commonly coffee

This mug is a game changer!

I was sent an Ember Mug² back in December. I had heard of Ember mugs prior to this, having seen them in a few retail locations over the past few years! But up until this point I will say that the price-point was a bit off-putting.

And maybe you have felt the same way. Why in the world would I spend this kind of money on a coffee mug? Well I was so sold on my mug after just a few days of using it that I went out and bought one for my Dad for Christmas. This is how much I loved it. But let me share with you how I got to this point. I’ve broken this down into three parts: Form, Function, and Fun.

FORM:

Like any coffee mug, you want it to have that feel, like when you pick it up that it just feels right in your hand, that the handle is comfortable to grip, and that it’s nice to sip out of. Ember delivers on all three of these points and more!

This is not a light mug, as the base of the Ember Mug² is the built-in heating element that helps to keep your coffee a consistent temperature for over an hour! I’ll share a bit more about that in my second point, but I like the weighty-ness of the mug as it feels substantial, and also well-built. With its minimal black or white aesthetic this mug looks great. The simple LED at the front that uses a variety of colours to indicate things like charging, your ideal temp, and whatever customizable identity colour is the only other element aside from the Ember logo.

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The Ember Mug² comes like I said in Black & White colours, although they do have a range of Metallic Colours (Gold, Silver & Bronze) that are certainly a feast for the eyes. They also come in two sizes, 10oz (295ml) and 14oz (415ml). I received a 10oz mug and while the mug does feel large, its heating base does make it appear to hold more than the 10oz. If you’re a BIG morning coffee drinker, thenI definitely suggest going for the 14oz option. I quite like the size of the 10oz for my morning pour-over, but I think the 14oz is best for most people.

The mug is NOT dishwasher-safe, you do need to hand wash it, but Ember does say it is submergible in a sink for a short time to clean. I personally just add a drop of soap and rinse with a cloth. Yes this adds a small amount of time to clean up, but the ceramic non-stick coating cleans up really easily

FUNCTION:

When it comes to function, the Ember Mug² is mind-bending. If you’re the type of person who brews their coffee, then gets distracted by life/kids/laundry/work only to return to your cold coffee then the Ember Mug² is for you! The first time I poured my coffee into this mug, then went and did a few household chores, only to come back to my perfectly hot coffee, it played tricks with my mind. It didn’t seem to make sense! How is that possible? And it kept my coffee at just the right temperature, and that’s because I set it to 60C through the Ember App on my iPhone.

To fully customize your Ember experience you download their Ember App from both the Apple App Store or Google Play. I nerded out since it also works on my Apple Watch! How cool is that? The battery is said to last 90 minutes on the 10oz and 80 minutes on the 14oz, but I found it to me closer to 60 minutes from my use on my mug. If you can’t drink 10oz of hot coffee in an hour then the other option is to use their base plate which can keep your coffee hot ALL DAY! This is the same way you charge your Ember Mug², which I find takes about 30-45mins. The only other downside is that I find when I get near to the end of my coffee the coffee feels like its been a bit over-heated. Again, this has only happened once or twice when I leave just a tiny sip left in the mug.

Other than that, it’s a mug that you drink coffee out of. Yes, there is a boat load of R&D that has gone into the tech of this mug, but at the end of the day, it is still a coffee mug. But it’s a coffee mug that really does make a difference in your daily routine.

FUN:

Yes, this mug is fun. Like I said, it’s mind-bending to not have your coffee get cold, and for all of you who might just say “well why not just get a thermos”? And yes, you are right, you could just use a coffee tumbler. But many coffee tumblers have that tin-taste when you drink out of them. And they don’t feel like a traditional coffee mug, and many of them you have to unscrew each time, or click a switch to sip out of that sometimes leaks all over you. There are some great to-go cups, and I have a few of them…

…but sometimes I just want to drink hot coffee out of a mug…that doesn’t get cold.

And the tech-nerd in me loves to geek-out on fun stuff like this, even if it does seem to be over-the-top to pair your mug to yoru smart phone via Bluetooth!

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

So should you get an Ember Mug²? I would say absolutely yes. While it certainly isn’t cheap, I have found myself using this mug almost every single day. It’s something you are choosing to invest in but I feel the price is worth the reward. And like I said, I loved it so much that I quickly ordered one for my Dad for Christmas and he absolutely loves it too.

Ember also has a Travel Mug² that looks amazing, and does give you the freedom of taking your hot coffee with you wherever you go, and keeping it at the precise temperature you set through the app. I have not had the chance to use one, but I do like the idea of my to-go tumbler not keeping my coffee pipping HOT and un-drinkable for hours. I like the idea of setting my coffee for 60C and being able to enjoy it right away. If I ever get the chance to review this I will certainly share more thoughts on my blog.

Did this review help? Do you own an Ember Mug? What do you like? What don’t you like? If you have any questions please let me now in the comments below, or contact me. And if this review isn’t convincing then perhaps watch this review from James Hoffmann.

Thanks so much for reading. And a huge thanks to Alex from Ember for sending me this mug.

Stay Caffeinated,

Tyler