Customer Reviews

Thermos Nissan 12-Ounce Stainless-Steel Tea Tumbler with Infuser

5 star:		(136)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Most problems with mugs I have tried in the past are solved in this product. This mug comes with a tight sealing lid so that you can put this mug with hot drink in a brief case upside down and run to a subway station. No spilling, and this product is better than a plain Saran Wrap solution. The sipping lid has a deeply recessed bottom where you have a hole for liquid to come out. That is, the spill risk is very low even in pitching and rolling Boston's subway. So, you rarely need to use the sealing lid unless you want to brew tea in it or put the mug in a backpack. (See the other review to learn how to brew tea in it.) Also because of this deeply recessed sipping lid, this mug is easier to use spill-free while laying on a sofa or maybe even on a bed with a high pillow!

Lack of handle presents little inconvenience at any situation I've used this mug. A both handed person like myself needs not worry which way to put the mug, which way to put the sipping lid, and which hand to hold the mug. It's very left hand friendly, more so than having two landles on each side.

If criticism is an obligatory part of the reiview, I offer a few. This mug's tea leaf strainer is given enough space for most loose teas, but it is not enough for some herbal infusions, particularly whole dried preparation of chamomile flower. This mug's advertised capacity is 11 ounces, but the line specifying the maximum fluid level is actually 275ml (10 ounces). I wonder if they could make it a bit taller for increased true drink capacity and enough space for chamomile to expand. The leakproof lids depend on silicon gaskets thus they should not be cleaned in a dishwasher, a convenience requirement.

Overall, this mug is slim, tall, leakproof, beautiful design, and very functional and compact. The quality of tea made in this mug is as good as ones made in tea pot as long as the leaf is of good quality (sentimental value not included). The diameter of the mug at its widest (around lid) is only 75mm (3in) so it will fit in most briefcases together with a book and couple manila folders. I just wish it was 8.5in tall and 350ml capacity. Unlike so many poorly designed products, you know this one was designed by designers and engineers who love tea and coffee.

* * *

I wrote this original review quite some time ago, but I thought to add that I now own three of this product, and I still use this product daily (home, office, travel) and I still think this mug is totally awesome for people who appreciate high quality tea. STILL HIGHLY RECOMMENDED in 2010.

Addendum May 2011.

Most common question I get is how best to clean the inside of the tea mug when it gets all browned. The answer: fill the tea mug with hot tap water, dissolve a teaspoon full of oxygen bleach powder (sodium percarbonate aka Oxyclean), attach the lid and the cap, gently shake a few times, and loosen the cap immediately. Leave it in the sink for 10 to 20 minutes. Make sure the lid is attached loosely, and never tightly. Dump the stuff, rinse it with water, and you're done. Chlorine bleach (Chlorox) will do the job just as well, but you'll have to deal with the bleach odor for a few days. Oxygen bleach leaves no odor, but it forms oxygen gas, which builds up the pressure inside and explode the lid, if left attached tightly (I've done that!). That's why I emphasized to loosen the lid when leaving it in the sink.

This is a great product- leak proof with amazing heat/cold retention. For tea drinkers, I just thought I'd add a better description of how the tea lid works. It is actually not a strainer for leaving the tea leaves in the cup (the tea would be so bitter!), but an ingenious way of brewing tea! You put hot water in the cup, then screw on the strainer, add the loose tea leaves, screw the top lid on, and turn the cup upside down for a quick brew! (Since it is leak-proof, you actually can turn the cup upside down easily) After brewing, you just turn it right side up and replace the strainer holding the spent leaves with the sipping lid, and voila- a quick and pretty decent cup of tea! Highly recommended.

This is how you brew tea:
(1) Remove outer cap and tea filter.
(2) Check all gaskets are properly seated.
(3) Twist tea filter onto the cup to seat tightly. Put tea leaves in the tea filter. Be sure the tea filter is seated correctly. You can also put tea leaves directly into your cup if that is your preference.
(4) Pour hot water up to middle of filter. Over fill may scald.
(5) Properly seal the outer cap tightly to prevent leaking when used for travel. Turn upside down for quick brew.
(6) Remove outer cap and tea filter after brewing and replace with slipping lid.

For Best Results

For maximum insulation efficiency: preheat or precool your cup just prior to use, fill with hot or cold tap water, let stand for 5 to 10 minutes and empty.

Note that it comes with 3 lids: (1) Outer Cap (2) Tea Filter and (3) Sipping Lid.

First off, I agree with all the comments about the mug's nice ergonomic shape, its ability to keep drinks piping hot for hours, and its spill-proof-ness.

But, the title of my review says it all - instead of paying thirty dollars for an 11-oz mug, why not get an 18-oz mug for twenty five (or even a 14-oz for twenty bucks)? All are made by Nissan, with the same durability, ability to retain heat, and good looks. The difference in this mug is the third basket, the tea brewer, which has a mesh that is WAAAAY too coarse. This is a serious problem, since I absolutely detest leaves and other remnants in my tea when I drink it. Herbal or spiced teas (e.g. Chai) are out of the question, and even a basic large-leaf tea like Darjeeling escapes through the mesh (and also gets stuck in it, which makes it a pain to clean).

Instead, I would suggest buying Nissan's larger 18-oz (or 14-oz) mug, and with the five (or ten) bucks you save, purchase a fine-mesh brew basket, available on amazon.com (ASIN# B0000CFLAP). Remember, you have to remove the built-in brew basket from this mug to fit the sipping lid, so there's no extra effort in removing a fine-mesh, easily washable brew basket instead.

I love this thing. I'm in grad school, on campus from 9am-11pm every day but Saturday, and this traveler is perfect. Instead of repeating all the other glowing reviews, I'll just add a few things others missed. In addition to its unmatched insulation abilities, the vacuum seal provides another benefit, and that is that it maximizes interior space. Other types of insulation require thick walls to insulate the contents, but with vacuum sealed steel construction, the insulating steel sandwich can be very thin, making the volume of the inside layer nearly equal to volume of the outside layer. It's a small thermos that carries quite a bit of fluid.

One other thing to clarify is that this is not exactly a no-spill container. There are three tops: an inner top that is completely open but for a metal strainer/filter, an inner top that is covered but with a small drink hole in the cover, and an outer top that screws onto both of the previous and completely seals the cup. With the outer top on, the vessel is spill-proof. I carry it in my bookbag all day with nary a spill. But take the outer top off, which is necessary to actually drink out of it, and if you accidentally tip the cup over, liquid will spill out, even out of the sipping hole in the covered inner top. There is no button to push that opens and closes the sip-hole on the covered inner top, like for example on those plastic Starbucks coffee cups. However, the sip hole is recessed about 1 inch below the rim, so while it is not spill-proof, it is certainly splash-proof.

Excellent product, I might order a few more, for posterity.

I am extremely impressed with the near-flawless performance of this tumbler! Heat or cold retention is EXCELLENT (I've never owned a Thermos Nissan product before, so did not know what to expect, but this thing keeps tea scaldingly hot for hours, and takes several (8+) hours for ice cubes to melt.) The shape of the tumbler is excellent...fits in the hand comfortably. The screw-on "closed" cap is great for sneaking this thing into a library or computer lab without worrying that it'll spill inside your bag on your computer or papers. My ONLY complaint (thus 4 stars) is that the tea strainer is: (1) made of a metal screen instead of nylon mesh, and (2) is not of a fine enough weave. With the way this thing keeps stuff hot, you might take a few hours to drink your tea...and if there's a significant amount of tea dust in it (that slipped through the coarse weave of this tea filter), your tea is going to be quite bitter near the end. (I might install a nylon filter inside the metal screen.) All in all, not a bad purchase at all.

When I bought this mug about 6 years ago, I paid $30 for it. I almost walked away from it b/c it was $30, but a friend of mine asked, "How often do you drink coffee?" "Uhm, every day." "And how often do you spill it?" "Uhm, almost every day." This is seriously the best purchase I've ever made. I've left the mug in my bag for 6 or 7 hours and opened it to find hot coffee and no leaks... You can literally throw this mug upside down in your bag and it will not leak. Buy it if you drink coffee.

I needed something with a spill proof, screw-on lid so that I could carry my coffee to work in my briefcase. The Nissan Stainless Steel Coffee Traveler was perfect. I now have a free hand, no spills and hot coffee.

I have one of these 11-Ounce Nissan "travelers" that I have carried every day for five years. The first one I had, I left on the top of my truck and backed over it. Thus, I have two more in my cabinet that are spares. I will not be without it. It fits every car carrier I have ever seen; I can slip it in the pocket of a jacket, or gym bag or back pack. If you are attentive in screwing the top on after filling, it WILL NOT leak. It keeps coffee hot for the better part of a day. It is like a Browning shotgun, Orvis waders, zippo lighters--it has a feel to it that let's one know at once that it is a well-made product. You will not be disappointed, and you will probably purchase others for friends who will be delighted to get them!

**another update**
I just threw this product in the trash. The leaking kept getting on my clothes even just for car use--because it leaks where the top screws on (below where you'd drink from). So as I'd take a drink of coffee and wind up wearing some. This has turned out to be one of the worst products I've bought in quite some time. I imagine it may work OK for some but there's no rubber stoppers or anything--apparently the quality control isn't up to ensuring the tolerances/lack of room for error this product provides.

Go instead with the OXO Good Grips Click & Seal Travel Mug. That item is totally leakproof and actually holds a couple ounces more as well and has about the same size base so fits in the same cupholder the Nissan did.

** previous review **
I wrote this review initially praising the quality of this item and waxing poetic about how well this keeps stuff cold/hot. And it does do that very well.

But mine I've found is not *totally* leakproof. Mine leaks a little from the top (significantly if you tap the side of it near the top)--so as one reviewer mentioned having this in a briefcase or purse--I don't think this would work for that AT ALL. Your papers, etc., would be wet. If this sits upright in a cupholder all the time you'll have no problem. But I can't lay mine sideways and let it roll all over without fear of it leaking like I thought I would be able to. Unfortunately I learned the hard way and had to clean up vanilla latte off the seats of my car.

Also, it's important to be aware how small this is. I bought this size because I drive a european car that has a very small cupholder--something narrow and not-so-tall was a must. For this, this actually fits in the tiny cupholder and works perfectly.

On the other hand, I didn't really stop to consider before ordering that 11oz really isn't a lot of useable space. If you happen to want a cold drink in here and put ice cubes in this you may have 7-8 oz of real drink room left. If you're using the tea strainer, that also takes up space internally as well--so in that configuration I doubt you'd be able to get an actual 11oz in here (as with the ice cubes). So this really is pretty small.

So this is (as advertised, actually) best suited for those that want a single, *small* cup of hot coffee and that's it. As they call this a "Coffee and Tea Traveler" I can't fault them for the small size--I just don't think I was really understanding how little room there would be in here.