Delish: “This mug costs more than a Keurig — or roughly 75 tall coffees — but it quickly sold out at Starbucks. That news alone tends to spur one reaction: Why on Earth would people spend more than a few bucks on a tumbler?! It’s immediately followed by concerns that Starbucks addicts have been lured in by the siren’s call, eager to scoop up anything the brand proffers.
But, for people who really love coffee — or geek out over gadgets — it’s all about the tech behind this $150 mug, which allows you to be as exacting (or, perhaps, anal-retentive) as possible with the heat of your brew. The matte black cup’s called Ember, and it’s a lot like Nest for your java — you can set the mug to your preferred temperature, down to the degree, and hold it there all day long.
IT PREVENTS SCORCHED TASTEBUDS.
Given the number of double-walled tumblers on the market, all promising to keep your drink warm for hours, we still didn’t understand the hype: Why did Starbucks sell out of these mugs online just two weeks after they debuted in November? In a culture so obsessed with customization — hence the plethora of secret menus and “have it your way”-esque campaigns — did people really care about a particular degree that much? Yes, but it’s more than that, argues Ember founder Clay Alexander.
“The typical Thermos keeps coffee hot for 5 hours, but by ‘hot,’ that means anywhere from 100 degrees and 212. That’s a pretty big spread,” he explained. “When you first pour the drink in there, it’s so hot it burns your mouth, then it gradually gets to the temperature you like, but it’s only there for a little while before it cools even more.”
That’s what separates Ember from the typical tumbler: It takes an insulated mug about 45 minutes to drop 20 degrees, but Ember does it in 8 minutes flat. It uses a special technology known as phase-change cooling within the walls of the mug, which functions a lot like wax.
“Like a candle, when [the phase-change cooling material] gets too hot, it goes from solid to liquid, rapidly absorbing the heat to cool down the coffee, then stops when it hits the temperature you’ve set,” Alexander said.
IT’S AS TECH-Y AS YOUR SMART WATCH.
To further the customization options, the mug connects to a special app, so you can create different preset temperatures for every drink you use. And the app will cause your phone to vibrate, alerting you when your drink’s at exactly the degree you prefer it.
Of course, that first requires some testing — by twisting the dial on the bottom of the mug — to learn just how hot you like your java. That feature alone took some work: Ember went through three design companies before landing with Ammunition Group, the same company behind Beats By Dre headphones. From there, it was still 24 iterations of the design before they landed on the matte black style with a hidden screen.
YOUR DINNER’S ABOUT TO GO FULL ‘JETSONS.’
For Alexander, this is just the beginning of his foray into smart kitchenware: He’s working on self-refrigerated water bottles and self-warming baby bottles, but his most ambitious project is still a few years out. “Self-heated dinner plates — they’re going to be big,” he said. “The tech locally zones the heat, so if you put a hot steak down, it’ll stay warm, but if you put a cold salad next to it, the salad will stay cool.”
Clearly, the future is now. Or a few years from now.
