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Review: Ember's iOS-Connected Ceramic Mug Keeps Your Coffee and Tea Warm for Hours
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I got one of these mugs for Christmas and really like it so far. I noticed I’m drinking less coffee because I’m not trying to speed through it when it is at the right temperature.
I did notice that If you let it sit for too long the coffee does get a little stale as you’d expect it to.
One of the strangest things about it is when you get down to only a few drops left in the cup it will keep them at the set temperature.
The first time I noticed this it was like breaking the laws of coffee thermodynamics. The last gulp is always lukewarm or cold. It felt super odd.
Another funny thing was the first thing I did with it which was update the firmware on my coffee mug. That was a first for me.
The battery is sufficient for a single morning session which I’d say is 1-3 cups but it will die after much more than that.
Also the mug isn’t really equipped to hear liquid up very much. It’s intended to hold a temp but not say take it from 130 to 145 degrees. I think that strains the battery capacity.
My biggest complaint if I had one is that the app only lets you set the temperature to 145. I actually like mine around 147 and I know this because I use a digital thermos to set my tea water temp in my insulated tumbler.
This leads me to wonder if it is possible to jailbreak my coffee mug!
I did notice that If you let it sit for too long the coffee does get a little stale as you’d expect it to.
One of the strangest things about it is when you get down to only a few drops left in the cup it will keep them at the set temperature.
The first time I noticed this it was like breaking the laws of coffee thermodynamics. The last gulp is always lukewarm or cold. It felt super odd.
Another funny thing was the first thing I did with it which was update the firmware on my coffee mug. That was a first for me.
The battery is sufficient for a single morning session which I’d say is 1-3 cups but it will die after much more than that.
Also the mug isn’t really equipped to hear liquid up very much. It’s intended to hold a temp but not say take it from 130 to 145 degrees. I think that strains the battery capacity.
My biggest complaint if I had one is that the app only lets you set the temperature to 145. I actually like mine around 147 and I know this because I use a digital thermos to set my tea water temp in my insulated tumbler.
This leads me to wonder if it is possible to jailbreak my coffee mug!
It will increase the temp of a cooler liquid. I have transferred cold coffee out of another regular mug which had been sitting during a meeting. The coffee reached 140 degrees (my preferred temp) and I received a notification. However, it took a while, and then the period before it ran out of charge was very short. The instructions basically suggest this as well. Always best to put hot liquids in the mug rather than cold.
The mug will keep temperature while charging, so I prolong the battery life by placing it on my charger anytime I’m at my desk.
I have also noted that the longer the coffee “cooks” in the bottom of the mug, the less desirable it is. But it does not get burnt like it can in a coffee maker pot. I do wonder if the sealed travel mug by ember performs better as there’s not constant convection exposing the coffee to oxygen, thus making it stale as water evaporates and continues to “cook”, making it more concentrated and bitter.
But generally if I drink the cup of coffee within 30-40 min., that usually isn’t a problem.
Thanks for this feedback, it is as I've observed as well. I'd like to see a tear down of the mug, curious if they could pack any more battery into it and keep its weight balance roughly the same. Though I don't think it _needs_ it, I'd prefer to never see it the red warning light.
I considered this but I sort of feel like this belongs in the kitchen when not in use, though I use a home office.
Mm, on my coffee maker it does not get stale nearly at the same speed I suspect because of the way the carafe is sealed or only has an opening at the spout. It definitely cooks in the ember, which is probably the real limitation on the ability to keep it heated for a longer period of time.
I wonder if this is part of the reason the temperature is limited to 145, in that ya it stays hot longer but it gets bitter faster too and the battery dies.
It is taking me some time to get used to the idea that I can sip the coffee more slowly, and not as compulsively as a normal mug requires to beat the temperature drop. It really is a different experience than "normal" coffee drinking.