Urban Minimalist

Minimal life at its most grand

Greens Steel Beast Travel Mug

4 minute read

Let’s be honest, starting the day with a hot coffee or tea is a route to a better day. In winter, a hot drink is about the only way to stave off the cold.

Although I often work from home, I like to sit with my co-workers at least two days a week. On my commute, I’d rather enjoy my own tasty, hot beverage then spending money at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. Plus, it’s almost impossible to find Red Date Ginger tea, my current winter favorite.

The only way to enjoy a hot beverage while commuting is with a good travel mug. I’ve had my fair share of leaky, plastic mugs. And, when I bought coffee at the corner deli or Starbucks, I just used their paper, disposable cups.

In 2017, I’m trying to be more aware of my carbon footprint, as well as insuring my hot beverage isn’t absorbing toxins from plastic or Styrofoam. Also, I want my coffee cup to reflect me. My ideal travel mug has a minimalist aesthetic. With that in mind, I turned to Amazon and began searching for the perfect urban minimalist travel mug. My criteria are: leakproof, spillproof, easy to transport, eco-friendly, and adequate capacity. My budget isn’t unlimited, but I am willing to invest in a quality product.

Travel Mugs

I found the site, Fakespot, very helpful in weeding out junk from quality. I expect an A grade from Fakespot for a product. Ratings manipulation is a clear warning sign of inferior products.

Fakespot immediately eliminated Brimma, Magnum Solaces and some other bargain mugs that didn’t even make it into the cart for closer inspection. Although initially, I wanted a sleek design. In the end, I found a handle to be essential during a subway commute. In the car, no handle would be fine, however.

The Yeti, Thermos, Camelbak and Greens Steel mugs are all really nice! I could have easily selected any of them. So I added another criteria to my search. I want dishwasher safe, too. That eliminated a few more. I started getting really excited about the Greens Steel Beast 20oz Travel Mug. I love the stainless steel model. It promised spillproof, as well. I purchased the Greens Steel.

After it arrived, I put it to the test. For a travel mug it does a great job. I filled it with hot tea and placed the Beast in the drink holder on my backpack and walked 3 miles with it. Didn’t spill a drop! And, I love it around the house as well.

After my first commute with the mug, I did want some adjustments. A 20oz steel tumbler is fairly large in my hand. On the subway, it was a challenge to hold. I need a handle. Greens Steel does make an accessory handle, which I immediately ordered. The handle brought my total cost up another $8.95. A removable handle is pretty handy and the price was still comparable to The RTIC and Yeti mugs.

One small issue that I had was on my way home. I put some cold water in the mug and placed the mug in my drink holder on my backpack. When I bent over to tie my shoe, I felt cold water pouring on me. That’s when I realized the mug can easily bounce around and not spill, but it fails when inverted. I think a design more like the Camelbak and less like the Greens Steel, Yeti or RTIC would be required to invert without leaking.

Some of the drawbacks of the Greens Steel Beast are listed below. Greens Steel is a family company and I know they appreciate the feedback on their products.

Drawbacks of Greens Steel Beast
  • Cannot be inverted, will leak
  • Beverage must be hot for lid to properly tighten
  • Handle is extra

Even with the required accessory and the inability to invert the Beast. I am still happy with my purchase and would buy the Greens Steel Beast 20oz Travel Mug again. If you would like to purchase the Greens Steel Beast 20oz Travel Mug you can do so here

I’m excited to try the Camelbak Forge 16oz Travel Mug and have asked for it as a birthday gift. If I get it, I’ll review it as well.

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