful service.
This mug is the best thing to happen to portable fluid ingestion mechanisms ever. We have four of these and that is too few. I'm ordering four more while they are on sale. We'll use them as our regular drink glasses and revel in the convenience of unstained shirts and no more mid drink trip to the fridge to add cubes to get the tepid stuff back to cold, not to mention that one of my grandkids grenaded a drinking glass on the kitchen floor this morning and that's the last straw. These things are practically indestructible and they don't hurl their contents and glass shards in a half acre blast radius when you drop one.
On the topic of floors, we raised a family buying neutral and coffee colored carpet to hide the stains. Contigo frees us to buy the most gawdawful neon rugs that Big Lots can throw at us. (I would have said Amazon but I don't want to insult Jeff. He has drones.)
These mugs, unlike your humble reviewer, do not sweat. Put a 20 oz iced tea in a cupholder in the family truckster or the barcolounger and the cupholder is dry when the mug is dry.
Cons? Of course.
The paint peeled on one of ours as others report. I let the exterior soak in some thinner for an hour or so and voila a stainless one where a peeling blue one had been.Funny thing was the paint fell away but the Contigo brand name remained firmly emblazoned on the mug. File under "shoulda seen that coming".
People steal them.
The moral of that story is that you can't count on human nature but you can count on this mug.
UPDATE: Though I love the construction and performance, I do want to address the elephant in the room that SO many people have asked about — the smell!! We’ve had it a few months and despite regular cleaning, it DOES stink, no matter what I do. Vinegar, dish soap, baking soda, cleaning with a tiny wire brush, nothing has fully rid us of the “old creamer, burnt coffee” stench. I’m really bummed...but this may be a 4x per year purchase in order to keep it safe to drink from.
[Independent, verified, no compensation received for this review.]
Coffee addict’s MUST HAVE! I’ve been through 6 different mugs in six months. They’ve either leaked, broken the flip-tab, were hot to the touch, didn’t clean easily, or just didn’t keep coffee hot longer than 30 minutes. This mug does all of those things and I couldn’t be happier, because I was ready to give up. That list above also includes another Contigo 16 oz. mug...kept things hot but the slider broke after 2 months and it was impossible to clean. But I digress...
There was nothing negative to report about the features or performance during the month-long, multiple daily use “testing” phase, so here are the results with which I was most pleased.
• Incredibly easy to clean top. Yes! No more waking up after hand washing the night before, ready to pop the top on, only to realize there’s a colony of mold setting up shop right where my mouth will be. The stopper piece that detaches for cleaning also comes of very easily and snaps back into place with no effort. You can put the lid on top rack of dishwasher but I’ve heard that before and am not willing to risk it.
• Truly one-handed operation. No having to balance the steering wheel on your knees while you lift with your right, pop lid with left, and try to sip-flip-replace while trying not to spill and focus on the road.
• No-spill claims are actually TRUE this time!
• Stylish, modern appearance.
• Heavy-duty without looking or feeling like it.
• Description claims the 20 oz size keeps hot for 7 hours, but I have the 16 and after six hours the contents were about half as hot as when made (78 degree room). Pretty impressive.
In short, buy this mug. Don’t spend $80 on a fancy thing when this sleek silver mug will do the job just as well if not better!
Please let me know if this was helpful, thank you!
I will start this review by saying I have 4 great loves in my life: my husband, my son, my pets, and now my Contigo Autoseal Travel Mug. I bought a 16 ounce mug in Radiant Orchid, and I don't have one single complaint. Like was mentioned in one review I read, if you follow the clearly written instructions that are included with your mug you should have no problems whatsoever. "Funny taste"? WASH YOUR MUG LIKE IT SAYS TO DO! Leaking? FILL YOUR MUG AND CLOSE THE LID LIKE IT SAYS TO DO! "My beverage is hot!" Well, dummy, YOU put the beverage in there and the mug is designed to keep it hot so what do you flippin' think it gonna happen?
I love that it is autoseal because I am often walking into work with an armload of stuff and now I don't have to be concerned with keeping my mug upright while I fumble with other things. There is also no longer a rush to chug my coffee before it gets cold! I'm currently sipping on hot coffee that was poured at 7am this morning. It is now 9:52am.
Mug praises aside I come to you with a sincere warning to pay close attention to the source of the mug you choose.
MY mug was distributed by Amazon so I had no problems whatsoever. However, I also purchased a mug for my husband at the same time through a third party that is long overdue to arrive, and I can't get a reply to my e-mails.
Feature Product
- Our lids are sealed - AUTOSEAL technology is Leak and spill proof (Yes, there is a difference!)
- For the long Haul - drinks stay hot up to 7 hours and cold up to 18 with THERMALOCK vacuum insulation
- Lend a hand - easy one-handed drinking with the push of a button; squeaky clean - easy clean lid completely opens for an Extra squeaky clean with no separate parts to take apart or misplace
- Lock it up - AUTOSEAL button lock for added peace of mind; perfect fit - Fits most car cup holders and under most single serve brewers
- Clean up - top rack dishwasher lid, hand wash body
Description
Contigo West loop is made for the modern movers, Shakers, commuters, travelers - and for the urban explorer in all of us. Whether you're traveling via car, train, Horse drawn carriage, rickshaw or penny farthing (it's cool, you can Google it) this mug is the ultimate in convenience. This larger Capacity mug is spill-proof, will stay piping hot for hours and it's easy to use with just one hand.
Works flawlessly, doesn't leak, and keeps my coffee hot for an extremely long amount of time. Like, a REALLY long time.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is because the inside of the cap is an absolute nightmare to clean. There are a few moving parts, and a ton of nooks and crannies for bacteria and all sorts of general-use coffee scum to hide in. You can pull back some of the operating parts to get a better angle to wash the inside, but it doesn't help as much as it needs to, and once opened it's still really in your way.
The threads have the same problem. They are semi-covered by the outside sheath and you have to really get in there with a Q-tip or a toothbrush to get it sparkling.
Pictures are showing the underside of the screw cap un"opened" and opened. Hopefully you can see what I mean about the nooks and crannies, they get very disgusting very quickly if not thoroughly cleaned with hot water and soap. Likewise, the soap gets stuck in there too and will make your drinks taste like it unless you diligently wash it out as well.
I still very much recommend this product, and will purchase another if this one stops functioning.
Absolutely the best. My life wouldn't be the same without it. It goes with me wherever I do, at work and at home, in the car and when camping... It's become my blankie, I feel insecure if it's not around :)
Sitting right here on my couch next to me as I'm writing this - 'cause I know it will not spill. Peace of mind. A beautiful thing!
The only negative: I've gotten so used to drinking my liquids piping hot, I can't seem to be able to use regular cups anymore - unless I gulp down the contents in a minute or so before it becomes a lukewarm blah :)
Just decided I would leave this review after 3 and a half years of 24/7 use.
I now own 5 of these. Yes, a little OCD, but they have earned my compulsive loyalty to accompany my caffeine addiction.
PROS:
1) IT DOES NOT LEAK. I can confidently throw this into my purse or gym bag upside down or sideways, and there will not be even a drop that comes out. (Sure, if you're determine to make if fail, you can. Screw the top on properly, okay? It's an amazing feat of engineering--not magic.)
2) It's easy to drink from. Just press in the handy button on the cap, which is solid (to keep it leak-proof), but doesn't require a lot of pressure. I don't have arthritis, but I would guess that it would be accessible even for someone who does. And the way the button is positioned, it's natural to how you hold the mug. You don't have to unscrew any lids or unsnap a flip top.
3) It keeps drinks hot. I use mine for hot coffee, so I can't comment on how well it does for cold drinks. I'm not sure that it lives up to the 7-hour claim, but it keeps it hot for probably 4 hours, and reasonably warm for a number hours after that.
4) It holds 20 ounces. I love the Zojirushi SM-KHE48AG Stainless Steel Mug, 16-Ounce, Smoky Blue and all things Zojirush--but it's only 16 ounces. If you're like me and--if you're without your own mug--order your coffee by "whatever size you have that's closest to 5 gallons", that extra 4 ounces is a bigger deal than just 4 ounces. I do see however that Zojirushi now has a 20 ounce Zojirushi SM-SA60-BA Stainless Steel Mug, 20-Ounce, Black so I'll be checking that out--but note that it's 50% more expensive.
5) Dishwasher safe. I do not have time for the prima donna mugs that require hand washing.
CONS:
Note that I do not consider any of these significant enough to deduct a star.
1) While the Contigo stainless travel mug does a serviceable job of keeping hot beverages hot, it falls a little short of Contigo's claims.
2) The innards of the lid are not fully accessible for cleaning. I have a few versions of this mug, and the lids on the newer ones are now designed to easily pull out so more of that inner part is exposed when in the dishwasher, and I have never had any problem with anything gunky or science-experiment-like showing up. But the above-referenced Zojirushi does have a better-engineered lid for exposing every part for cleaning. I periodically soak my Contigo lids in a combo of hot water, dish soap & citric acid, and that seems to get any small amounts of coffee gunk out.
For the price and what it offers, the Contigo Autoseal stainless travel mug is the best on the market. Get one (or five)!
I drink tons of ice water thanks to this mug. I always have water with me, even when I go to bed, because I am never worried I will have a spill. In the morning there is still unmelted ice in the mug! You will be surprised how little ice you can use (depending on the starting temp off your drink) for it to last the duration of the drink. Of course, it works for hot drinks as well.
I had the older version for years, and the Easy Clean cap is a real improvement. The lock is nice to have, but I usually don't bother. The smooth, handle-less profile is easy to hold and easy to slip in a bag. The push button is ergonomically placed and easy to use. I had the 16oz, but with the amount I drink, 20oz is more convenient. 24oz is just too unwieldy for me.
I even travel with the mug (empty when passing through TSA) because I hate being without it.
Commuting to work or school early in the morning has never been easier with the commendable Contigo Travel Mug. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or student with a hectic schedule and in need of a caffeine boost, this mug will grant you the power to push through the busy days in life. I will specifically evaluate this product based on its ability to control temperature and prevent spills.
Temperature Control
Designed for convenience and reliability, it will ensure your beverage of choice stays hot or cold for several hours after leaving home. Thanks to the insulated stainless-steel feature, beverages are kept hot for up to 5 hours or cold for up to 12 hours. There’s no need for stopping to microwave a lukewarm drink at the office anymore. This mug’s ability to maintain and control a desired temperature is just one key area of performance.
Spill Prevention
This mug features “AUTOSEAL” technology which automatically locks the lid between every sip taken. There are numerous times this feature has saved me from spilling hot coffee on the floor of my car. I remember one day specifically that I was running late to work and the AUTOSEAL feature saved me from spilling hot coffee on myself. Although the mug is not guaranteed to fit in all cupholder sizes of vehicles, it will fit in most standard-sized ones. However, even if the mug doesn’t fit in your desired cupholder, this is a miniscule problem since the AUTOSEAL feature will prevent any leakage of your beverage no matter where your mug is placed.
Other Benefits
In addition, the mug allows for easy cleaning as the underside of the lid flips open for accessing leftover residue and is dishwasher safe. This lets your mug stay looking brand new for several months after beginning to use it. My ultimate favorite feature though is how versatile it is. Whether you’re in the mood to drink something hot or cold, this mug is not made for one specific use; but rather a world of options.
I encourage you to make the decision to invest in the Contigo travel mug today! You too will be able to enjoy the various benefits with just a click of button. Mornings don’t have to be tough anymore with a Contigo travel mug, instead they can be something to look forward to.
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