I know it’s summer and it’s hot, but I enjoy my coffee and I enjoy it in a certain temperature range. So recently when I visited Sydney, I was lucky enough to acquire an Ember Mug 2 and for the last month, I’ve been using it pretty regularly.
The problem I face with hot drinks, particularly in winter is that I like them at a temperature that’s ready to drink now. I also spend a lot of time on video calls; often when it would be considered inappropriate to be drinking coffee, so my coffee often sits untouched for a while; turning it into iced coffee which is not necessarily what I want.
What is the Ember Mug 2?
The Ember Mug 2 is a temperature controlled smart mug that can keep drinks at your preferred temperature for up to 1.5 hours. For me, that’s a touch hotter than pleasantly warm; I know others who like their hot drinks to scold their oesophagus with each and every sip. It’s made from stainless steel with a food grade ceramic reinforced coating but keep in mind, it’s hand wash only – not dishwasher safe.
The Ember Mug 2 is available in two sizes: 414ml and 295ml which cost AU$220.00 and AU$170.00 respectively. There’s an app to control the mug (Bluetooth connection to your device) temperature and it’s very easy to use, but more on this shortly.
At the base, on the front of the mug there is a multi-coloured LED that indicates the current status.
- Red – Charging the mug
- Green – The mug is fully charged
- White – Your drink is at your chosen temperature
- Blue – The mug is ready to pair to a mobile device
As a nice little added bonus, you can set the colour of the LED to your preference when you take it from the charging base. A useful feature if you have more than one around to differentiate your mug (with your preferred drink and temperature) from the others you may have in your house.
The Ember Mug 2 certainly looks the part for what it’s designed for ie. Holding a drink, but if you look at the outside then in the inside the proportions are a little stange; purely to house the temperature elements.
How does it work?
Really simply, you pair the Mug to your mobile device through the Ember app and follow your nose to the delicious, and temperature consistent coffee. The app is very simple to understand and navigate once you’ve paired the mug; a process which is also very easy to understand and follow thanks to graphics that assist through the process.
Once you’ve completed the pairing and poured your first drink, you just need to select your preferred temperature. If you don’t already know how hot you like your drinks, start cooler and work your way up rather than burning yourself during testing. mug is connected, you can set your preferred temperature for drinks and that’s about all there is to it.
Something I particularly liked here, was the presets which cover various teas, coffee and lemon water but the list can easily and very quickly be added to. Setting the temperature for your drink within the app is simple, just slide the roller back and forth within its limitations: 50°C – 62.5 °C
Should you buy an Ember Mug 2?
In brutal honesty, it’s a tough sell…
$170.00 for the smaller option and $220.00 for the larger mug is a lot of money for the convenience of knowing your drink will stay at your preferred temperature for about an hour. Not everyone has the issues I often do in finding the time to consume their hot drinks while they’re still hot.
The other side of the coin is that your hot drinks remain consistently hot, not overheated (we’ve all been there – reheating a drink in the microwave) or annoyingly cool after being distracted by work, life, kids or something else going on. Suffice to say, the Ember Mug 2 has saved more than a few cups of precious coffee in the last month by keeping it at a good temperature.
What I really like about the Ember Mug 2 is the simplicity and delivery of user experience. The Mug looks great, it’s easy to use; including setup and charging, it is certainly solid enough (the review unit may have suffered a drop or three already) to survive daily life; at the end of the day, it all just works as you expect it to.
The execution of concept here is nothing short of outstanding and I love it. It’s absolutely decadent to have a mug capable of keeping your drink at your exact preferred temperature for over an hour, but it’s a decadence that I think a lot of coffee and tea lovers are going to really appreciate. I know it’s not going anywhere from my desk, and as the weather cools, I’ll appreciate it even more than I do now.
The Ember Mug 2 is available from Ember online, and through a variety of retailers like JB Hi-Fi, Apple and Amazon.
