It was 2016 when Ember introduced their self-heating travel mug, which made it possible to heat up coffee on the go. They’ve since iterated on the design, releasing an improved version of the 12-oz. mug a few years later and a bigger 14-oz. model after that, among other self-heating drinkware. This time around, they’re going even bigger with the Ember Tumbler.
The biggest version of Ember’s self-heating travel mug yet, the device can heat your coffee at the precise temperature you choose in just a few minutes and keep it at that exact temperature after that. So yeah… it’s exactly the same thing as previous versions of the travel mug, albeit with extra room inside to accommodate a few more sips in its main chamber.
The Ember Tumbler has a 16-oz. capacity, so you can pour a full grande-sized drink inside. It comes in a sleeker shape as previous versions, with a cylindrical shape that tapers slightly at the base, making it easy to grip in hand while fitting comfortably inside cupholders. It comes with two lids: one with a handle that you need to unscrew to drink from the mug and one with a slide-out sip hole. Unlike your traditional travel mug, this isn’t vacuum-insulated, so it won’t keep hot drinks at warm temperatures on its own. Instead, it relies on heating coils at the bottom of the mug, which heats up whatever beverage is inside on command and automatically turns off once it reaches the desired temperature. It doesn’t heat up drinks, it can keep them hot, too, so the heaters will automatically turn back on and off periodically to maintain the heat level.
It comes with a companion app, where you can set your desired temperature to anywhere from 120 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit and start (or stop) the heating process. How long the heating process takes will depend on the current temperature of the drink inside, although with previous versions of the mug, we were able to heat things up from lukewarm in around five minutes, so performance for this bigger version will probably be around the same ballpark. A LED indicator on the mug immediately lights up when it’s reached the desired temperature, so you don’t have to keep looking at the app to stay updated on how hot it’s gotten.
The Ember Tumbler is powered by an integrated battery that can heat the mug for up to three hours between charges. That means, you can only use the heating function for so long, so it’s best to only heat it up whenever you’re ready to drink the darn thing. Sure, you’ll have to wait a few minutes to get it to the desired temperature, but doing it this way makes sure you have enough power to keep it at that same temperature for a good length of time, too. A redesigned charging coaster is included for replenishing the battery wirelessly, which is also compatible with all previous Ember mugs. And yes, the 16-oz. mug can also be used with previous versions of the charging coaster.
The Ember Tumbler comes out on Friday, priced at $199.95.
