Coffee. Not surprisingly there's now a high-tech way to enjoy one of the
world's oldest and simplest pleasures. It's called Ember, marketed as the
world's first temperature control mug. For $80 you can get the 10 oz
standard mug or the 12 oz travel mug. They look sleek and simple, but
don't be deceived. Unpack the box and there's an electric charging coaster
that you need to plug in and set the mug on to charge. On the standard mug
an indicator light blinks to tell you when your mug needs charging and
when it's reached your desired temperature. On the travel mug there's a
hidden digital display that you reveal by tapping the logo. It tells you
the battery level and current temperature of the mug's contents, and you
can change the temperature by twisting the bottom of the mug.
So I'm trying out the travel Ember mug for the first time. We're about two
and a half hours into a road trip and it is still warm. It says it's at
122 degrees, which is great. I have found it a little hard to fiddle with
the bottom base while I'm driving, and I also have found it really heavy
to hold and drink at the same time. I also wish that this bottom base,
which is all the electric portion, could be filled with more tea for my
long drive. And then of course there's an app. You use it to set the
desired temperature of your mug and it alerts you once it's warm enough.
But to get that peppy message and to control the temperature of your
mug, you need to sign up for an account and agree to a lengthy privacy
policy. Until this point, I was excited about the prospect of the perfect
temperature tea. But allowing a company to track my location and browsing
activity just to keep my drink warm seems like overkill. Some of this data
collection allows Ember to communicate with the Apple Health app,
presumably to track your daily caffeine intake. It does that by keeping
tabs on how often you set the mug to your temperature presets. You set
these up for your favorite drinks by entering everything: the brand of
beans or tea leaves, the style of drink - think cappuccino, espresso,
black tea or herbal - how much creamer you add, and your desired
temperature. I was disappointed when the automatic recommended temperature
for every drink was 135 degrees, which meant I had to separately look up
what temperature to brew my different varieties of loose leaf tea.
I expected that feature to be included on an app that's made for people
willing to buy an $80 mug because they're particular about the exact
temperature of their drink. There is a tea timer on the app so you can
remember to take your tea out at the proper time: three minutes for green,
five for black, six for herbal. But even those times are very generic and
don't account for different varieties. Plus doesn't everyone have a timer
on their phone or watch already? Once I finally got my presets working I
did find pleasure in taking my sweet time to enjoy my favorite teas at
their proper temperature, without the rush to drink them before they got
cold. But it simply took way too long to get there. My joy was undercut by
all the hassle of prepping the mug to work as intended. And no I do not
care about personalizing my mug by naming it in the app and choosing what
color it blinks when it's warm.
Sometimes I just want my pleasures in life to stay simple. Plop down on the
couch, flip to whatever's on TV. Pour my coffee, drink it, throw the mug
in the dishwasher. For me, having to plug in my coffee takes away some of
the appeal. Coffee is my morning me time. A moment to not be stressed out
before the day gets hectic. But what if I forgot to charge my Ember? Do I
really need that software update if I want my coffee warm? What if I don't
have time to hand wash it before I catch the bus?
Not only are the mugs hand wash only but when I took out the charging
coaster, there was a warning: "Dry it well. Water can cause damage to the
coaster." Isn't a coaster created to protect other surfaces from liquid?
There was also that one time at a bar where I smelled something burning
and I panicked for a minute because I thought I left my Ember travel mug
on in my purse. But there are also days where this product makes a lot of
sense, especially to keep at the office. Those busy days where I won't be
able to leave my desk for a refill and will need hot coffee to fuel me for
hours. But for those times, I wish Ember came in bigger sizes, and I wish
it would heat drinks on its own, rather than just keep them warm. Or at
least keep drinks warm for longer. It's advertised to stay warm for just
one hour when off the charging coaster. After all, low-tech insulated
bottles by companies like Yeti and Swell need no power and keep drinks hot
for hours and come in a lot more sizes and colors and can be dishwashed,
and don't cost $80. Or actually, for this copper edition, it's $130.
There's one person in my life, though, who I thought Ember might be
perfect for.
Oh!
My mom.
Does it go on?
She's in her 60s. She likes her coffee in a traditional mug and she needs
it hot and ready every morning.
And I have mobility issues, so this way I can just sit at the table, eat my
breakfast, read the newspaper, or my phone and keep the coffee hot.
My verdict: Ember is an expensive but useful solution for the office when
you don't want to break focus by refilling your coffee. Or it's a kitschy
gift for that gadget-loving friend, or mom, who loves coffee or tea.
But at the end of the day, or should I say beginning, it adds too much
stress to my routine to be a good everyday solution.