You can drink right from the spout on the lid of this Thermos - my new favorite for my iced tea
My new favorite. I will say, though, that I am more concerned about keeping my iced tea cold, than coffee hot. The lid is not very well insulated, and since heat rises, it might have more heat loss than some. I really can't say, though, because I'm not a hot drink guy, I'm a cold drink guy, and for cold drinks it is GREAT! I have been searching for the 'just right' Stainless Steel thermos for a while now, and this is my new favorite. My old favorite, the Nissan/Thermos has been discontinued, and while my old one still works, I wanted a larger one. I tried a couple others, but finally got this one, and it is my new favorite. I have an Aladdin Stanley Steel jumbo one, which holds about the same amount, and while my coffee drinking friends rave about it, I don't care for it for cold drinks because I can't drink directly from it. The stopper has a kind of groove in it that your drink pours through, and while it works good pouring into a cup, you just can't drink from it directly. With this one, you just flip the lid up, and there is a spout you can either put up to your mouth and drink directly from, or pour into a cup if you prefer. Shut it, and the spout is covered, so it stays clean, and just as importantly, it DOES NOT LEAK! My Stanley doesn't leak either, but I bought a different brand of 64 oz thermos (at amost 3X the price) because it had a spout you could drink directly from, but if it tips over, it will drip slowly. This does not. Another advantage over the Stanley, for iced tea, is that the top opening is full size, it doesn't neck down at the top, making it much easier to get ice inside (or things like soup or stew). Included in the box, was an extra gasket for the lid, and a paper with contact information for customer service, both of which I thought were nice to add. Most manufacturers have contact info on the box, but who keeps the box? I guess you could cut out the part with the contact info, but I can just drop the paper in a file cabinet drawer, so I can always find it (I put mine in an envelope with the extra gasket). The carry handle is different than most, more like what you'd find on a cooler than a thermos, but it works OK, and folds neatly around the body of the thermos. The lid is indexed so that when it is tight, it is always at the same position, in relation to the handle. You tighten it to a 'stop', and it always points just like it does in the picture in the description. They even put some thought into the flap that covers the spout. The catch that holds it shut has a little sliding button built into it, to lock it shut, so it can't get bumped open by accident, and the flap it spring loaded, so that it opens up all the way when unlatched, to keep it out of the way when drinking, and so you know if it is open (if it isn't latched shut, the spring keeps it flipped clear open). As a bonus, it holds just as much as my Aladdin Stanley Steel, while being an inch or two shorter in height, pretty much matching a 2 liter bottle in height though it is bigger around. My Aladdin won't fit on a shelf sized for a 2 liter bottle, it is too tall.If you like iced tea, or just iced water, and want something in Stainless Steel that can hold a full 2 quarts, I highly recommend this one. I really can't think of what i'd do to improve it. I guess in a perfect world, it would have some kind of vent so it couldn't gurgle when poured, but I normally drink from it directly, and it works great for that, and maybe the carry handle could be different so it wouldn't bump the ground when my 7 year old carries it, but it hasn't sustained any harm from it, other than a few surface scratches. All this, and at a price not much more than a decent all-plastic water jug. 5 stars for both quality and value.PS I almost forgot to mention, the inside is all Stainless steel, and the lid is made of certified BPA free plastic. It does not transfer any funny taste or smell to your drink, nor does it seem to stain easily. After owning it a while, I am appreciating the wide top opening not just for ease of putting in ice, but ease of cleaning. There is no narrow throat to go through. Just wrap a dishcloth around a wooden spoon, and clean it all the way down. The manual says hand wash, as it is not dishwasher safe.