We have some incredible coffee shops in our little 21,000-person town of Ashland, Oregon. It鈥檚 a particular blessing that we have two roasters that have won multiple prestigious Good Food Awards, because I work from these havens at least three days a week. But with amazing coffee, ambience, and pastries听come some intimidating baristas. I call the ones that look through me as they take my order听the surly millennials.听(Disclosure: I qualify as a millennial.) A big听reason I love the 听so much is that it was complimented by the surliest of all these millennial baristas.
While听grabbing a cup of coffee to break up a stroller run with my daughter, I handed my Yeti to the queen of the grumpy baristas. 鈥淲hat brand is this?鈥 she asked. I flinched. Was she going to call out my bougie cup to her espresso-shot-pulling coworker? Snapchat how lame I was to a private barista group? I meekly answered, 鈥淵eti.鈥 To which she replied,听鈥淚t is perfect,鈥 without a hint of sarcasm.
And she鈥檚 right. As a reusable around-town coffee mug, the Rambler 10-ounce is absolutely perfect. First off, it鈥檚 an ideal size. It鈥檚 just right for the extra cup of coffee I pour into it as I run out the door. I like my coffee like I like my whiskey (another liquid this vessel is fantastic for)鈥攈igh quality, strong, and in moderation. Ten ounces is an optimal amount to wake me up for a day in the mountains without sending me into an anxious state or straight to the bathroom.
The lid is also subtly designed but well-suited for my needs. It鈥檚听simple, with a hardy gasket that still secures well after myriad drops and hundreds of washes听in my dishwasher. On top of being extremely durable, it isn鈥檛 fussy. The small coffee-delivery hole doesn鈥檛 close, which means it will spill if it falls and it won鈥檛 keep the liquid听hot overnight. This could be a deal breaker for some sippers听but not for me. I鈥檓 careful with my coffee, and the double-walled insulation keeps it plenty warm for the hour听that it takes me to drink it. I really appreciate that I don鈥檛 have to click or twist anything to get coffee into my mouth.
The cup itself is even more durable than the lid. I鈥檝e been using this tumbler almost every day since August 2015, and after four and a half years of heavy use, it still works just as well as the day I got it. The dings and scratches it鈥檚 picked up after听being dropped over the years听just add character, and frequent dishwasher cycles have not affected its utility in any way.
It isn鈥檛 all brawn, though. The geometry of the vessel makes it a pleasure to drink out of. Its stout 3.5-inch width has a substantial feel in hand and provides a solid base when I put it down on kicked-up playground wood chips to chase my daughter. I also think the squat look鈥攊t鈥檚 only an inch taller than it is wide鈥攍ooks cool as hell.
I鈥檝e grown to expect this level of durability and user experience from Yeti products. I often find myself referring to听those two factors when听defending its extremely high price points in this column. At $20, though, the Rambler Lowball is competitive with other brands in this space. For a half decade of hard use and a life span that I anticipate being at least twice that, it鈥檚 a sound investment. And personally, receiving affirmation from an extra surly barista that I have the perfect听reusable coffee vessel makes it worth twice the price.