Zojirushi SM-YAE48 Travel Mug

The Zojirushi had no dents when it arrived. That’s because Zojirushi ships its product in a box. It handles a journey better. Both the Contigos I ordered came with minor dents because Contigo doesn’t package their products in a box.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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