Why it matters to you
This smart mug means you can enjoy every hot drink secure in the knowledge you won’t scald your tongue or find it’s gone cold.
You know how it is. You order your fave brew at your top coffee shop, then kick back to enjoy it. At the start it’s too hot to touch, a sip serving to helpfully burn your lips, tongue, or throat. Or all three.
So you leave it a while. Returning to it, you’re disappointed to find it’s lukewarm and undrinkable.
Clearly having had enough of scorched taste buds and cold coffee, the folks at Ember Technologies decided to build a solution.
After much testing and tasting, the team came up with the Ember, a stylish temperature-controlled mug that lets you keep your hot drink at a constant temperature of your choosing for up to two hours on the go, or all day long when used with its accompanying charging coaster.
The high-tech mug is evidently proving a hit with Starbucks’ clientele, as the drinking device has already sold out on the coffee giant’s website. And considering it costs the same as around 80 tall coffees, that’s kind of impressive. Yes, Ember’s $150 price tag makes it a pricey purchase, but if you’re a dedicated coffee drinker who prefers to breathe easy with your brew rather than race to enjoy it before it turns tepid, then this particular smart mug could itself be a smart buy.
More: Digital Trends’ pick of the best coffee makers you can buy
Seven years in the making, the Ember uses a series of sensors and heating rings to warm the drink, and a wax-like heat-absorbing substance in the walls of the mug to help quickly bring it down to the ideal temperature, before keeping it there.
To prep your drink for consumption, all you do is twist the dial at the base of the mug until the digital readout shows the ideal temperature.
Alternatively, you can set the temperature using the accompanying smartphone app. Once the drink’s ready, a notification pops up on your display.
How does the Ember smart mug sound to you? Consider it an over-priced gadget for a nonexistent issue? Or have you already placed your order? Sound off in the comments below.