Interesting travel mug

[Drax]

For those people looking for a travel mug, there's a Kickstarter project currently running.

It goes a step beyond vacuum insulated mugs by putting a material in the interior part to actually help cool down your beverage from near-boiling to a drinkable temperature. Then that material also helps extend the time your beverage stays at a warmer temperature (presumably because there's now more total mass at the desired temperature).

It's an interesting idea. Most thermos-type items work on trying to just retain heat as long as possible. This one is designed more to maximize the "hot but drinkable" zone.

I'm sure it's not everybody's cup of tea, but I thought I'd post it in case anybody was looking for something like this.

[paul haigh]

In chemistry, when one measures heat a "calorimeter" is used. The device is designed to have good insulation, and a material that accepts the heat for measurement (often the material is water). In addition to the heat transferred to the water, some heat goes into heating up the structure of the calorimeter (that heat is called the "calorimeter constant"). This is measured empirically before the experiment.

Essentially, this person has made a travel mug with a tuned calorimeter constant. Somewhat interesting from that point of view.

OK- that's probably not interesting to anyone here.

My concern is more about material interaction. Many travel mug materials immediately suck the richness out of a good cup of coffee. I drink out of a hand made tumbler on my way to work because- hey- I live on the edge

Note- I designed calorimeters for an internship in grad school. We used to combust things like oreos in a "bomb calorimeter" for fun. Now it seems like a waste of good oreos.

[JBaymore]

In chemistry, when one measures heat a "calorimeter" is used. The device is designed to have good insulation, and a material that accepts the heat for measurement (often the material is water). In addition to the heat transferred to the water, some heat goes into heating up the structure of the calorimeter (that heat is called the "calorimeter constant"). This is measured empirically before the experiment.

Essentially, this person has made a travel mug with a tuned calorimeter constant. Somewhat interesting from that point of view.

OK- that's probably not interesting to anyone here.

Hey Paul ... what am I... a potted palm?

best,

...................john

PS: Did you see the study that showed Oreos are as addicitive as cocaine?

[paul haigh]

Let me try that again
"OK- this is probably only interesting to other geeks like myself"

[Drax]

Haha, I guess that's a hidden reason why I posted it in the first place?

I taught a phys chem lab course in grad school, and one of our experiments involved bomb calorimetry. I later used the equipment in one of my research experiments. Never oreos, though. Well, my stomach could be considered a calorimeter of sorts...

Paul -- in your experience with travel mugs decreasing the richness of a brew, the materials were probably plastic? Do you think that's a general problem with that material? (oddly enough, I can't recall ever drinking hot tea from a plastic vessel...)

[paul haigh]

Yes, plastic travel mugs immediately destroy the richness of coffee. I don't have as much experience with tea in those mugs, and I don't know what material is used in this new mug; I do not assume that people would be doing a "tasting" in plastic, but there is no reason to believe that it wouldn't screw with a flavor profile in the same way.

My wife has a (gasp) double walled ceramic Starbucks travel mug that it pretty neat. It's not vacuum insulated, but had a rubber plug in the bottom.

As a potter, with a hundred "seconds" tumblers at my disposal- I just use one of those and hold at the lip until it cools a bit. I think that I have enough calluses and nerve damage from splitting/stacking/burning wood for home and kiln that it's no issue if I do spill a bit.

[mcrdotcom]

In chemistry, when one measures heat a "calorimeter" is used. The device is designed to have good insulation, and a material that accepts the heat for measurement (often the material is water). In addition to the heat transferred to the water, some heat goes into heating up the structure of the calorimeter (that heat is called the "calorimeter constant"). This is measured empirically before the experiment.

Essentially, this person has made a travel mug with a tuned calorimeter constant. Somewhat interesting from that point of view.

OK- that's probably not interesting to anyone here.

My concern is more about material interaction. Many travel mug materials immediately suck the richness out of a good cup of coffee. I drink out of a hand made tumbler on my way to work because- hey- I live on the edge

Note- I designed calorimeters for an internship in grad school. We used to combust things like oreos in a "bomb calorimeter" for fun. Now it seems like a waste of good oreos.

As a chemist in training I appreciate this, actually quite interesting, I hadn't thought of it like that!

Haha did you ever do a calculation on the Oreos to see if the kcals matched up?

[paul haigh]

If I recall correctly- it was close! Oreos have a huge number of calories each. I suppose that under the right conditions they could be used as an emergency heat source.

[JBaymore]

I suppose that under the right conditions they could be used as an emergency heat source.

Hummmmmmm.................. I wonder what Oreo ash does...............

Any idea of the # of Oreos it's take to equal a cord of hardwood?

best,

...................john

PS: Drax... sorry about the Oreo thread hijack.

[Drax]

No worries, John, it's more entertaining than the travel mug.

[paul haigh]

It's about 124,000 oreos for black oak (a red oak species)

[JBaymore]

It's about 124,000 oreos for black oak (a red oak species)

Hum...... thanks...... now have to check how many Oreos in a package.

best,

..................john

PS: Think of all the people I'll be saving from getting fat and having diabetes.

[woozl]

I don't want to clean those shelves

[JBaymore]

I don't want to clean those shelves

It'll be easy....... I'll use the Advancers and I'll grease them.

best,

....................john