I drink tea on the go, whether I’m walking out and about or driving around. Basically I rarely leave the home without some kind of a cup in hand, usually filled with tea, hot or cold, depending on season and weather 🙂
I purchased the twenty liquid ounce Contigo Byron Snapseal insulated travel cup on sale at a brick and mortar store (I think Staples), but you can get it without leaving your home, it’s typically on sale under $10 at amazon.com in multiple color schemes. I picked the gunmetal color scheme because it was the only color available. The “Grayed Jade” looks nice, especially if drinking green tea in it 🙂
Overall, I am happy with it. The seal is good as long as you make sure you twist the lid all the way. The drinking mechanism is reliable and has a dedicated open/close switch. It keeps the tea hot enough that I often have to let the brewed tea cool off after brewing before I put it in the Contigo – otherwise it will be too hot to drink.
It has a more uniform size head to toe, so despite this not being a thick cup, it may not fit in smaller car cupholders. The smaller size all around, along with the grey holding-area pattern, make it a nice option if you like to walk out and about while sipping tea. The other benefit of that patterned area is that it does not get cold when it’s cold or hot when it’s hot. The metal parts of the cup are definitely more temperature-sensitive. Just try walking outside on a hot summer day with a black metal cup and you may just start cooking your fingertips 🙂
CLEANABILITY
Some work is needed to keep it clean. The patterned holding area loves to grab on to stains. The little ball on the underside of the lid loves to collect tea coloring. Both can be easily cleaned with a … toothbrush [see Unconventional Tea Hacks].
The inside of the cup can be cleaned with conventional means, eg a bottle brush. The trick with all these stainless steel to-go cups with nooks and crannies is not to forget tea or tea leaves there for too long. It’s easier to rinse them after use than have a long detailing cleaning session 🙂
When you purchase it, you will find inside the cup a rolled piece of paper with instructions and the obligatory legalese…
