I think I’ll be forever torn about my Timolinos. I have two of them that I use regularly. Well technically I only have one, and my girlfriend has her own, but she never uses hers. So it’s mine now :P
We’ve got a red one and a sparklyish black one. The first day I used mine I dropped it on the pavement as I was getting out of a cab. Oh noes! It has a decent sized dent near the bottom now, and a few little scratches, but I guess it could be worse.
I’ve been using these for..I don’t know..about 2 years now? And I like them, but I don’t.
Pros:
-Keeps my tea HOT!
-Leak proof. Gotta love that.
-Perfect size to hold in my hand or toss in my purse.
-They’re pretty and sleek, and don’t have a silly useless handle.
-Even though I rarely use it, that secret compartment for extra leaves is pretty nifty.
Cons:
-As I said in the pros, it keeps my tea HOT. Like, really hot. Undrinkably hot sometimes, which is sad when I want tea in my belly five minutes ago.
-I add milk to a lot of teas, especially black teas which are what I generally take with me in the morning in my Timolino. Even after a thorough washing, the milk can leave a weird, gross smell that lingers in the plastic parts. YUCK. Baking soda or vinegar takes care of that, but is also a pain in the rear.
-Not dishwasher safe. This is probably my biggest con, since I am supremely lazy. That and a run through the dishwasher would also take care of the icky smell issue. So I’ve taken to just tossing mine in the dishwasher anyway, on the top shelf. I haven’t noticed any adverse effects yet, but I fear that it might ultimately shorten the lives of them. I’ll continue to do it anyway though, as it’s the only way I can be sure that all of the nooks and crannies on the lid are truly clean and avoid that odour that completely ruins my cup of tea. I always have to just toss my cup if I notice that smell, it just churns my stomach.
So there you have it! My longer-than-expected review of my Timolinos. Still on the search for my perfect, dishwasher safe, leakproof travel mug. Maybe one day.
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Let me know if you ever find one!
I would kill… not literally of course, for a dishwasher safe travel mug :(
One con, to me: size. I think it holds 12oz? That’s an awkward amount, and I’d prefer 16.
I know about the heat issue. I have burned my mouth so many times with mine!
I find I’m starting to get a smell issue with mine too – I’ll have to break out the vinegar because I just can’t seem to kill it. :|
Same unbearable smell issue… It really ruins it for me. I think I’ll take the chance to toss it in the dishwasher like you did! Any adverse effects yet to anyone who did?
i soak them with an unflavored denture cleaner tablet. i have 4 timolinos and i put 1 tablet in each and fill it with water and just let it sit for a day. i also put all four lids in a bowl with 2 tabs and add water. it works great. gets out all the stains and smells.
What a good idea! I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, I tried the dishwasher, and nothing exploded :-)
with metal mugs like this they only say not diswasher safe because it takes the paint off. If you don’t care about losing the colour of your travel mug throw it in the dishwasher. I do with my Contigo and haven’t noticed anything wrong.
Great idea with the denture tabs, I might just give that a shot & see if it’ll help with staining on the plastic bits. I’m still regularly using both of my original Timolino mugs, and they get tossed in the dishwasher each and every time. Still holding up great, no issues with the seal or even discoloration/chipping paint. I’m glad I didn’t give up on these. I’ve definitely gotten a lot of great use out of them, and the smell is no longer an issue now that I’m not primarily hand-washing them.
Yeah, I just bought denture tabs. I can’t wait to see how much of a difference they make, although I’ll probably only soak them for 12 hours at a time (I want to use them the other 12 hours to/from/at work. :P)
Helena,
Have you thought about writing a review of the Contigo? I for one would be interested in learning more about your experience with it and how it compares to the Timolino or Zojirushi. Thanks!
http://steepster.com/teaware/contigo/46360-autoseal-16-oz-stainless-steel
Let me know if you ever find one!
I would kill… not literally of course, for a dishwasher safe travel mug :(
One con, to me: size. I think it holds 12oz? That’s an awkward amount, and I’d prefer 16.
I know about the heat issue. I have burned my mouth so many times with mine!
I find I’m starting to get a smell issue with mine too – I’ll have to break out the vinegar because I just can’t seem to kill it. :|
Same unbearable smell issue… It really ruins it for me. I think I’ll take the chance to toss it in the dishwasher like you did! Any adverse effects yet to anyone who did?
i soak them with an unflavored denture cleaner tablet. i have 4 timolinos and i put 1 tablet in each and fill it with water and just let it sit for a day. i also put all four lids in a bowl with 2 tabs and add water. it works great. gets out all the stains and smells.
What a good idea! I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, I tried the dishwasher, and nothing exploded :-)
with metal mugs like this they only say not diswasher safe because it takes the paint off. If you don’t care about losing the colour of your travel mug throw it in the dishwasher. I do with my Contigo and haven’t noticed anything wrong.
Great idea with the denture tabs, I might just give that a shot & see if it’ll help with staining on the plastic bits. I’m still regularly using both of my original Timolino mugs, and they get tossed in the dishwasher each and every time. Still holding up great, no issues with the seal or even discoloration/chipping paint. I’m glad I didn’t give up on these. I’ve definitely gotten a lot of great use out of them, and the smell is no longer an issue now that I’m not primarily hand-washing them.
Yeah, I just bought denture tabs. I can’t wait to see how much of a difference they make, although I’ll probably only soak them for 12 hours at a time (I want to use them the other 12 hours to/from/at work. :P)
Helena,
Have you thought about writing a review of the Contigo? I for one would be interested in learning more about your experience with it and how it compares to the Timolino or Zojirushi. Thanks!
http://steepster.com/teaware/contigo/46360-autoseal-16-oz-stainless-steel