Sorta OT - Does Stainless Steel taint the flavors of a liquid?

Botch

I didn't want to derail the Yeti Lowball thread, but something happened today that makes me want to ask this.
I bring a Stanley thermos full of iced tea to work every day, and drink it out of my 20-oz Yeti filled with ice (so glad to have an ice machine in my building!).  Today, just before I got to work, the lights went out; it was a pretty large outage and lasted for over an hour; we texted our boss in another building and we could take leave for the rest of the day, beautiful fall day with the leaves turning and fresh tires on the motorcycle!
Anyhoo, I still had my ss thermos full of tea, so I poured it into my plastic mug I use at home, and added my usual single ice cube.
Augh!  The taste was quite a bit different.  And I remember from my winetasting ventures being told to never use a stainless steel wineglass (typically called a "goblet" and with a dragon-shaped stem).  Then, reading about putting bourbon into a ss Yeti Lowball, made me ask the question.  Given its non-reactive nature, I wouldn't think ss would taint the flavor of anything, yet lore and my own personal experience dictate otherwise.
Thoughts?
 
EDIT:  Yes, I do wash out my Stanley!  

RRP

Wash out or just rinse out? My wife carried a SS Thermos brand of coffee to work every day for years when she was teaching since her room was the furthermost from the teacher lounge. In spite of mere rinsing that Thermso had to be scrubbed with soap and a stiff bottle brush a couple times a week as the residual coffee bean oil gave that coffee legs! Why wouldn't /couldn't that also be true with your tea? As for bourbon leaving a taste in my YETI I have not noticed, but we do wash these every night so what do I know? 

Botch

I rinse out daily, then once a week: fill w/hot water and a splash of white vinegar, soak overnight, empty, then refill halfway with hot water and a tablespoon or so of uncooked rice, cap, and shake as hard as I can (one side of The Ramones on vinyl usually does it) and rinse.  Need to try a "bottle brush", getting all the rice out is a pain.
But again, "stainless" steel absorbs coffee bean oil/tea byproducts?  

SGH

@Botch
Brother I don't know if there is a clear cut answer to your question or not. I know some folks that swear that SS changes the taste of their beverage (whatever it may be) and others say that it does not.  I don't seem to notice it myself. However I only drink Coke or water from mine. I will say that I can detect a suttle difference in Coke if it's bottled or canned. A glass bottle Coke tastes far better than a plastic bottle or canned one to me. Now this could be because for the first several years of my life they came in glass bottles only in my neck of the woods and it's a aquired taste. But with that said, I can certainly tell them apart in a taste test with my eyes closed. So I guess it's a matter of "taste" if you will. SS is pretty non reactive but not totally non reactive, so I guess in theory it could slightly alter the taste of some beverages. Especially the real acidic ones. It could depend on how astute someone's ability to taste is. I use the example again that I prefer Coke out of glass as opposed to aluminum or plastic, my wife says that they taste identical to her. Wish I could offer more my friend. In closing, I will say that a rubber seal can and will alter the taste of alcohol. A nylon seal would work much better for alcohol as it gives no taste after its initial wetting. How do I know this? I know some people that know some people who use to deal in large quantities of home distilled clear liquor. They swore by nylon. 

Legume

I think the difference is more in putting the cup to your lips - try drinking just water from your 20 or 30oz Yeti with the lid on and then again with the lid off.  Totally different experience or 'taste' to me.

lousubcap

@SGH- I'm with you on the can versus bottle taste difference-soda and beer.  Now I have never had bourbon from a can (that I can remember anyhow) so don't know in that regard.

SGH

lousubcap said:

@SGH- I'm with you on the can versus bottle taste difference-soda and beer.  Now I have never had bourbon from a can (that I can remember anyhow) so don't know in that regard.

The glass bottle is defiantly the way to go my friend. 

RRP

By light of day I just remembered a little thing I have in my cooking drawer. It is made of stainless steel and looks like a fairly well worn down bar of soap. It's purpose? After peeling garlic with your bare hands you use this under running water as if you are washing your your hands with this "bar of soap"! It works like magic! So if stainless can remove odors like that why should it retain odors since my "soap bar" doesn't? I still stand by the need to remove coffee bean oil however as that is a different matter!

busmania

I have always thought coffee was just a little different in stainless.

Legume

Those work well for fish too @RRP

RRP

Legume said:

Those work well for fish too @RRP

it sticks in my mind that a sterling silver knife, fork or spoon does as well. In addition for years I always carried a tube of toothpaste in my tackle box as it too will wash the fish smell off your hands.

nolaegghead

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/f/blstainlessodor.htm