I know that I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m a big fan of Dave Asprey, The Bulletproof Exec, so when he came out with this travel mug I was pretty excited.
His whole thing is that he only recommends products that he personally believes in and uses, in fact he stakes his reputation on it. If he can’t find a product that meets his requirements, then he goes ahead and manufactures it himself at a quality that meets his specifications.
Because he is so anal about the quality of his products and has such stringent requirements, he charges a premium for his products.
This is the philosophy behind his entire line of Upgraded Coffee products.
He sells this travel mug for $29.95, which I think is steep for a coffee mug… but since it has the backing of the whole Bulletproof philosophy, I didn’t mind paying for a guaranteed quality product.
Here is the description directly from his site:
Never spill another drop with this 100% spill and leak-proof travel mug. Press the AUTOSEAL button to sip, and release the button to automatically reseal. This self-sealing lid technology is combined with a double-wall, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel mug, providing exceptional temperature retention. Your Bulletproof Coffee will stay hot for 4 hours or cold for 12 hours. Take your Bulletproof Coffee with you on the go, and live Bulletproof wherever you are.
This is a high quality mug that will replace all others. Whether you use it for coffee, tea, or water, this mug is built to last!
Product Details:
- Contoured body makes this travel mug easy to hold and easy on the eyes.
- The AUTOSEAL Stainless Steel Mug will hold up to 16 oz. and fits most standard car cup holders.
- Constructed with a double wall and stainless steel inside and out for maximum travel mug performance.
- Made from 100% FDA-approved materials.
- Dimensions: 3.5″ wide at the widest point of the lid x 7.8″ x 3.3″ at widest point of mug x 2.5″ diameter at base
In my time spent with this mug, I can say that the description is 100% accurate. This thing does exactly what it says it does. It feels very sturdy in my hands. When I fill it with piping hot coffee, the mug is so well insulated that I don’t feel any warmth at all on the outside.
It keeps my coffee and tea warm for at least 2 hours. I haven’t tested it past that since I normally finish my drinks by then, but if I were to extrapolate from the temperature at 2 hours, I’d say that 4 hours is a reasonable upper limit.
Unfortunately I don’t drink that many iced drinks, so I can’t really attest to the 12 hour keeping things cold claim.
The seal is very easy to use and is 100% spill proof. You simply press the AUTOSEAL button, and it you can drink it. When you let go of the button, it becomes sealed and nothing can come out. You can see me holding it upside down while it’s filled with hot tea (the tea bag is still steeping). Not a single drop spilled out.
This is without a doubt a great product and I see myself using this for a long time.
I only have one main gripe and it’s this: I feel disappointed and ripped off.
This is essentially a Contigo mug with the Bulletproof logo plastered on it… just a rebranded product. When I bought this I imagined of the Bulletproof Exec team taking as much care and nuance in the manufacturing of this mug as they say they do with their upgraded coffee. Unfortunately it looks like the Bulletproof Exec team had no part in the manufacture of this product and this isn’t mentioned at all on the website. The pictures are even different!
Here is the picture that is used on the site. Notice any differences? Do you see that the “contigo” insignia that shows up along the bottom of my mug is nowhere on the picture that is used on the website?
It’s even emblazoned on the lid of my mug.
So what’s the big deal?
Well, the big deal is that if I wanted a ‘Contigo’ travel mug I could have easily just picked it up from Amazon.com
This is a great product, there’s no doubt about it. The Contigo website even specifies that the plastic is BPA free (I’m surprised the Bulletproof team didn’t add this to the description).
Despite this, I don’t think the Bulletproof logo is worth the 50% markup. When I purchase a couple more of these to give as gifts, you can be sure that I’ll get them through Amazon or the Contigo website instead.
Sorry, Dave Asprey, I expected more from the Bulletproof team.
honestly, genetically inside he is very sensitive and allergic to a lot of things as he admits to it that he is “sensitive like a flower”. unless you are exactly the way he is there is no sense in “cleaning up” and/or bulletproofing everything. we are made to adapt as long as you are consuming relatively clean whole foods and you can not bio-hack everything in order to achieved good health. he is all about bio-hacking the brain BUT in context and more research is coming out that the gut and gut microbiome is much more important than the brain because it is the one in-charge of our immune system and NOT the brain. What is the use of a great brain if your overall gut and immune health is all out of whack. just saying…..
I’m not ready to mess around with biohacking my brain… that’s a line that I’ve drawn for myself. He’s selling some nootropic things as well as brain electro-stim devices that only piqued my interest for a tiny bit.. but not enough to try those things out.
I’m actually happy with how my brain is right now…
Hi, i was a big fan of dave Asprey.
But since i heard a Joe Rogan podcast with Dr Rhonda Patrick and talking about Asprey’s coffee, i was disapointed and stopped reading bulletproof things. May be it’s bulls* like the coffee…
Marketing is everywhere.
Ya, it’s unfortunate how that whole thing went down…