Ohelo Tumbler is an attractive, low profile, temperature retention bottle with a filter. I have the Black Blossom model.
Ohelo Tumbler Specs
- 400ml / 13.5oz
- Vacuum insulated double-walled 18/8 stainless steel
- Electropolished interior for extra resistance to bacteria and easy cleaning
- Stays hot for 6 hours, cold for 12 hours.
- Removable stainless steel mesh under the lid
- Leakproof sip twist lid
- BPA, BPS, BPF free
- Handwash only (though uncoated stainless steel designs are dishwasher safe)
- Offered in 4 different laser etched designs (plain, bee, blossom, swallows) and 6 colours (black, stainless steel, white, pink, blue, yellow)
The laser etched design wraps around the tumbler. Every time I use this tumbler in public I have gotten compliments on how pretty it is.
Ohelo Tumbler’s lid twists open to drink, and you can sip from anywhere. Disassembled, it is 3 pieces – locking lid, stretch washer, and filter screen. This wide mouth makes it easy to add large ice cubes or fruit.
Ohelo claims their tumbler “Keeps contents hot for up to 6 hours, cold for up to 12 hours” so I needed to put it to the test, at least the hot part.
I did a preheat for 5 minutes with 200F/93c water, dumped it out and refilled the Ohelo bottle with boiling water. The outside environment is 68F, if that even matters as this tumbler is closed and double-walled.
The starting temperature was 209F/98c.
1 hour = 186F / 85c.
2 hours = 170F/77c – You can brew green tea here.
3 hours = 160F/71c .
5 hours = 140F/60c – Google says a comfortable (and recommended) hot liquid drinking temperature is 140F to 120F/ 60c to 50c.
7 hours = 125F/52c – still comfortably hot drinking temperature.
10 hours = 113F/45c.
That said, yes, the Ohelo Tumbler does a very good job at holding hot temperatures. It isn’t as good as a few other stainless steel tea tumblers I’ve reviewed, but the Ohelo is much smaller.
Pros of the Ohelo Tumbler
Leakproof – The Ohelo Tumbler is indeed leakproof! I felt comfortable putting this tumbler in my purse. A few times, when I was carrying groceries and ran out of hands, I simply tossed the tumbler into my grocery bag. However, this tumbler will do a couple of drips if there is liquid trapped in between the lids, say if you tilt to sip (or spill it!) then quickly lock it in place.
Easy to drink from the lid – The lid is designed to sip from anywhere you want. I found this feature cool while drinking in the car as I didn’t have to pay attention to how I was drinking. If the bottle is greatly tilted, it has a gentle stream, making for easy sipping. This controlled pour also helps minimize spill if knocked over while the lid is unlocked.
Cons of the Ohelo Tumbler
The base is slippery / must lock lid while not in use – the bottom of the Ohelo Tumbler is just the continuation of the exterior matte finish. The design is wide and tapered, but not very bottom-heavy. It is balanced when left alone, but a soft nudge will cause the tumbler to skid and tip over, especially when it’s less than half full. A non-slip base would have helped to keep this tumbler in place on any surface.
However, this tumbler is durable and the etching seems to be still intact despite eating concrete floor a few times. That said, I suggest when you put this tumbler down on a flat surface and always lock the lid when not in use.
The filter needs cleaning often – This may not apply to those who are good at cleaning their teaware after each use, but I am listing this as a con as I find the amount of cleaning the Ohelo bottle needs makes me not reach for it often.
The stainless steel mesh filter just loves to trap tea dust and milk/sugar residue inside and needs cleaning after each use. Ohelo recommends hot soapy water or baking soda to clean – dishwasher may ruin the exterior design (stainless steel model is dishwasher safe).
You have to remove the stretchy washer and then the filter to clean, just rinsing the lid doesn’t cut it. I have a bad habit (especially with teas without milk/sugar) to just rinse, but in the Ohelo Tumbler if I don’t take apart the lid and clean it in between teas it carries over the smells greatly. If I forget to clean it from the day before, the gunk quickly gets nasty. Attaching the stretchy washer can also be fiddly.
Other Considerations / Mixed Reviews
Filter Effectiveness – I found the Ohelo bottle’s filter to catch even fine herbals so I wasn’t drinking chunks, however, these dusty fragmented teas tend to slow down the pour on the lid.
Tea leaves cannot be removed – by design, Ohelo Tumbler stops the tea leaves from being chewed on. Teas that are prone to oversteeping will not come out well, especially combined with how well the heat retention preforms.
Excellent heat retention – I found the Ohelo Tumbler almost too good at its temperature retention (as seen earlier) so I’ve had boiling temperature teas stay blistering hot for a long time. I have gotten in the habit to drop the water temperature 10F or so to compensate. If you want to drink your boiling tea within the first couple of hours, it will be very hot to drink.
Comments
I like my Ohelo Tumbler for already prepared tea or teas that never over steep to bitter. My favorite Ohelo Tumbler use is to concentrate steep up some chai, top it with some microwaved oat milk, then add a generous amount of sweetener to have hot spicy chai for hours.
Either way, the Ohelo Tumbler is perfect for someone who likes the look (and so many options!) and needs a small tea vessel that keeps liquids hot for many hours. This tumbler also has the flexibility for going cold and shaking up with protein powder or fruit and ice.
(teaware provided for review)
