Zojirushi SM-SD48BC Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug, 1 Count (Pack of 1), Silky Black

I’ve been using the Zojirushi SA60BA, and it’s hands down one of the best travel mugs I’ve owned! The vacuum insulation keeps my coffee hot for hours, and even my cold drinks stay chilled all day.The stainless steel build feels premium and durable, and the leak-proof design makes it perfect for travel. It’s lightweight, easy to clean, and fits well in car cup holders.

Zojirushi SM-SA48-BA Stainless Steel Mug, Black, 16-OunceFirst, I don't write reviews often, but feel compelled to do so. I can't stop telling people about this little gem! I was using a Contigo autoseal style cup and was happy with it. It kept my coffee hot for 4-6 hours if left full all day. If I drank say half of it, the temperature would hold closer to 4 hours. That is to be expected. It was my favorite cup as it kept my coffee hot and it was my only spill proof travel mug. Sure I have a dozen insulated coffee mugs, but none that I could put in a bag or throw on the leather seat of my Lexus and not worry about it spilling.Well, I dropped the Contigo cup shortly after purchase and it dented in the side pretty good, but its function was fine. After about six months it started leaking after another drop and the plastic threads of the lid cracked and could no longer hold a seal. So, I was back on the hunt for a new travel mug. I roast my own coffee and am pretty particular when it comes to my coffee. I literally have spent thousands on coffee and espresso equipment. It would be considered an addiction. Needless to say, I like to have my addiction hot and often. Kind of reminds me of my wife! Similarly, I get irritable if you decrease my enjoyment of either of these addictions. So, needless to say, the cup needed to be replaced asap.So, I go to Amazon and find the Contigo Autoseal and put it into the cart. Prime baby, I'll have it in a couple days. Hey, what is that in the recommended products. A Zojirushi SM-SA48-BA Stainless Steel Mug, interesting, six months earlier I had researched bread making machines and turns out Zojirushi makes the best one, I bought it and we have been very impressed with its thoughtful design and quality. A few months later I broke my thermal pitcher I pour my french press brew into immediately after extraction. So here I go to Amazon and similar story, I purchase a Zojirushi thermal pitcher and it was also a great product. So the Zojirushi SM-SA48-BA Stainless Steel Mug caught my eye. Wow, 1100+ reviews and 5 star rating. You don't see that too often. $26 dollars compared to the Contigo $15, hmm, that's a lot. I will just order both.Now, to say that I am impressed with this little gem is an understatement. At first look on Amazon, I didn't like the design. The flip lid seems like it would be a pia. Always having to flip to take a drink, when I was used to the Contigo and just pushing the button and taking a drink. A few reviewers also stated they hit their nose on the lid. I really didn't think I would like it, but what the hey, I'll give it a try. The package arrived as expected with the two cups, I attached a picture with a soda can so you can compare the two products.First impressions:Form - They both look really good as far as form factor. I got the white Contigo, because it was $12 compared to $15 and up for other colors. Not considering colors, I like the look of the Zojirushi. I believe this is a more of a personal preference issue. So pretty close just looking at them.Design -The Zojirushi really pulls ahead in this department. When you pick up these mugs up out of the box, you will immediately lean towards the Zojirushi. As you can see in the pictures, compared to a soda can the Contigo is a bit larger in diameter and the Zojirushi is a little smaller. My hands are on the smaller side of a male hand and the Contigo feels big. Kind of like picking up a soda can compared to a two liter soda bottle. The soda can feels more comfortable in your hand. This is an exaggeration, but it is the accurate way you will feel when comparing the two. The Zojirush, just has a nicer hand feel. It is comfortable to hold in a relaxed position. Like the 2 liter bottle, the Contigo took more effort to hold.The Contigo wins when it comes to getting coffee from the mug into your mouth quickly, but hold on. If you are a coffee drinker, like me, who enjoys the experience of drinking coffee. The mouth feel of the cup, the aroma of the coffee as you inhale through your nose taking that first air infused slurping sip. The best environment for this experience is a good warmed open ceramic or porcelain mug. Short of that, every other form is a compromise. The mouth feel of the mug, the openness as you tilt the mug to inhale the aroma, and the ability to sip with a slurping type sip where you take in a little air with the liquid to enhance your ability to taste the subtle rich notes of the coffee. This is where the Zojirushi shines, as it simulates the porcelain mug the best.When I was like you, reading the reviews, this didn't occur to me, until I took my first sip from the Zojirushi. Again, the flip lid seemed to be less efficient way than the Contigo, and maybe it is, but the advantages to coffee enjoyment are great. Here is why, think about drinking out of the Contigo. It is like drinking out of a straw. You suck from the little hole at the edge of the lid and there is no air exchange, like sucking out of a straw. Think about drinking a beer out of a straw, you lost the joy of drinking the beer, but you got your alcohol. The Conitgo was the same way, but at the time was worth having a spilless cup of hot coffee. You got your caffeine, but lost the joy of the cup. You comprimise on mouth feel, air exchange with the slurp and aroma of the coffee, but you get hot and spilless.The Zojirushi, on the other hand, has less compromise in these areas. Due to the flip lid, they were able to design a drinking rim similar to drinking from a cup with enough room for plenty of aroma to escape and you can slurp as you take a drink. So, this design allows you to enjoy your coffee to the fullest, even in a travel mug. No, you are not sitting on the porch with comfy clothes and sluping on a warm mug of deliciousness, but you are getting the best coffee drinking environment I have found in travel form.The other impressive thing on design, this thing can keep your coffee hot all day long. The Contigo will keep a full mug of coffee hot for about 6 hours. About 4 hours if you only fill it half way or drink half. The Zojirushi really shines here also, I put coffee from my french press into this little gem at 8 am and drank from it all day and that evening at 6pm, ten hours later, the last drink was drinking temperature, not just lukewarm. Wow, I was impressed.Another note, I can fit the Zojirushi in my back pocket of my jeans or fit it into the inside jacket pocket, where the Contigo is just too fat to make that work.Needless to say, make this purchase and just enjoy your coffee. If you drink Folgers coffee, disregard everything I have said, as you just won't understand.This is one of those stupid things, but I am so impressed and this is one of those products that has literally made my life a little more enjoyable and I appreciate it!

After using a different brand travel mug for years (this one had a push button to drink and was difficult to clean because of that mechanism) I switched to this Zojirushi insulated mug. I've had other Zojirushi products in the past - this one lives up to the high standard that the other ones set.Pros: excellent insulation - in fact, make sure your hot beverage is at the temp you want before you pour it in, because it will stay that way until you are done with it! I used to have to start off hotter to account for heat loss during my commute in to work, but that does not happen with this mug.The lid opens with an easy push of the button, and you don't have to hold the button down to drink - something I didn't realize was an annoyance (and could be a hinderance for someone with grip strength issues) until it was gone. The lid opens in two steps to keep from flinging condensation on you as it opens. You can close the lid easily with one finger - it clicks closed easily and is leakproof once you've closed it. There is a toggle to lock the lid for extra security as well.The lid is comprised of two pieces and has two removable gaskets - this clever design makes for extremely easy cleaning. No more weird gunk left over from my version of coffee (coffee + milk + collagen peptide supplement + flavoring).Cons: this boils down to preference, but for a 20oz mug, this is extremely skinny! I have added a drink coozie to my cupholder in my car so that the mug sits securely during travel, rather than rattling around in the cupholder.The skinniness also made cleaning of the main body of the mug a bit difficult. The interior is coated with a non-stick material that is easy to rinse, but if you want to scrub it, you'll need to find a perfect scrubby brush. I ended up finding a good one in my stash that was skinny enough, soft enough, and had padding on the end (I really don't want to scratch up this coating).I listed this as a pro, but it could be a con for some - this insulted mug is *super* insulated. Keep that in mind when loading hot beverages in - it will stay at that temp for a very long time! I have yet to experience a cool down, even after having my coffee in the mug over an entire work day.In summery, this was a mostly great departure from my old standby travel mug. I'm getting used to the skinniness and am super thrilled at how easy the lid is to clean.EDITED TO ADD:I've been using this thermos for a few more weeks and have come to a few more realizations: I have a very low nose bridge and a little nose - the silicone stopper in the hinged lid gets fairly close to my face when I'm drinking from the spout (there's really only one way to drink from the top since the spout is in one direction) - not a problem for me, but this could be too close and/or will boop the snoot of anyone with a higher nose bridge/more pronounced schnozz.