I didn't need a smart mug, but now I can't imagine life without one

Summary

The Ember Mug 2 keeps drinks at an ideal temperature of your choice.
Alerts for preferred drink temps are sent to your iPhone or Android device through the Ember app.
It’s a pricey gadget but worth it, thanks to its high-quality and other smart features.

Okay, maybe that headline is a bit much, but the Ember Mug 2 is truly one of my favorite gadgets that I’ve used recently — and this is coming from someone who is very tired of the let’s-make-everything-smart craze that swept the tech industry a few years ago. Not every device needs to feature Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity, but it looks like I appreciate it when my coffee mug does.

I have a long history of brewing coffee or tea in the early morning, but forgetting my mug on the machine or leaving it in an odd place in my home because I get pulled into doing something else (one time I found my mug in the bathroom). This happens more frequently when I’m in a hurry or have a few other early morning things to take care of before I sit down at my desk to start my work day.

By the time I remember I made coffee and hunt down my missing mug, it’s often at least 30 minutes or so later. This means my once piping-hot caffeinated beverage is now rather chilly, forcing me to either pour it down the sink and make a new cup or heat it up in the microwave.

Ember Mug 2

As far as smart gadgets go, the smart Ember Mug 2 is pretty impressive. It keeps your coffee or tea at the exact temperature you want, with battery life that comes in at roughly an hour and a half.

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As far as smart gadgets go, the Ember Mug 2 is surprisingly useful

Who wants to drink cold coffee? No one

This is where the Ember Mug 2 comes in. The smart coffee mug regulates your chosen liquid’s temperature to whatever works best for you. Maybe you prefer your coffee at 131°F (55°C). You can make that happen with a quick swipe in Ember’s mobile app. Perhaps you’re more of a 122°F (50°C) type of tea drinker? That’s possible too. Any consistent temperature you want, up to a maximum of 144°F (62°C) and a minimum of 122°F (50°C) is at your fingertips (this feature is also useful if you often steep tea to a certain temperature).

I found that I tend to prefer about 125°F (52°C), and whenever my Keurig machine’s Tim Hortons Coffee (I’m about as far from a coffee connoisseur as you can possibly be) hits that temperature in the Ember Mug 2, I get a convenient notification sent to my iPhone 16 Pro. This notification often doubles as a reminder that I made coffee and need to go retrieve my likely misplaced mug. Setup is straightforward and only requires you to download the Ember iPhone/Android app, hold down a hidden button on the Ember Mug 2’s base until its light starts flashing (you can change the color of the smart mug’s light notification, too), and connect the smart mug to your smartphone.

In terms of battery life, cold liquids obviously take longer to heat up than coffee or tea coming directly out of a machine. This means the 14oz (414 ml) Ember Mug 2 I have has its roughly 80-minute battery reduced slightly when heating up a cold coffee that’s been sitting around for a bit.

The mug itself also feels high quality, which, given its $150 price tag for the 14oz version, makes sense.

This brings me to a couple of the issues I’ve encountered with the Ember Mug 2 so far. Sometimes, it just doesn’t seem to charge on its dock. I’m not sure why, and I’ve checked the contacts on the dock and the rear of the mug as I’ve heard this can sometimes be the source of the problem. Quickly taking it off and on the charger solves this issue, however. That said, the charging issue happens so rarely that I don’t consider it a deal-breaker. When it comes to charging, I generally just place my Ember Mug 2 on its charger at the end of the day after washing and drying it, ensuring it’s good to go the next morning.

On that note, the Ember Mug 2 unfortunately isn’t dishwasher safe, which means you’ll need to wash it by hand. You also obviously also can’t put the Ember Mug 2 in the microwave.

On a more positive note, you can set the Ember Mug 2 on a timer so that it maintains your chosen temperature for a specific period. One of my favorite features is the fact that if the mug remains idle for two hours, the heat shuts off, even if there’s still liquid in the mug. The mug itself also feels high-quality and weighty (but not too hefty), which, given its $150 price tag for the 14oz version, makes sense. There are several colors, including a vibrant purple, a chilled-out sandstone and several flashy metallic hues that look like something out of a sci-fi movie.

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This smart mug isn’t for everyone, but it works great for me

Sometimes, it’s about the little conveniences in life

The Ember Mug 2 might not be for everyone given its expensive price tag. It’s the sort of gadget you might really like to receive as a gift, but probably wouldn’t buy yourself. For me, though, it offers the type of minor convenience I really appreciate given how often I forget my coffee mug around the house. I could go back to not using an Ember Mug 2 and just a standard dumb coffee mug, but I definitely don’t want to.