I have a very consistent morning routine. I wake up at 6, leave my house at 6:30, pick up a cup of coffee, and get on my morning train. By the time I arrive at my office I find myself throwing away the remaining half a cup because its about as warm as hour old bathwater.
I could invest in a thermal mug, but that would only be delaying the inevitable. What if I wanted my coffee to stay at the optimal temperature at all times? What if I felt the same as our Editor in Chief, who says “If it doesn’t almost burn my throat, its too cold.” Thats the problem the Ember mug hopes to solve.
The Ember mug is a 12 oz travel mug that contains a temperature control element that can both heat and cool your drink to meet your preferences. Temperature is adjusted using the available app, or by turning the dial on the base of the mug, which will then display the chosen temperature on the side of the mug.
The overall design of the Ember is very appealing, it looks nice and the temperature control seems intuitive. On the go the Ember promises two hours of perfectly piping hot or ice cold liquid — beyond that it will need to be recharged with the included induction charging coaster.
A $129 contribution to the Indiegogo campaign gets you 1 mug, but the future retail price will be $149. Considering that a high quality travel mug (in a larger size I might add) costs less than $40 and will suffice for most peoples needs, the Ember seems to be solving a very specific problem for a very specific set of coffee drinkers.
The other small sticking points for me are the 12oz size limit, and the lack of a clear answer on cleaning. The FAQ says it is easy to handwash, but are there parts of this that can’t get wet? I’m hardwired to think that wet electronics = bad news. But for those with the money to spend on such a product this might be the right mug to buy.
