I am guilty of often leaving at least a third of my coffee or tea to go cold, much to the annoyance of my partner. No matter how delicious the drink is, even when made with one of the best coffee machines, I can never seem to finish it fast enough.
That’s why the concept of the Ember Mug (available from £129.95) is well suited to my admittedly fussy drinking habits. It’s an electric mug, which you charge on a matching coaster, that can be set to your ideal drinking temperature and sip from for up to 90 minutes without it going cold.
This smart mug maintains your desired drinking temperature for up to 90 minutes so that you’ve always got time to finish your morning coffee.
The Ember 2 works thanks to a (basically impossible to detect) built-in battery in the bottom of the mug. It holds enough charge for 90 minutes while you sip or will last you all day for WFH coffee and tea if you use it in constant conjunction with its coaster (which is also its charging pad).
It looks like a normal mug, albeit a very swish one, with the only tell being the LED light along the bottom which lets you know when its reached the right temperature to be used.
Black is Ember’s bestselling colour so that’s the one I opted to try out, but if I had the chance again I’d choose the Rose Gold colourway – there’s 6 colours available in total.
Setting up the Ember Mug 2 is really easy, especially if you just want the most basic level of use. Simply charge it up, turn it on using the power button on the bottom and pour your drink in. The preset ‘hot’ temperature is warm enough for me, but if you like your coffee extra hot then all you need to do is download the Ember app and connect your mug in order to crank the temperature up.
Using my everyday coffee machine, the Sage Barista Express Impress (which we’ve reviewed), I’ve made lattes everyday which stay fantastically warm in the Ember 2 even when I forget to keep sipping during meetings or when I get distracted by work.
The matching coaster is neat and tidy too and keeping the mug near my coffee machine means it’s easy to remember to return it to charge after handwashing it. Of course, due to its electronic element the Ember 2 can’t go into the dishwasher or into the microwave. Besides, if you need to dial the temperature up, you can do that on the app. The highest temperature you can set the mug to is 50°C – 62.5 °C.
The one downside I’ve experienced with the Ember Mug 2 so far is that it can’t accompany me on my morning walks (or on a commute). There is a travel version available, but those with a double-walled carry cup probably feel that box has already been ticked (for a lot less money).
The cost of this Ember mug is its most controversial feature. At over £100, it’s certainly a stretch to say that its an essential. But if you’re looking for a big-ticket purchase to complete your coffee station at home or if your tendency to leave drinks to go ice cold has plagued you for a long time, it might be worth the investment. I’ve certainly been enjoying the ability to sip my drinks for longer with it.
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