The Aura Portable Blender is great for those in need of yummy nutrition while on the move.
Do you like something yummy and nutritious to drink after a workout? Say, something sweet or refreshingly tangy?
I do. And so after a swim or a long run, I’ll always head to a juice bar or pop into a convenience store to buy something.
It gets expensive though, not to mention, one soon tires of the usual choices sold. If you looking for mixes that are a little different from the usual, well, good luck getting those from a fruit stall.
A wireless portable blender, or a travel blender, would thus be a handy alternative. Possibly, a worthwhile investment too. Now, I’m assuming the concept of a portable blender is no longer new so I’d get straight to the point. Described as one of the best portable blenders for 2023, and priced very attractively, does the sleek-looking Aura Portable Blender live up to expectations?
At first glance, the minimalistic design of the “Aura” certainly looks handsome. But how are its physical hardiness, functionalities, and most importantly, blending power?
Is it worth getting one to replace visits to drinks stalls and juice bars?
Read on to find out!
Unboxing and First Impressions
By the way, Aura is also currently offering:
- Free delivery in Singapore, with a 24-hour express delivery option
- 1-year warranty
- 30-day money-back guarantee
The immediate impression that I had on removing the Aura Portable Blender from its box was also how well-built and substantial it is. The plastic parts didn’t feel cheap, if you know what I mean, and there was no looseness anywhere. The AuraXtreme™ borosilicate glass jar also felt sturdy. I know this is a weird word to use, what I mean is, the jar is thick and fits seamlessly with the cap and base/control unit. Despite its thickness, it didn’t feel too heavy as well.
On their web store, Aura also described the glass jar as “self-cleaning.” This baffled me a bit; to be honest, I initially assume there was some sort of mechanized cleaning function. But once I got down to testing the blender, I realised what that actually meant.
The material of the jar resists stains and smudges. Despite the way I was grabbing and holding it, the glass surface wasn’t smudged by my fingerprints. Correspondingly, food and drink bits after use are easily washed off.
I just need to add lightly-soaped water, switch on the blender for a few seconds, and that’s that. There’s no residual odour too. It’s as convenient as it gets and way easier to clean than a conventional kitchen blender.
Blending Controls
Like the case with most appliances nowadays, there’s only one button on the Aura Portable Blender. There’s also no instruction manual in the package; it can only be found online. (Link here) In short, the controls are:
- Long press to activate blender. Quick press to deactivate.
That’s it! As simple as it gets. I figured out the basic controls without reading the manual.
There are other hidden uses for that one button, though. These are:
- A quick press when the blender is off will reveal the battery level. White for 80-100 percent charge, blue for 21-80 percent charge, red for 0-20 percent charge. Red means you need to recharge ASAP.
- There’s an inbuilt safety function. The blender will not activate if the glass jar is not properly and firmly affixed to the base unit. Once the glass jar has been properly secured, the button will also briefly blink.
I think the safety function, described by Aura as a “Child-safe lock,” is thoughtful and important. I don’t have kids around me but easily distracted me might activate the blades when I shouldn’t. It’s good to have this safety guarantee!
First Blending Test – Papaya Milkshake
When I was young, I had great aspirations about being an alchemist, so I have a lot of weird recipes that I want to experiment with! But for the first test, I settled for a simple papaya milkshake.
Just to highlight, Aura states that their blender is best used for smoothies, shakes, etc, that have a liquid component. Warm drinks are fine too. As in warm beverages, not piping hot or boiling.
In a nutshell, I spent way, WAY more time preparing for my shot than blending the actual milkshake. Because:
- The blending power, i.e., the AuraVortex™ 25,000 RPM is really powerful! And fast! I left the blender on for less than 3 seconds and my shake was 90 percent done. There were barely any fruit bits left unblended.
- The texture of my shake was wonderfully thick and creamy.
- For my second try, I left the blender on for 5 seconds. This time, everything was blended to perfection.
- The blender was nowhere near as noisy as I thought it would be. There’s still an energetic hum but not the sort of thunderous braaaakkkk you’d get with some kitchen units. (Nope. Not so even when I added ice) I feel the Aura Portable Blender can be used in a gym or even a shared workspace without annoying others. Provided you don’t keep doing it, of course.
Cleaning
To further elaborate on what I mentioned in the unboxing section, ease of cleaning was important to me. I’m also deathly terrified of any blender blade! Luckily, the task is really as easy as Aura stated. To repeat, I simply needed to fill the jar with some lightly soaped water, turn the blender on, let it run for a while, empty and refill using clean water, swish, and it’s done.
The “self-cleaning” function indeed works. That it is so easy and convenient means that I can do everything outdoors too.
Aura Insulated Sleeve
A quick word about the Aura Insulated Sleeve, which is sold as a bundle with the Aura blender.
Like I mentioned above, my immediate impression during unboxing was how “solid” the AuraXtreme™ borosilicate glass body is. According to Aura’s product literature, their material is also much more durable and scratch resistant than plastic.
The above said, it’s still glass, after all, so some sort of protection is necessary when bringing the blender out of the house. The Aura Insulated Sleeve provides this protection, as well as:
- Patented AuraGrid™ technology keeps blended drinks or raw ingredients chilled or warm.
- Made from waterproof neoprene materials—condensation is kept within the sleeve.
- Approximately 29 cm (L) by 9 cm (diameter).
Experiment: I kept half a “bottle” of blended Oreo shake inside the sleeve and two hours later, it was still chilled. Not as icy as it originally was but still chilled enough to be enjoyable. Without surprise, the condensation was kept within the sleeve too.
As for overall quality, the padding of the Aura Insulated Sleeve isn’t as thick as I thought it would be. I conclude that it will still protect against scratches and knocks, but a drop is probably out of the question.
And though the sleeve isn’t heavily padded, there wasn’t any incident of me activating the blender while I was carrying it (within the sleeve) in my backpack. I attribute this to the need to long-press the control button to turn the blender on.
Do You Need a Portable Blender?
At this point, I feel it’s important to address the questions of: Do you need a portable blender? Who would need a portable blender?
If you’ve been to any electronics supermart in January 2023, you’d know that portable blenders or personal blenders aren’t commonly sold, yet. Many kitchen blender sets also come with cup-like plastic attachments for you to make one-person drinks that you can then bring elsewhere.
For me, I wanted a portable blender to allow me to make healthy fruity, and nutritious drinks on the go. But this of course brings in the question of, why not just make something at home and bring that with you? Not to mention, at the full weight of over 700 g, a gadget like the Aura Portable Blender isn’t exactly lightweight. Although I can convert it into a bottle by replacing the motor base with the extra bottle cap, which would then reduce the weight to 395 g.
In view of the above, I’d say:
- A portable blender offers me choices. I can decide what I want to drink, pop into a supermarket to get the ingredients, and make my shakes/mixes on the spot.
- Kept in a proper sleeve, the Aura Portable Blender isn’t too bulky.
- If you’re going to be “out” for a long time, blending juices/shakes right before consumption is a healthier option.
- A portable blender is fun and cool to bring to a picnic or outing. Kids will love it.
- Like I mentioned right from the start, it saves money in the long run. Ready-made shakes and juices aren’t cheap nowadays.
- Further on the kitchen blenders I’ve mentioned above, these full-size units could be quite the hassle to clean—you often have to separately wash individual parts and the blades. The cup attachments, other than made of filmsier plastic, are also hard if not impossible to fit into insulated sleeves. Your drink wouldn’t remain chilled or warm outdoors.
I should mention that outside of portability, I found the Aura way more convenient to use than my family’s full-size kitchen blender, especially if you’re just making one cup of something. It’s way, WAY easier to clean too.
Other drinks That I’ve Blended
Blueberry and Raspberry Water: 10 – 12 blueberries and raspberries with ¾ cup water. I did this as an outdoor experiment; I used fruits I bought just minutes earlier at Cold Storage and blended for ten secs. Was a little too on the sour side but the texture was surprisingly thick and creamy, despite my adding no dairy products.
Hor Lu Huat + Ong CNY Drink: I had fun with this one. Used one cup of sliced pineapple, one CNY mandarin orange, two tablespoons of plain yogurt, and four ice cubes. Blended for 15 secs. It was very festive and perfect in colour!
Homemade Teh Halia with Bourbon Elize: It doesn’t have to be complicated, and I had fun with one too. I “whipped” 3-in-1 Teh Tarik with some ginger slices, then popped in a Bourbon Elize. Spicy warmness with a touch of Western sweetness!
Review Conclusion: A Cool Lifestyle Item That’s Fun and Convenient to Use
To sum up, I am satisfied with the Aura Portable Blender because:
- It’s easy to use. Very easy to clean too.
- Truly portable for those looking to blend drinks on the go.
- I haven’t mentioned this. I’ve so far used mine well over ten times, with an average “spin” of at least 15 secs each round. The battery level is still white, i.e., above 80 percent.
- It’s cool looking. You are going to be eyed if you bring one to a picnic or the gym.
If your kitchen is overcrowded, such a blender, without the need for a plug-in, is probably a good choice too. If not your only choice.
The Aura Portable Blender is on the heavier side, though. Regarding this, I will say the weight is the tradeoff for the sturdier glass body.
As for whether one needs such a glass body, I can only say that I do. It’s obviously more durable and scratch resistant compared to a plastic one—it will “survive” my rough handling and bag storage much better. (I’m sure it will survive the blending of hard materials like nuts better too) But this is a matter of personal preference. Correspondingly, it is reflected in the pricing too.
Keen on getting the Aura Portable Blender? Visit their website at https://www.aurablender.com.sg today!
