Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Turn Up the Heat with the Super Smart Ember Ceramic Mug

LeeAnn Whittemore
By

Ember ceramic smart mug
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It’s time we talked about cold coffee rage. It’s okay to admit you’ve succumbed to it, perhaps in the middle of a grueling work day, in the dead of winter, when you pick up your company-branded mug and lift it to your lips, eagerly awaiting the sweet internal embrace of warm afternoon coffee to propel you through the rest of the day, only to be met with a cruel, bitter concoction just as chilly and underwhelming as your level of enthusiasm for the afternoon meeting you have to stay awake for.

With all the technology buzzing around in our lives these days, it seems a little elementary for us to still be dealing with under-heated coffee like a bunch of neanderthals. Our phones can help us track down lost items, keep our drinking in check, and even improve our posture, so why shouldn’t they be able to help us keep our coffee warm? That’s the thinking that led inventor and entrepreneur Clay Alexander to found Ember — a clever and inventive temperature-control brand — in 2010.

Clay Alexander ember
Image used with permission by copyright holder

After knocking it out of the park with their first flagship product, the Ember Travel Mug, the company has now created a gorgeous Ceramic Mug for home and office use, so you can savor that traditional mug-in-hand coffee experience without sacrificing any heat. The mug is made of sturdy stainless steel coated in a lovely white ceramic, with a bright, sleek profile that’s modern enough to be aesthetically pleasing and subtle enough to be non-invasive.

Recommended Videos

It would have been easy enough for Ember to slap on a heating element and call it a day, but the functionality of the mug and its companion app reveal the thoughtfulness and user-centric design process that earned the mug a spot on TIME’s list of The Best Inventions of 2017. By pairing the mug with your smartphone through the Ember app, you can choose the perfect temperature for your coffee, assign a custom LED light color to your mug, switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature readings, and select and save presets for all of your favorite drinks. Once you’ve specified your preferred temperature, the mug uses its built-in micro-processor, phase change cooling system, and network of sensors to maintain that temperature so you can enjoy the last sip of your coffee just as much as the first.

Ember ceramic smart mug
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The mug comes with a 30-day money back guarantee and the option of a one-year limited warranty, so you can rest easy knowing that Ember has not only designed an incredibly durable and user-friendly product, but that it will stand by it as well. Whether you’re wrapping up gift-getting for a coffee- or tea-loving friend, or you’re looking to treat yourself — it does cost $80, after all — the Ember Ceramic Mug is the perfect little hit of winter warmth.

Topics
LeeAnn Whittemore
LeeAnn Whittemore
Former Digital Trends Contributor
LeeAnn Whittemore is a writer, artist, and graphic designer who grew up in the Midwest before moving to the Gulf Coast. As a…
How to craft a heavenly vodka martini: Shaken or stirred
We know James Bond likes his vodka martini shaken, not stirred, how do you like yours?
Vodka martini with olives in a martini glass

 

The martini is an iconic cocktail, with millions being poured since its inception. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was known to down martinis, as did legendary author Ernest Hemingway and the greatest spy of all time, James Bond, who famously liked his vodka martini shaken, not stirred. As you can see from Bond's specifications, there is more than one way to make a martini and crafting a martini the "proper" way is a subject of debate. Does a martini have to employ gin or vodka? Will the Martini Police pop up out of nowhere if you use vodka instead of gin?

Read more
Try coffee from around the world, delivered to your door every month
A world map with a cup of coffee and a passport near it.

We all know of the benefits of coffee drinking so how about treating yourself to some of the world’s best coffee every month? That’s the thinking behind Atlas Coffee Club which is a coffee of the month club that’s curated to provide amazing micro-lot coffees. The subscription box contains more than just delicious coffee and it all costs from just $28 per month depending on the bundle you choose. If that’s grabbed your interest like a delicious cup of Joe should, keep reading as we’re here to tell you all about it.

Why you should sign up for Atlas Coffee Club
Everyone loves exciting mail and parcels and Atlas Coffee Club has tapped into that by providing more than ‘just’ good coffee. Each month, you’ll get a curation of the world’s best single origin coffee, along with a postcard from the country of the month, along with tasting notes and coffee history for each batch. If for some reason you don’t enjoy the coffee, you can get the next one free thanks to Atlas’s Coffee Match Guarantee.

Read more
Cocktail classics: the Negroni and its millions of variations
Negroni

Of all the classic cocktails that are well-known in bars across the world, one stands out for being both complex fascinating to drink, but also incredibly easy to make: the negroni. This beloved cocktail from Italy consists of equal parts of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, and it doesn't even need to be shaken. Traditionally made in a mixing glass, where it is stirred with ice to add water, in practice you can even add the ingredients to a tumbler glass with a large ice cube and stir it in the glass. That isn't really the technically correct way to make the drink, but it works well enough and means that you can make this cocktail with practically no equipment whatsoever.
The negroni is popular for its intense, bitter flavors and its bright red color, both of which come from the Campari. But the addition of gin gives the drink that heavy, boozy note with plenty of spicy juniper, and the sweet vermouth adds a touch of sweetness and more herbal notes. The result is a drink which packs an incredible flavor punch, and which tends to be either loved or hated (mostly depending on how you feel about Campari).
Thanks to its simplicity, the negroni lends itself to endless variations. While in truth I think it's hard to beat the classic version of this cocktail, if you're a long-time negroni drinker and you're looking to try something new – or maybe even if you're not a fan of the classic negroni but are interested in finding a version which does work for you – then we've got suggestions on some of the many variations you can try.

Experimenting with gins

Read more