Ember Ceramic App Enabled Mug REVIEW
I like hot drinks like coffee and tea. I find myself wasting my caffeine enriched liquid because I get lost in my computer screen and then the drink is ruined. I have recently seen more studies discussing how coffee is good for you but for me, it can’t get cold. I am just not a fan of iced coffee or room temperature coffee. I recently got my hands on the Ember Coffee Mug, a temperature controlled mug and my hope with it is that I can enjoy hot drinks longer at a temperature I set. So does Ember hold true to its claims? First, let me discuss what Ember is and how it works.
DETAILS
Ember has developed a series of ‘smart’ mug and drinking cups that keep drinks’ temperature regulated through the use of a companion app. The Ember Ceramic Mug is a connected device that remotely adjusts to keep your beverage at your ideal temperature. The app allows you to select a personalized LED color and gives you the ability to choose and save your presets for different types of drinks. The mug ships with a charging coaster. It weighs approximately 0.75 pounds and is rated IPX7 (fully submersible under water). The mug is not dishwasher or microwave safe and must be hand washed carefully. It will regulate a drink’s temperature between 120–145º. According to Ember’s website, you don’t have to have a smartphone to enjoy the Ember Ceramic Mug.
“Every Ember Ceramic Mug is preset to 130°F for you enjoy right out of the box. Using the mug independently will limit you from customizing specific feature from the Ember mobile app such as adding a custom LED color or setting a specific preferred temperature between 120°F — 145°F.”
USER EXPERIENCE
The Ember Ceramic Mug is packaged inside a box that is very similar to what Apple uses for its products. There are a few graphics on it along with some text. When opening it up, you will find a few paper information cards, the mug. It’s charging plate. and charging power cable.
My first experience was not so hot no pun intended. I pulled it out and started the charging process I set up my account with Ember and noticed a firmware update was available. I wasn’t able to update the firmware because my Ember Mug kept disconnecting. I thought I had a defective mug but after I powered it off and back on a few times I was able to get the firmware to update.
After that point, the Ember mug has been a joy to use. I do still, however, have random disconnects so that is something to note. I’ve used it with my evening cup of coffee or tea and my drink has held its temperature. I tested this out with the use of an infrared thermometer. The first drink I had was coffee. It was 130º when I started drinking it and when I was about 3/4 of the way done, the coffee was still registering 121º. The hot tea was a different story. It started out at 155º and ended up at 134º after about 45 minutes. It makes me wonder how correct the Ember is at showing the temp.
CONCLUSION
Even with my issues getting the firmware to update I had pretty good luck with the mug once that finally installed. I did still have a few instances of the Bluetooth connection getting interrupted, but that didn’t seem to affect the beverage’s temperature. I honestly don’t know what I’ve done without the Ember Ceramic Mug until now. With the Ember I can now take my time sipping my drink and am not limited to how fast my mug cools off. It’s made hot beverages enjoyable again for me and I’m looking forward to trying more of Ember’s products and might even get a second Ceramic Mug.
For more details, visit ember.
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Originally published at macsources.com on July 16, 2018.
