Temperature control mugs tested(seriouseats.com)
seriouseats.com
Temperature control mugs tested
https://www.seriouseats.com/best-temperature-control-mugs-5498744
47 comments
I tried the ember mug (the open one), it was really only helpful if I had a full mug and I wasn't going to start drinking it for the first 30 minutes after pouring. Once the beverage got low in the glass it no longer mattered and would weirdly dry out or develop a skin. The cup ended up being e-waste I never use.
Double Walled Glass Mug is far better for an open cup experience, when paired with a hot water tank you basically have everything you need for a drink that will stay warm for the entire duration you are drinking it and you don't need to make it ahead of time.
For travel a pre-heated double wall thermos is sufficient, I guess the fully enclosed ember thermos might work in those cases too.
Double Walled Glass Mug is far better for an open cup experience, when paired with a hot water tank you basically have everything you need for a drink that will stay warm for the entire duration you are drinking it and you don't need to make it ahead of time.
For travel a pre-heated double wall thermos is sufficient, I guess the fully enclosed ember thermos might work in those cases too.
I would be super worried about keeping any kind of food or drink at 40C for 24 hours...
The mere fact it has the ability to do that makes me worry that the rest of the products safety hasn't been thought out.
The mere fact it has the ability to do that makes me worry that the rest of the products safety hasn't been thought out.
Sounds great for DIYBio stuff :)
Digital controls, too error prone. What you want is this bad boy on low: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/segAAOSwlj5g~oQ6/s-l1200.jpg
I remember trying an Ember mug at some point in the past (I don't remember which specific model - it wasn't the travel mug)...
It was awful. Only thing it could realistically do is keep an already hot drink hot - which by itself isn't bad if it didn't advertise itself as being able to make a not hot drink become hot.
Worse still, getting it to work with the app was a CONSTANT struggle. If you even managed to get it connected in the first place (only worked one out of 5-10 tries in my experience, usually requiring a full factory reset of the mug each time), it would automatically disconnect itself after a couple hours, requiring you to do the whole song and dance again.
Left a seriously bad taste in my mouth about Bluetooth devices as a whole.
It was awful. Only thing it could realistically do is keep an already hot drink hot - which by itself isn't bad if it didn't advertise itself as being able to make a not hot drink become hot.
Worse still, getting it to work with the app was a CONSTANT struggle. If you even managed to get it connected in the first place (only worked one out of 5-10 tries in my experience, usually requiring a full factory reset of the mug each time), it would automatically disconnect itself after a couple hours, requiring you to do the whole song and dance again.
Left a seriously bad taste in my mouth about Bluetooth devices as a whole.
The app sucks, but there's a Home Assistant integration that works much better: https://github.com/sopelj/hass-ember-mug-component
FWIW, my fiancée loves hers. She apparently drinks her coffee much more slowly than I do; having her coffee stay warm all morning is a big improvement over a standard ceramic mug.
FWIW, my fiancée loves hers. She apparently drinks her coffee much more slowly than I do; having her coffee stay warm all morning is a big improvement over a standard ceramic mug.
I like mine. I prefer to drink coffee out of an open top cup rather than a travel mug little opening. Don't know why, just do. I also like to savor it over 30 to 40 minutes. The Ember mug keeps it at the ideal temperature over the amount of time I prefer to drink it.
It might be a bad option for other use cases. But for my two criteria, I love the little thing.
Oh, but I turn the heating off when it gets to the final 10-15% of the liquid left or I get a sort of burnt taste.
It might be a bad option for other use cases. But for my two criteria, I love the little thing.
Oh, but I turn the heating off when it gets to the final 10-15% of the liquid left or I get a sort of burnt taste.
The connection worked reliably for me, and it kept my drinks hot for a while as promised, but ultimately it was left catching dust as it always needed special treatment so - being a lazy ass - I just went with the normal mugs and re-heating when necessary.
If it could be thrown in a dishwasher with the rest of the utensils, I suppose I would've used it more.
If it could be thrown in a dishwasher with the rest of the utensils, I suppose I would've used it more.
Only thing it could realistically do is keep an already hot drink hot - which by itself isn't bad if it didn't advertise itself as being able to make a not hot drink become hot.
It is designed and advertised to keep a hot drink hot, which as you say, it does well!
They don't advertise it as a heater, and explicitly say that it won't work.
https://support.ember.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002625471-Emb...
Maybe they could be more clear to avoid misunderstanding. But it works great it keeping a cup of coffee warm, and I've never even installed the app.
It is designed and advertised to keep a hot drink hot, which as you say, it does well!
They don't advertise it as a heater, and explicitly say that it won't work.
https://support.ember.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002625471-Emb...
Maybe they could be more clear to avoid misunderstanding. But it works great it keeping a cup of coffee warm, and I've never even installed the app.
Having used HM-10 modules for personal projects and not facing the kinds of weird issues I have with many commercial Bluetooth devices, I really don't understand why said devices are so shitty in the majority of cases. Staying paired and sending tiny amounts of data to request status or change settings shouldn't be that hard.
Of course it certainly doesn't help that most mobile apps are extremely crummy.
Of course it certainly doesn't help that most mobile apps are extremely crummy.
I bought their first product .. funny that I had the same impression with the original product as you have with the latest version.
I bought it because .. why not. I discovered that the problem it was solving didn't exist and disposed of it. :)
I bought it because .. why not. I discovered that the problem it was solving didn't exist and disposed of it. :)
So many "smart devices" in general are solving non-existent problems, and my wallet has suffered from it.
I have one, and I can corroborate your experience that its Bluetooth connection was atrocious. However, after a number of (nail-biting, fritzy) firmware updates, it's pretty good now.
It helps that the default behavior is pretty much what you expect, and so it's not necessary to go into the app except when I want to "force" a reheat of a room-temperature beverage.
I expected to hate it, would never have bought one, but having received this as a gift from my partner -- it's actually grown on me, and I like it now.
One other side note, the pogo pins on the charging pad are a wear item and will eventually fail. You can get them from DigiKey (952-3127-1-ND) and they're easy to replace with a little basic soldering.
It helps that the default behavior is pretty much what you expect, and so it's not necessary to go into the app except when I want to "force" a reheat of a room-temperature beverage.
I expected to hate it, would never have bought one, but having received this as a gift from my partner -- it's actually grown on me, and I like it now.
One other side note, the pogo pins on the charging pad are a wear item and will eventually fail. You can get them from DigiKey (952-3127-1-ND) and they're easy to replace with a little basic soldering.
Firmware updates on a coffee mug.
I totally understand why but still. Firmware updates on a coffee mug.
I totally understand why but still. Firmware updates on a coffee mug.
I had the Travel Mug 2, same exact experience, with the added benefit of it turning on all by itself overnight while it was empty, and then hitting some sort of temperature limit and refusing to work without a factory reset. The factory reset itself was also buggy, and it would sometimes take 5+ attempts to get it to actually reset.
Hot garbage, which is a shame because the idea is good.
Nowadays I just use a good thermos, and pour my hot drink into a standard cup when I want a refill. Problem solved, zero electronics required.
Hot garbage, which is a shame because the idea is good.
Nowadays I just use a good thermos, and pour my hot drink into a standard cup when I want a refill. Problem solved, zero electronics required.
I used the ember and enjoyed it for a while barring the annoying Bluetooth issues. One day to my horror I discovered that the black coating within the mug had gradually worn away and noticed swirls of paint in my coffee.. I drink out of a ceramic lined metallic double walled insulated travel mug since then.
I have had an ember mug for a couple years now. Never have used the app. Works fine without, unless you want to tweak the temp from default.
I’ve had one for a couple years and never knew there was an app for it.
A well made thermos (like my zojirushi) will keep stuff cool for more than one day. And coffee hot from dawn till dusk. No batteries or cables required.
I'll never understand these things.
I'll never understand these things.
And coffee hot from dawn till dusk.
It will also keep your coffee lip-blistering hot for way too long. Keeping things hot with a vacuum flask is a problem solved 100 years ago. But that's the other side of these mugs: they are supposed to bring the temperature down to (and keep it at) the temperature you specify. Double-walled mugs don't do me any good if 30 minutes later the fluid is still at 198F/92C.
It will also keep your coffee lip-blistering hot for way too long. Keeping things hot with a vacuum flask is a problem solved 100 years ago. But that's the other side of these mugs: they are supposed to bring the temperature down to (and keep it at) the temperature you specify. Double-walled mugs don't do me any good if 30 minutes later the fluid is still at 198F/92C.
I brew a little strong and then throw in an ice cube.
I cut out the middle man with a Zojirushi coffeemaker that brews right into a vacuum-walled carafe. No hotplate to burn the coffee or sizzle the drips when you remove the carafe; brewed coffee stays hot and fresh for hours; can bring the pot to the breakfast table without it going cold.
Thermal carafes are fantastic, I really don't get why they aren't the default. I got one in college because it seemed like the obvious choice, and it was SO much better than I expected. I'll never buy a glass one again.
They're not fragile, the coffee stays just as hot for at least 4 hours if not much longer, and because "effective insulation" means "doesn't exchange much air" it also keeps it from oxidizing as quickly.
They're not fragile, the coffee stays just as hot for at least 4 hours if not much longer, and because "effective insulation" means "doesn't exchange much air" it also keeps it from oxidizing as quickly.
You can buy that Zojirushi and a whole pound of good beans for less than the price of the "winner" in this advertorial.
Please recommend a better article! This was the least-bad one that I could find on the topic, after my unsuccessful search for a blog with tests based on science.
Ah yes, I forgot to mention the obvious, the linked article is an infomercial. Glad somebody else pointed it out.
And you can easily get vacuum insulated mugs that are dishwasher safe, whereas only one of the smart mugs in the article is dishwasher safe. Looks like Zojirushi is not dishwasher safe though.
> A well made thermos (like my zojirushi) will keep stuff cool for more than one day. And coffee hot from dawn till dusk. No batteries or cables required.
As pointed out in the introduction of the article, this is not the same use-case; there are some types of coffee or tea that require specific infusion temperature and duration, something you can’t do with a normal mug or a thermos.
You can however prepare them using a thermometer, you don’t need a "smart" mug.
As pointed out in the introduction of the article, this is not the same use-case; there are some types of coffee or tea that require specific infusion temperature and duration, something you can’t do with a normal mug or a thermos.
You can however prepare them using a thermometer, you don’t need a "smart" mug.
The article didn't seem to mention anything even slightly along these lines, and not at all in the intro. The closest it gets is "it tastes best around 135F" - insulated mugs can do that too, they just won't keep it exactly there for hours.
If you're using an AI summarizer, maybe check the output more closely?
If you're using an AI summarizer, maybe check the output more closely?
> If you're using an AI summarizer, maybe check the output more closely?
No need to be aggressive; I’m not using an AI summarizer. I pointed out this is a different use-case, and then gave an example based on my own experience. I’m sorry if this was not correctly worded and felt like this was the use-case the article was refering to.
No need to be aggressive; I’m not using an AI summarizer. I pointed out this is a different use-case, and then gave an example based on my own experience. I’m sorry if this was not correctly worded and felt like this was the use-case the article was refering to.
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I quickly skimmed the article after seeing the table for "The Temperature Journey of a Standard Mug of Coffee", wishing that by the end of the article there would be a full table that included all the different mugs and their timeframes, but there was none :(
So either I read the full article to figure out the different time they take to cool down, or feed the article to GPT and ask it to provide me with the full table I need to compare the products.
So either I read the full article to figure out the different time they take to cool down, or feed the article to GPT and ask it to provide me with the full table I need to compare the products.
Started reading the article, and got lost on the basic coffee physics.
The author's data appears to be a near exact fit to a*x^b+c with a=247.6 deg F, b=-0.453, and c = 48.1 deg F with R2 = 0.999.
Kinda weird, since 48.1 deg F is an odd asymptotic approach. However, it does take 1000 minutes to get below a normal room temperature (65?).
Implies that the ideal serving time from the author's prep method is approximately: ~3.75-4 minutes for a serving temperature of 185 deg F, with drinking and consumption perhaps 5 minutes afterward.
From this article: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nhan-Pham-Phuoc/publica...
135 deg F does seem to be a reasonable choice for consumption, as it's the range where coffee caffeine extraction has mostly halted in the coffee grounds.
Also, at least the author's honest, that it seems silly even your coffee mug has an "app" these days.
The author's data appears to be a near exact fit to a*x^b+c with a=247.6 deg F, b=-0.453, and c = 48.1 deg F with R2 = 0.999.
Kinda weird, since 48.1 deg F is an odd asymptotic approach. However, it does take 1000 minutes to get below a normal room temperature (65?).
Implies that the ideal serving time from the author's prep method is approximately: ~3.75-4 minutes for a serving temperature of 185 deg F, with drinking and consumption perhaps 5 minutes afterward.
From this article: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nhan-Pham-Phuoc/publica...
135 deg F does seem to be a reasonable choice for consumption, as it's the range where coffee caffeine extraction has mostly halted in the coffee grounds.
Also, at least the author's honest, that it seems silly even your coffee mug has an "app" these days.
I have an Ember - it works well enough if you start with hot coffee. I had hoped it would heat up cool coffee (at the time we were using a pretty big french press, and wouldn't always drink it up before it cooled), but that's not what it does.
I used to use the app, but like a lot of my "smart" appliances I found it's not much of a value add, so I just use the device as is.
I used to use the app, but like a lot of my "smart" appliances I found it's not much of a value add, so I just use the device as is.
I went through a couple of these and found them more frustrating than not. In the end I ended up with a Yeti 14 oz mug. If you don't mind drinking from stainless steel, it (like all thermoses) does a really good job of keeping warm things warm and cold things cold.
https://www.yeti.com/drinkware/mugs/mug-14oz.html
https://www.yeti.com/drinkware/mugs/mug-14oz.html
None of these are as good as the Joeveo Temperfect in my opinion.
https://joeveo.com/pages/the-temperfect-mug
I've used one daily since 2015. It's excellent. Gets a coffee to the right drinking temp in moments then keeps it there. No charging pads, controls, etc. Just works. Best thing I've ever backed on Kickstarter.
https://joeveo.com/pages/the-temperfect-mug
I've used one daily since 2015. It's excellent. Gets a coffee to the right drinking temp in moments then keeps it there. No charging pads, controls, etc. Just works. Best thing I've ever backed on Kickstarter.
I just bought one a few weeks ago, and as one who has gone through two of those eyewateringly expensive Ember mugs (still have one), I want to like this mug. I thought this would be a good replacement for the Ember without all of the fiddly electronics.
One thing the Joeveo does do is bring the temperature down from "are those blisters on my tongue?" to a reasonable temp relatively quickly. What it doesn't do, apparently, is keep drinks hot for very long. I've only used it a few times so far, but one Saturday I took a mug of Joe on the drive to a club run and drank about half of it on the way. Came back two hours later, and the coffee was lukewarm. It's a double-walled mug, any other double-walled mug I've used for this exact use case results in reasonably warm coffee when I get back. The only difference is that the Joeveo has the PCM layered in there. (And the $200 Ember travel mug would still have 145F coffee even after several hours.)
I had high hopes, and I'll keep experimenting, but so far the Joeveo mug has been a disappointment. Thankfully it was "only" $50.
One thing the Joeveo does do is bring the temperature down from "are those blisters on my tongue?" to a reasonable temp relatively quickly. What it doesn't do, apparently, is keep drinks hot for very long. I've only used it a few times so far, but one Saturday I took a mug of Joe on the drive to a club run and drank about half of it on the way. Came back two hours later, and the coffee was lukewarm. It's a double-walled mug, any other double-walled mug I've used for this exact use case results in reasonably warm coffee when I get back. The only difference is that the Joeveo has the PCM layered in there. (And the $200 Ember travel mug would still have 145F coffee even after several hours.)
I had high hopes, and I'll keep experimenting, but so far the Joeveo mug has been a disappointment. Thankfully it was "only" $50.
I got one of these way back as well. The design is not good. It performs it's main function well, but everything else it does it does stupidly.
For instance, the lid didn't have enough threading, and as a result would spill coffee. I don't know if they've fixed that, but it was clear just from looking at it that it needed more threads.
Travel mugs are just far more unpleasant to drink out of, and when coffee is about 140 degrees, I don't find myself spending hours sipping at it. It takes me about 5-10 minutes to go through.
A heavy mug already perform this task alright without the clever phase transition, but I drink enough coffee for it to be worth $100 to slightly improve the situation with a mug with the wax tech in it.
For instance, the lid didn't have enough threading, and as a result would spill coffee. I don't know if they've fixed that, but it was clear just from looking at it that it needed more threads.
Travel mugs are just far more unpleasant to drink out of, and when coffee is about 140 degrees, I don't find myself spending hours sipping at it. It takes me about 5-10 minutes to go through.
A heavy mug already perform this task alright without the clever phase transition, but I drink enough coffee for it to be worth $100 to slightly improve the situation with a mug with the wax tech in it.
I bought one after seeing it mentioned many times here and have been... less than impressed. It doesn't really seem to regulate temperature at all. It keeps the drink warm for roughly the same time as a standard contigo mug, but doesn't bring the temp down even a little bit from where it is prior to being poured. Tested using a thermapen.
If it works as advertised, it would be near-magical physics, thanks for posting!
Yeah, I can't conceptualize how this mug is supposed to work especially at the speed it claims.
It seems like it would just muddle the temperature down to mildly above room temperature over multiple minutes. So that the drink and material are the same temperature but the material holds heat due to being insulated on one side. What this would mean is the mug would get less effective as you drink more.
The insulated mug would make the time longer but it is no where near something like the Ember that converts electricity to heat.
Seems like KS schlock for people that don't want to think about if / how it works.
It seems like it would just muddle the temperature down to mildly above room temperature over multiple minutes. So that the drink and material are the same temperature but the material holds heat due to being insulated on one side. What this would mean is the mug would get less effective as you drink more.
The insulated mug would make the time longer but it is no where near something like the Ember that converts electricity to heat.
Seems like KS schlock for people that don't want to think about if / how it works.
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My 2 cents, nothing works quite as well as the Fellow Carter wide mug. It’s ceramic lined, super pleasant to drink out of, and with the lid just resting on top (not even screwed on) the coffee stays drinkably warm for 2+ hours. No need for any of the warming nonsense.
Is there a mug that will track water/liquid consumption?
I was a bit disappointed that "having an app" was one of the important criteria for the test, and "old dumb things" were pretty summarily dismissed.
Looks like something from We Put A Chip In It: https://weputachipinit.tumblr.com
Looks like something from We Put A Chip In It: https://weputachipinit.tumblr.com
Fahrenheit. Great.
I've been extremely happy with this $25 USD warming plate[1]. It has good old-fashioned controls on it, so you don't need to install a privacy-invasive and bug-ridden app on your mobile device to use it. Related, I'm very grateful for the Chinese companies producing these types of cheap products. Simple is often the best solution!
I've also really enjoyed this product for keeping cans of soda cold[2].
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/PUSEE-Electric-Gravity-Induction-Sett...
[2]: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BHHBSHM/