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Zojirushi stainless steel travel mug, 16 oz.

August 29, 2017

Coffee, Travel Mugs

Brand: Zojirushi

Verdict:

Zojirushi SM-YAE48 Travel Mug

Model: SM-YAE48TD

GTIN: 04974305710925

The Zojirushi is a good travel mug. Read this review to find out why.

In this review, I pit the Zojirushi against a cheap plastic mug. I followed the same route with the Contigo West Loop mug, as well as the CamelBak Forge. In another post, I compare the Zojirushi to the Contigo. sign up to receive more in-depth product reviews.

The most important aspect of this travel mug? The AeroPress coffee maker fits inside it. If you’re an AeroPressta, this should sound like really good coffee news to you.

TL;DR

There are plenty of reasons to get the Zojirushi, even though it’s not the best of the three travel mugs I tested. It’s not as easy to use or clean as the Contigo, but if you place a high premium on keeping your drink warm, get the Zojirushi.

Leak- and spill-proof.

The locking system ensures that your coffee (or tea) goes nowhere when you’re juggling or shaking the Zojirushi.

Keeps your drink hot.

The double-sealed walls ensure that your Zojirushi’s contents remain hot for a long. It retains heat better than the Contigo.

Fits the AeroPress!

This is quite a big deal. The AeroPress fits inside the Zojirushi, which means you don't need a separate container to make coffee in.

In the Box

The Zojirushi came in a neat box, along with usage pamphlets in various languages.

Product Attributes

Weight (main body / tumbler): 7.16 oz (203g).

Weight (lid): 3.38 oz (96g).

Weight (assembled, filled with water): 26.8 oz (760g).

Weight (assembled, dry): 10.51 oz (298g).

Maximum diameter (main body / tumbler): 3.23 inches (82.1mm).

Maximum diameter: (lid) 3.39 inches (86.2mm).

Height (main body / tumbler): 6.69 inches (170mm).

Height (lid set): 2.78 inches (70.6mm).

Height (assembled): 8.58 inches (218mm).

Gasket material: Silicon.

Lid material: Polypropylene.

Body material: Food-grade stainless steel.

Likes

There’s plenty to like in the Zojirushi SM-YAE48 Travel Mug.

Heat Retention

The plastic mug showed a drop in temperature of 45 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) over a five-hour period. The Zojirushi showed a drop of 32 degrees Celsius (57.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over five hours. The Zojirushi—because of its double-wall stainless steel construction—does a far better job of retaining heat than a plastic mug.

Toughness

Plastic is a great option for container products. It makes a tough travel mug too. The problem is, plastic doesn’t retain heat as well as metal. So you can have your tougher plastic mug, but if you want warm coffee, you need double-wall stainless steel insulation. The Zojirushi gives you double wall insulation. So it’s as tough as a metal mug can be. If you drop it, it will dent or bend. The lid won’t last either. So, even though it’s tough, you need to handle the Zojirushi with care.

The Zojirushi’s lid clips into place when you close it. It also features a lid cover gasket, made from silicon, that seals into the sipping area when you clip the lid cover into place. The lid set screws onto the main body with a stopper gasket—also made from silicon—that keeps your Zojirushi’s contents inside. The Zojirushi doesn’t leak even a little bit.

Lockable

The Zojirushi lid set contains a safety lock. This is next to the lid set’s button. Why is this important? Let’s say you decide to buy a travel mug; a cheap one, cos you think buying a Zojirushi is a waste of money. You make coffee and fill your cheap new travel mug. You’re proud of having saved money by not buying the Zojirushi. The coffee tastes the same in the cheap mug, after all. Your cheap mug doesn’t lock, but that doesn’t bother you. You told yourself to be more careful when you use it; you won’t allow your little one near it. You grab your mug of delicious coffee and head for the porch, where you ease into a hammock chair. You place the mug next to you on the tiled floor. Your little one’s waddling around in the lounge. She’s in a good mood, but driving you nuts with her incessant humming and singing. You lay back your head and close your eyes. You could do with a quick snooze. Something’s up. Your little one’s gone quiet. You hear a muted plonk, followed by a, “Whoops!” next to you. You turn to see your new mug lying on its side, bleeding coffee, your little one squatting next to the accident, covering her mouth in mock shock. The Zojirushi won’t spill if tipped over. You’ll have to make another cup and you can’t set it on the floor, but you’re thankful because it could have been worse. What if she’d tried drinking the hot coffee? You don’t want to think about the consequences. The Zojirushi lock adds another layer of security to your travel mug. A little one will have a difficult time opening it.

Dislikes

The only thing I can really pinpoint as a dislike is cleaning the Zojirushi. It’s more of a mission to clean the Zojirushi than the CamelBak Forge or the Contigo AUTOSEAL West Loop.

Sizes

The Zojirushi SM-YAE48RA comes in one size. They make other models in more sizes, including 12 oz and 20 oz.

16 oz

Colors

The Zojirushi comes in four colors:

Cherry red..

Dark cocoa.

Lime green.

Stainless (plain silver).

Construction

They make the Zojirushi’s lid from various materials, including polypropylene. They make the gaskets from silicon. The lid set contains small metal parts too. They make the main body (tumbler) from food-grade stainless steel.

Spilling and Leaking

The Zojirushi’s lid clips into place when you close it. It also features a lid cover gasket, made from silicon, that seals into the sipping area when you clip the lid cover into place. The lid set screws onto the main body with a stopper gasket—also made from silicon—that keeps your Zojirushi’s contents inside. The Zojirushi doesn’t leak even a little bit.

Heat Retention Tests

I ran two tests to compare the Zojirushi’s heat retention to the plastic mug’s. For both tests, I made coffee in the AeroPress coffee maker. I measured the contents immediately after filling the mugs.

Note: These tests weren’t done in a lab, but in a room in a normal home. HOWEVER, I tried to perform these tests as scientifically as possible. In other words, I kept a tight control over the variables.

Results Table

 

Timeframe Zojirushi
(Celsius / Fahrenheit)
Cheap plastic travel mug
(Celsius / Fahrenheit)
300 minutes later 34 / 93.2 21 / 69.8
270 minutes later 35 / 95 21 / 69.8
240 minutes later 37 / 98.6 23 / 73.4
210 minutes later 40 / 104 23 / 73.4
180 minutes later 41 / 105.8 25 / 77
150 minutes later 44 / 111.2 29 / 84.2
120 minutes later 46 / 114.8 30 / 86
90 minutes later 49 / 120.2 31 / 87.8
60 minutes later 53 / 127.4 40 / 104
30 minutes later 58 / 136.4 51 / 123.8
Initial temperature 66 / 150.8 66 / 150.8

How to Use It

Unscrew the Zojirushi’s lid, pour your beverage into the tumbler, and screw the lid back on. If you don’t want to scorch your lips, wait a few minutes before you screw the lid onto the main body after having filled it.

Unscrew the lid from the body.

Remove the pamphlet from the tumbler.

Wash the lid & tumbler.

See cleaning instructions below.

Dry with a cloth, or place on a rack to dry.

How to Drink From It

Press the release button at the front of the mug.

This releases the lid cover and it pops open.

Don’t do this close to your face. The mug can build up pressure when sealed.

Make sure the lid cover is flipped open all the way. If it’s not, it’ll touch your forehead when you drink from the mug.

Put your lips to the Zojirushi’s sip area.

Tilt back your head and sip.

How Not to Use It

The Zojirushi comes with a booklet chock full of warnings. Here’s what they say you shouldn’t do with it:

Don’t allow small kids or babies to use it.

Before using it, ensure that the lid cover gasket and stopper gasket are attached.

Don’t fill it while the lid is attached to the main body.

Make sure the lid cover is clipped into place after taking a sip.

Stop using the mug if it doesn’t retain heat anymore.

Don’t open the lid cover with the mug close to your face.

Don’t heat it in a microwave oven.

Don’t drink from the mug while driving.

Drink slowly from it.

Don’t shake the mug if it contains a beverage.

Don’t put dry ice into it.

Can You Use It for Soup?

Zojirushi’s usage pamphlet says to not use it for drinking the following liquids:

Liquids high in sodium.

Soup.

Kombucha.

Dairy.

Fruit juice.

Fruit pulp.

Tea leaves.

I wanted to see whether it would handle soup. I used the same soup I used for testing in Contigo. It’s a creamy tomato soup. I prepared it according to the packet’s instructions and strained it into a jug to remove large lumps. I poured the soup into the Zojirushi. It wasn’t necessary to strain the soup since the drinking hole is big enough. But I wanted to emulate the Contigo soup test. The soup poured from the Zojirushi like a river. The verdict? Zojirushi says you can’t use it for soup. I’ve proven that you can use it for soup. But if you use it for soup, you do so at your own risk.

Does It Fit Inside a Cup Holder?

That depends on the cup holder’s diameter. The Zojirushi tapers up from ~2.71in (~69mm). The Mitsubishi Pajero’s cup holders have a diameter of ~2.99in (~76mm). The Zojirushi fits. It also fits the cup holders of a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9.

Does the AeroPress Fit Inside of It?

Great news! The AeroPress fits into the Zojirushi. Can’t say the same for the Contigo West Loop or the CamelBak Forge. Why is this important? When you make AeroPress coffee in a different container and pour it into your travel mug, you lose heat with the transfer. I made coffee inside the Zojirushi straight from the AeroPress and the temperature measured 73 degrees Celsius. When I made coffee in a stainless jug and poured it into the Zojirushi, the temperature measured 66 degrees.

How to Clean It

Fill a sink with warm water and add detergent.

Place the Zojirushi in the water.

Remove the lid set from the main body.

Remove the lid cover gasket from the lid set.

Remove the stopper gasket from the lid set.

Clean the lid set.

Soak in warm water.

Use a small, soft brush to get to hard-to-reach places.

Remove the lid set from the soapy water and rinse in clean water.

Shake a few times to assist in drying.

Wash the main body.

Use a soft sponge.

Remove the main body from the soapy water and rinse in clean water.

Shake a few times to assist in drying.

Place the lid set, cover gasket, stopper gasket, and main body on a rack to dry, or use a cloth to dry.

Place the stopper gasket and cover gasket back onto the lid set once all parts are dry.

Dishwasher Safe?

The Zojirushi is not dishwasher safe. Wash it by hand.

Warranty

I found the following on a Zojirushi product page…

5 year warranty on heat retention

That doesn’t say much, so I emailed Zojirushi USA for more info.

Jacqueline kindly replied with the following email:

Thank you for contacting Zojirushi America.

The vacuum mugs are non-Electrical products that come with a 5 year heat retention warranty.

Parts however, such as the lid, are not covered under this 5 year warranty.

You have up to five years to exchange the main body, but not the lid set, if I understand their warranty.