Smaller and less expensive than others in the range, the Ember Cup is a stylish self-heating mug that keeps your drink warm from the first sip to the last. This version is designed for milk-based espresso drinks, so it’s not as versatile as the mug.
Strong Points
- Good heat retention
- looks great
- Easy to set up
-
self-heatingThis is a self-heating coffee cup large enough to hold a regular espresso-based milk drink.
prologue
I’m a big fan of the Ember series of self-heating mugs.
Joining the ranks is the new Ember Cup, a smarter, smaller heated mug designed for espresso-based drinks. I like the look of it, but the capacity is so small that it’s not exactly ideal for the style of drink I have.
design and function
- 178ml capacity
- app control
- 50°C to 62.5°C temperature range
The regular Ember Mug 2 is designed to look like a regular mug and has a handle, but the Ember Cup is made differently. With no handles, this mug looks like the kind you’d get at a fancy coffee shop. This is exactly the look his Ember is going for.
I have the copper version for testing, which looks beautiful, but there is also a plain black version.
As an aside, the big difference between this version and the Ember Mug is capacity. The capacity is only 178ml. From the outside, this cup looks big, but the rest of the cup is taken up by the battery and heating element, so the space inside is small. By comparison, the Ember Mug has a smaller capacity of 295ml and a larger mug of 410ml.
The reason for the smaller capacity is that Ember says the cup is designed for espresso-based drinks like cappuccinos, flat whites and cortados. A typical cappuccino is about 150ml to 175ml and consists of equal parts espresso, milk and foam.
For the majority of milk-based drinks, this cup is about the right amount of space, and the wide top and curved body make adding milk to a shot of espresso relatively easy.
If you want something that can handle larger drinks, you’re out of luck. Here it overflows the ember cup.
At the heart of Ember Cup is the app and self-heating capabilities. When connected to your phone via Bluetooth, the app allows you to set the target temperature of your drink. Choose a temperature between 50°C and 65°C or use preset options such as coffee or tea.
When liquid is added to the cup, the heating element turns on and sends a notification to your phone when it’s the right temperature to drink from. The cup will maintain this temperature until you finish drinking. An intelligent sensor turns the cup off when it’s empty, but there’s a power button you can use to turn it off manually.
Visually, the LED lights up in a single color when the mug reaches the correct temperature. You can adjust the color of the LED through the app. This is useful if you have multiple cups or mugs in your home. Because each person can distinguish their own by their own color.
The app also offers firmware updates, which feels weird. Certainly not what the future should be made of. Still, they are important and help improve the quality of the cup and its heating.
performance
- Keep warm for 90 minutes
- Indefinite performance with charging coasters
With a fully charged battery, the Ember Cup will keep your drink hot for up to 90 minutes via the charging coaster. If you really need more than that, leave the Ember Cup on a charging coaster and it will stay hot indefinitely.
Of course, this has natural limits. Black coffee lasts quite a while. Cappuccinos and other milk drinks lose their froth when left for too long, which makes them a little sad.
I found the battery life to be suitable for my needs. After an hour away from a single cup of coffee, he was able to drink a cup of coffee at 57°C. When I work at the Trusted Reviews Home Tech Lab, there is often a period of test setup. With the Ember Cup, you can have a hot cup of coffee while you’re at the test.
As for capacity, I poured a 150ml Nespresso Vertuo capsule and it came just above the cup with foam. It’s pretty small if you want to fill it up.
latest deals
should you buy it?
If you want something stylish for your smaller espresso-based drinkthis mug will ensure your drink stays hot until the last sip.
If you like the idea of a self-heating mug but want more capacity and flexibility, check out the Ember Mug instead.
final thoughts
Yes, ember cups are expensive mugs. Well worth the money if you like hot drinks and often let them cool down before you drink them. I use the Ember Mug 2 all the time and find it better at keeping the first and last sip the same.
With the Ember Cup you have a cheaper entry point (which is £50 cheaper than the Mug) but less capacity. If you drink small cups of coffee or milk-based espresso drinks, this is a good fit, but the overall size is small. also in size) makes more sense.
test method
We thoroughly test every mug we review over a long period of time. We use industry standard tests to properly compare features. I’ll let you know what I find. We never take money to review products.
For more information on how we test, please see our Ethics Policy.
Test a compatible smartphone app to check its usability and features it offers.
Measures how well the cup maintains the target temperature.
It will tell you how long the battery will last under normal conditions.
If you don’t mind…
Frequently Asked Questions
This model holds 178ml, the average size of a regular espresso-based milk drink.
Lasts up to 90 minutes. This is enough time to finish your drink. Place your mug on the coaster and it will stay hot forever.
‹
United Kingdom RRP
Manufacturer
Product Description
size (dimensions)
weight
ASINs
release date
first review date
accessories
›
