Aladdin Infuser Travel mug review (Few months of intensive use later)

It has been a while since I got my Aladdin Infuser mug. I said I would give it a month and then write a review and see how it actually is.

If it’s worth your money etc…

First of all. Before I could even celebrate the “one month” use of this mug, I dropped it on the floor and the rubber band part inside (isolating the inside and outside) moved. This allowed moisture to enter in the “vacuum” space between the glass (where the tea is infused) and the plastic you actually touch. This really bothered me, because it was just impossible to keep it in place.

Few days later, my husband got me another mug, and now I use the second one.

The “sensitive area”. Just don’t drop it.

I would give it few pros- and few cons- for your reference.

+Pros:

  • 1. The feature allowing the infuser to go inside the hot water then up is a great +++
  • 2. The fact it’s transparent, is really an advantage, you can really tell by the color of the tea if it’s ready of not. ++
  • 3. The cap is pretty solid, nothing leaking in my bag so far. Sometimes it is even hard to open. That is a real +++

-Cons:

  • 1. It still pricy for something in plastic. $20 online (Found it in Argo Tea  for something like $25 in Manhattan, NY). —
  • 2. Not as solid as I thought it would be. (My first one didn’t last a month with intensive use I guess). Personally I don’t like to buy things I only use once. Also don’t let people touch the little thing sticking out to pour the tea infuser inside, up and down, one day they’ll break it ;)–
  • 3. The infuser inside is pretty weak. It opened several times by itself and drop the tea leaves inside the mug. —

Let me know if you travel a lot and need your tea with you. If so, share your recommendation in the comments.

I am always curious to discover new tools. Then I figure out if I really need them or not.

Oh yes, another thing. You might ask yourself: “Why bother buy loose tea and go through these expenses”etc..

Well, I would like to end this post by this comment regarding Brewed tea vs. Bottled tea.

“Tea brewed from leaves has the most potent effects, and contains the most anti-oxidants. For any of the health benefits listed above, you won’t get the same effect from either powdered instant teas or from bottled, ready-made teas.” (about.com)

Also, has anyone tried the Yixing Travel Tea Tumbler?

6 Comments

  1. My boyfriend actually bought be the Oolong Yixing Travel Tea Tumbler for my birthday. I just started using it, but accidently started off with using a Green Tea in it. They say you shouldn’t use a different style/type of tea in it than what it has on the front, but I don’t know what it will really do in the long run and I would hate to have to buy one for each type, seeing as they don’t have ones for Herbal, Rooibos, or Maté. Other than that so far I love it, but I am not super picky about it, I just like nice things to look at that serve their purpose.

    1. I think they made the symboles for reference only. If you mostly drink Green tea in this Tea Tumbler, just keep doing so. I personally think the Oolong symbol is the nicer one. So totally understand why your boyfriend got you that one. It won’t do anything, it’s just that the Yixing clay absorbs the tea. So if you keep changing the type of tea in the same Yixing tea pot or in that case Tea tumbler, it will affect the taste of your tea.

      If found more explanation regarding Yixing clay for your information: “Raising a Yixing teapot Always brew the same tea in a Yixing teapot. Do not change varieties. Due to its level of porosity, if you were to brew for months or years Da Hong Pao (Wuyi oolong tea) and Zhen Shan Bao Zhong (wuyi red tea) in the same teapot, your brews wouldn’t show the real character of each of those two teas. For people who are tea adventurers and like to taste many different types of tea, it is recommended to use a gaiwan.”

  2. I have owned my Aladdin tea infuser travel mug for almost 2 years and have had no issues with it. Granted I haven’t dropped it on the floor but I do use it weekly and sometimes share it with my husband who is a bit less gentle with it. I love it and am looking to get a second one for the husband. My basket is still as tight as the first day and I find no issues in using different types of tea as long as I clean the basket with boiling water between switching tea types.

    1. Thanks for sharing this Keri! Like you, I also use boiling water between switching tea types. So far, it is still the best Tea Tumbler travel mug I own. I have to admit 🙂

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