Picture this: You brew your morning cup of coffee just before you head out the door for your commute, and within minutes it goes from boiling hot to just-right. Better yet, it stays at that perfect temperature for up to three hours, no matter the season. Sounds idyllic, right?
The Ember Travel Mug 2+ promises to give you this wonderful experience, and its prowess doesn’t end there: it’s also equipped with Apple’s Find My support, so if you lose it along the way, you can locate it with the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook.
Now, I’m no stranger to Ember smart mugs. I use the Ember Mug 2 at home, so opting to carry my morning tea (I don’t drink coffee) in the Ember Travel Mug 2+ instead of my usual 16oz insulated travel mug seemed like a smart upgrade. The only thing stopping me from switching was the Ember Travel Mug’s rather paltry 12oz capacity. batch of tea.
I finally did it… and unfortunately, the experience wasn’t as ideal as I had hoped. Don’t get me wrong: the Ember Travel Mug 2+ is a nice, smart mug that gets the job done, for the most part.
It connected to the companion app on my phone within seconds and I was able to set the temperature I wanted (60ºC/140ºF in my case) and then remotely lock the mug’s touchscreen to prevent accidental temperature changes while carrying it around with me. So far, so good.
Straighten
I usually start drinking my morning brew only after I’m at my desk at the office (or even at home), which is usually a little over an hour after I’ve made the tea. During transport, I keep my travel mug in the side pocket of my backpack, which was unfortunately a bad idea with the Ember Travel Mug 2+, even though the company says it has a leak-proof lid.
While it didn't leak out of the screw-top lid, a slight tilt caused tea to drip out of the closed spout. It's not a tight seal, and with the tea filled to the maximum capacity mark, even the tiniest drop of liquid would leak through the hair-width gap.
So I've taken to holding the mug in my hand while commuting to work, consciously making sure it's upright. The problem with that is that I've now had to forgo reading during my morning commute, making the whole experience pretty far from idyllic.
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Battery problems
Also, I think the non-airtight seal around the spout means the mug’s heating element has to work harder to maintain temperature, which cuts into the 3-hour battery life. This is the longest battery life on an Ember mug so far—the 14oz Mug 2 I use at home lasts a maximum of 80 minutes on its charging plate.
I think the travel mug gives me a maximum of 2.5 hours and unfortunately for me I've usually only drunk half of the contents by that time. I drink slowly so sue me! The truth is I get distracted by work and forget to drink my tea so the limited battery life might not bother most people.
If you want the Ember Travel Mug 2+ (or any of the brand's other smart mugs) to keep your drink hot longer, you'll need to keep it on the charging plate.
What is lost can be found again
The good news, though, is that I doubt I'll lose the Ember Travel Mug 2+ thanks to the built-in support for Apple's Find My network.
This may seem superfluous to most people, but I'm already on my third travel thermos. I've had them fall out of the side pocket of my backpack without realizing it; once, a good Samaritan ran up to me to return my dented stainless steel thermos.
Given the price of the Ember (it'll cost $199.95 / £199.95 / AU$300), I hope I don't lose it, but at least I know I have a chance of finding it if I do.
It’s a premium mug, no doubt, and if the leaky lid and need to handle it with kid gloves don’t bother you, it could be a good investment or a thoughtful (if pricey) gift for a loved one. It’s well-made, and the bright display looks really sharp when turned on. The latter even automatically shuts off within seconds, saving battery life. If Ember can fix that lid, perhaps the next version will be the best self-heating travel mug you can buy.
While I can't complain about how hot it keeps my tea, ultimately my feelings about the Travel Mug 2+ can be summed up in one word: lukewarm.
