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I tried Ember's new smart tumbler and it solved my biggest problem with morning coffee
ZDNET's key takeaways
- The Ember Tumbler is a standard-looking 16 oz thermos for $199.95 that lets you keep beverages at your preferred temperature for hours.
- The tumbler has a range of temperature settings, long battery life, comfortable size, and reliable performance.
- It's a little on the expensive side and only available in one color.
Like most folks here on the Pacific Northwest, I enjoy drinking coffee throughout the day. But I'm not a fast drinker, so my coffee often gets cold before I can finish it. In an attempt to solve this dilemma, my daughter bought me an Ember Mug, and it has since become my favorite cup for its ability to keep my coffee hot for an extended amount of time.
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After meeting with the Ember folks at CES, I was sent one of the newest additions to the Ember drinkware lineup, the Ember Tumbler. The Tumbler is a 16-ounce drinking container that also has an integrated heating element and associated charging coaster to keep your drink at your desired temperature indefinitely when on the coaster, or up to three hours when taken off. It's important to note that, like the Ember Mug, the tumbler is designed to maintain a constant temperature, but can't boil water on its own.
View at Best BuySo, how exactly does it work? The Ember Tumbler connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone and the Ember app, where you customize your preferred temperature. Ember includes several preset temperatures for typical drinks, including a latte at 131 degrees F, coffee at 134 degrees, and green tea at 138 degrees. However, you can also create your own custom temperature presets for your preferred beverages within the range of 120 to 145 degrees.
Several months ago, I started drinking more tea, and Ember includes a tea timer in the app so that you can also brew up the perfect cup. Default timers are present for green tea at three minutes, black tea at five minutes, and herbal tea at six minutes. The Ember app also includes several recipes for coffee and tea drinks so if you are looking for suggestions to vary your drinks then make sure to check out the details in the app.
The tumbler notifies you that your beverage has reached your desired temperature by way of an LED light near the bottom of the Ember Tumbler, and the app will notify you of this status as well. You can also customize the color of this LED in the smartphone app.
For those who are caffeine-conscious, the Ember Tumbler offers the ability to integrate with Apple Health via the Ember x Health functionality. With this enabled, your caffeine intake is estimated when your iPhone and Ember Tumbler are connected and used on a daily basis. Over time, your intake will appear in the Apple Health app.
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The physical tumbler itself feels solid. It's made of made of stainless steel and has a rather standard, but sharp-looking black matte finish on the outside. The tumbler comes with two lids: a leak-proof handle lid and a spill-proof sliding lid. The handle lid is perfect for my commuting days when I prepare a drink for the train ride after a bike commute. I prefer using the spill-proof sliding lid when working from home or running errands. The Tumbler's standard 3.5-inch diameter allows it to fit in virtually all car cup holders.
When it comes to keeping it clean, you can more or less treat it like any other stainless steel thermos. The bottom of the tumbler houses the heating element, but you can still submerge the tumbler in up to one meter of water while washing the container. That being said, you can't put the tumbler in the dishwasher or a microwave, but you can wash both lids in the dishwasher if you prefer.
At a price of $199.95, the Ember Tumbler is not an inexpensive accessory. However, it can serve as your only container for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and if keeping your drink at the perfect temperature is important then it may be worth it for you. My wife keeps taking the tumbler for her perfect coffee experience so it looks like I'll have to pick up another, or maybe try the smaller Travel Mug for my commute.
ZDNET's buying advice
Part of the ritual of any coffee or tea experience is maintaining that perfect temperature, and for those of us who like to take their time sipping on a hot beverage over the course of the day, the Ember Tumbler provides a durable, portable container for ensuring your drink is exactly how you want it. This is a device that is designed to do one thing: maintain a customizable temperature, and it does it well.