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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid item, but some cleaning hassles, December 1, 2007
Whenever I evaluate items, especially food-ware like tea pots, I am very focused on how easy it is to maintain them. The glass tea thermos comes with three main components - 1 double-walled glass thermos bottle, one
metal strainer, and 1 plastic cap covered with some shiny metal finish on the outside. For those that are comparison shopping, I chose this item because I only make tea for myself and hate over brewed or cold tea I can't finish in time, and I wanted to avoid plastic bottles because of concerns with hot food in plastic as much as possible (yeah, I know the cap is plastic but it's not necessarily in contact with the hot water if you don't fill it up all the way).
The bottle has a good weight to it and seems sturdy for a glass container. Though the opening is too narrow to put your hand in it, it is glass so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep clean if you have the right cleaning tool. It is big enough to squeeze a sponge through it, so I've been doing that.
The metal strainer has a little handle that you can tilt to get it out of the way or so that you can pull on it to take it out of the bottle (just imagine the handle on a shopping basket). The strainer can snap into place in the bottle so that it won't fall out when you're drinking from it or pouring tea out of it. Cleaning it is tough, however. It's small and has little bends and the edge of it is a little sharp on the sides because it's a thin piece of metal. It's sturdy, however, but it's impossible keep the tea stains off with a sponge. I've been using cotton swabs and it's working for now.
The plastic cap also appears to be of good quality construction and, for better or worse, it screws on without too many turns. I did a simple test of putting the cap on and turning the thermos sideways and upside down and no water leaked out, but it is a glass thermos so I wouldn't recommend being too rough with it. Cleaning it thoroughly also required a cotton swab because of the cap's leak resistant design. However, I expect that it will be easier to keep clean than the strainer since it's doesn't come in contact with the tea as much. If you want to try to visualize it, it reminds me of a screw-on cap (like a cap on a jar, but taller) with the leak resistant plug on a coffee thermos.
Now here's the kicker that might turn you men off from the thermos. The one I received does not have that picture of the bamboo stalks on it. Instead, I got one that has a picture of a flower pot with flowers, an opened book in the center of the design, some fence thing in the background, and some small Chinese characters on the side. I found the bamboo stalks elegant, but the flower pot thing more on the pretty side. Since it's just a tea thermos, I was okay with it (I'm male in case you were wondering), but it was disappointing since it wasn't what I had expected. FYI, I bought mine directly from the Summit Tea Company website since they sold a variety of green teas on there and charged me only one flat rate for shipping all 4 of the items I had ordered. I contacted them about the picture so maybe the image has changed by the time you read my review, but just thought I let you know.
Overall, a solidly constructed product with some cleaning hassles (though, what tea/coffee product doesn't?), and not necessarily the same picture as the exact item.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Coffee Thermos TOO!, February 17, 2010
I wasn't looking for a tea thermos, particularly, since I get a coffee from the corner shop every day. Not wanting to add to landfills, I would bring my own stainless steel cup with plastic lid. As you may know, stainless steal adds a metallic flavor to the drink, and plastic adds its own set of chemicals and chemical flavoring. Now that I'm trying to watch, not only what goes into landfills, but also what goes into my body, I wanted to find a safer material to hold my "acidic" fluids.
This is the thermos I've been waiting for! I did my half hour commute, in NYC, this morning on foot, through 30 degree weather, and my coffee stayed warm! AND I was able to hold the thermos with my bare hands. The top didn't get hot, as it seemed to for other reviewers, but I could see that happening, if you fill the cup to the top with steaming liquids. I think a warm lid is worth it. I don't get that metallic taste, like when using a stainless steal cup, nor that chemical flavor when using a plastic cup. No more harmful residue in my COFFEE!
I am purchasing a small Built NY insulator bottle holder, just to protect the glass during my crazy commutes. It doesn't need it for warmth.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Works as a Travel Cup for me, May 28, 2009
Stainless leaches nickel into your hot drinks - searched high and low for a glass lined travel mug but there are none to be had. This is a really great substitute - keeps the liquid hot for quite some time with the added purity of glass. I added an energy drink coozy -- perfect. I'll be buying more in the future for other uses.
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