Simon Wittenberg explores the story behind US-based Ember and gets to grips with their newly launched Travel Mug².
You may not have heard of Ember, and I certainly hadn’t before a press release arrived in my inbox.
Based in Westlake Village, California (USA), Ember Technologies, or Ember for short, was founded in 2012 by Clay Alexander, an American inventor and serial entrepreneur.
He established the business because he genuinely believed in the transformative power of temperature control and saw the potential for innovation in this area.
In other words, he wanted to solve a simple yet universal challenge faced by coffee and tea lovers around the world – how people can keep their hot drink at the ideal temperature for as long as they want.
The company, which positions itself as a design-led temperature control brand, was created in partnership with the renowned San Francisco-based design studio Ammunition and successfully secured $8.5 million worth of investment in its first five years of trading from the likes of CEOs, athletes, producers, directors and musicians, as well as from the multi-platinum singer and songwriter Demi Lovato.
Ember also hired a talented team of product designers, engineers and executives who had previously worked for global corporations such as Apple and Nokia, and in November 2016, the first product to be launched after several years of development was the Ember Mug.
It was an instant success, thanks to being stocked by Starbucks and Amazon, amongst other outlets, and became the world’s most precise temperature-controlled mug.
The following year, Ember went on to successfully receive a further $13 million in a Series C financing round to develop additional products, and the current range now includes the second generation 10oz (295 ml) Mug in three different shades (priced at £129.95 excluding shipping), and the newly-launched second iteration of the smart matt black Travel Mug, known as the Travel Mug² (which costs £179.95 excluding shipping).
How does Ember’s award-winning technology work?
Ember’s patented temperature-control technology combines a phase change cooling system with an active heating mechanism.
Instead of pouring a piping hot drink into a paper cup or travel mug and waiting for it to cool down to a comfortable drinking level, the Ember receptacle will rapidly cool a hot beverage down to the user’s preferred drinking temperature (between 50°C/122°F to 62.5°C/144°F).
It will then hold it at that exact level of heat for up to three hours when on the go (depending on the product) or all day long when used with the charging coaster.
The digital display on the exterior of the Travel Mug also informs the user when it is empty or cold.
It’s Generation 2…
Ember’s second generation of products, including the Travel Mug, has been completely re-engineered compared to the first version. New features include 50% longer battery life, plus it comes with a redesigned coaster.
The Travel Mug² is also 15% lighter than the previous iteration, and there’s a new hidden-until-lit touch display that replaces the rotating dial at the base of the mug. In addition, the temperature can be adjusted on the Travel Mug by tapping the plus or minus symbols, and it’s also easier to see the remaining battery life.
Another cool feature is that, in the modern age of apps, there is, of course, a dedicated app on the App Store that allows the creation of presets and the ability to control the temperature remotely within the permitted range.
Putting the Ember Travel Mug² to the test…
The Travel Mug² box comes complete with a charging coaster and a clever power system where you can slide the pin adaptors (for the UK and Europe) onto the main plug so that it can be used for your territory, as it is made for the USA market as standard.
It is relatively intuitive to set up the Travel Mug, and there is a ‘Getting Started’ manual to help you on your way. It needs charging up when taking it out of the box, and the Ember app also needs to be downloaded. Your smartphone also needs to be paired via Bluetooth so that the two can communicate with one another.
The only flaws that I found when I downloaded the app, were in the form of a spelling mistake on one of the main screens, which said ‘Dimiss’ instead of ‘Dismiss’, and the fact that the initial updates left me with a blank screen.
This meant that I had to delete and re-install the app and re-pair the device by pressing the on/off button on the base of the Travel Mug.
To sign into the app, you will also need to use a Gmail account or your Facebook login details, so there is an element of data sharing here.
There’s equally the nice option of naming your Travel Mug, plus the option of joining the ‘Ember X Health’ programme to record your approximate caffeine intake, data which is then relayed to you via the Apple Health app to reveal a series of personalised charts.
When out and about, the Travel Mug is not too heavy to hold, and its metal construction feels solid. What’s more, it does make a real difference knowing that your favourite beverage is not going to cool rapidly and become undrinkable once you have left the house.
The functions on the Travel Mug are easy to use, and it’s a bonus having the app to keep an eye on the level of heat and to adjust it as necessary.
Three hours is also plenty long enough to get through the 335ml of liquid, even if you want to have prolonged breaks between sips via the completely leakproof push-to-open lid. Furthermore, the Auto Sleep function intelligently senses when the Travel Mug is on and off to save power.
When it comes to cleaning this product at the end of the day, it’s also very simple – the lid is dishwasher safe, whilst the main body is fully waterproof and can be cleaned out by hand.
So, am I an Ember fan?
After trying out the Ember Travel Mug², I must admit that I am sold on this brilliantly clever idea, but it is ultimately a luxury at £180, and this price may be out of reach for some.
Many people will be perfectly happy using their thermal stainless steel bottle, which keeps a coffee or tea warm for hours, but they will, of course, be without the novelty of being able to dial the level of heat up or down.
However, with that being said, now that I have discovered this great innovation, I think I would find it hard to be without it when on the move, as the Travel Mug makes an ideal companion for the daily commute or when running about doing errands. It’s a shame that I hadn’t discovered this technology earlier!
Ember – Where and How?
For more information or to purchase the Ember Travel Mug², visit www.ember.com.
See more pictures of our first-hand test of the Ember Travel Mug² on our Instagram page.
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