I’ve been using an Ember mug for years. Here’s why it’s the best self-heating coffee cup
Have you been tempted by a smart coffee mug? Here's a long-term review of the Ember Mug 2.
When the COVID pandemic hit in early 2020, I started heavily getting into coffee brewing. With the extended time at home, I was also taking my sweet time to finish a cup of coffee in the morning. It was around this time that I started using an Ember mug daily to keep my drink at the same steady temperature for at least an hour.
Since then, I’ve used nearly all of Ember’s different products, from the small cup to the large travel tumbler. I’ve also used one nearly every day over the last five years. As much as I love my other ceramic mugs, it’s hard to beat having a cup of coffee at your perfect temperature.
These are your choices for a self-heating coffee mug
If you want to keep a drink warm, Ember isn’t the only solution. There are basic mug warmers that heat a saucer-like surface where you set your cup. Those are fine as a cheap, brute-force option. To me, the analogy between this kind of warmer and an Ember cup is like cooking a meal in a microwave rather than an oven.
There are some other self-heating mugs on the market. If you do a search on Amazon and Google, you can get some results for a smart or temperature-controlled coffee mug. I’ve tried some for a round-up guide. They mostly worked for keeping my drink hot, but all lacked polish and ease of use.
Mostly, you can only find knock-off products and no-name brands making alternatives. And so far, there just isn’t a suitable competitor for a temperature-controlled coffee mug. Ember is it.
Why I’m all-in on a smart drinking product
My problem with using a typical ceramic mug for coffee is the same as everyone else's. At first, the drink is too hot. Then, the drink is at an ideal temperature for five or ten minutes, before it’s too cold.
It’s not so much that an Ember mug will heat a drink; it’s that it keeps it at your preferred temperature. It cradles the hot liquid so it never falls low. With Ember's Bluetooth-connected app, it will also notify you when it’s reached your set temp.
My preferred temperature is around 137 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes, I’ll still be surprised when I take a final sip or two and the coffee is the same temperature it’s been the whole time. The final drops are never lukewarm. It can be an unusual sensation for your brain to think the liquid should be cold, but for it to be just as warm as previously.
If I’m going to go through the process of manually brewing my coffee each morning, then I think it’s worth having extra time to sip it at that day’s pace. I don’t always linger on my morning coffee, but I know I have the option to.
It's been reliable long-term
Despite the cost of its products being expensive, most people I talk to love them. The value proposition for a product that gets used daily is sky-high.
I've been using my current 10-ounce Mug 2 for at least three years now—or over 900 times. It has a few minor scuffs, but it's in good shape. The battery seems to only get around 60 minutes of life, instead of its quoted 90 minutes. It will sometimes disconnect or unpair from my phone. None of those minor concerns has impacted my daily use, or even made me question using something else.
It's a product that continues to serve me well. I think it's worth its price. But for as much as I enjoy and use a mug from Ember, I do wish there were a little more innovation and improvement from the company.
Where I’d like to see Ember improve its coffee cups
The most pressing concern is probably the battery life. Over time, and with constant use, the battery life decreases. Plopping it on its charger every night is a must for me. I also have a second charging saucer for my desk, which I can use if I need it.
A lot of people mention their mug disconnecting from their Ember mobile app. This has happened to me regularly. I don’t often change the temperature I want my drink, so I don’t use the app very much. However, I would love it if the wireless reliability were improved.
I also want the app to get smarter. The mug knows when it’s being used. That’s how it turns itself off when it’s empty. It also knows its size. I would love to have the mug self-report caffeine intake to Apple Health for automatic data collection. Caffeine is an important item to monitor, so if I fill my 10-ounce mug up three times and drink it each time, it can report 30 ounces of coffee consumed for me. There are caveats to this, and some settings would need to be in place, but the functionality would be fantastic.
Mostly, I want Ember to innovate more in the consumer drink space. The company has branched out into transportation temperature control. It’s made bottles for babies. It would be great to see more refinement and features come to the mugs. Better lights, new displays for information, and a wider temperature range are some low-hanging fruit ripe to add.
The good news is that Ember mugs do go on sale occasionally. From time to time, there will be deals on its own website and third-party retailers. Personally, I’ve also had luck with refurbished units. This is another way to save some money. For me, I just divide the number of days I use it and enjoy it, and it helps make the price easier to stomach.