This Ceramic 'Smart' Mug Is Designed to Always Keep Your Beverage at the Perfect Temperature

A good cup of coffee or tea deserves to be savored. Sip it too slowly, however, and it grows cold. To ensure your brew is hot down to the last drop, Co. Design reports that Los Angeles-based startup Ember has created a ceramic smart mug that’s temperature-controlled.

The Ember ceramic mug looks like an ordinary drinking vessel you’d see in a coffee shop. But beneath the sleek coating, it’s made of stainless steel and has four tiny sensors that monitor liquid temperature. The cup connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and an app lets you choose your drink’s temperature all the way up to a toasty 145°F.

Once you’ve set your ideal warmth, the smart mug’s sensors will send updates to a microprocessor hidden in the cup’s base whenever your beverage dips below or rises above your pre-selected heat preference. The processor then tells the interior heating element to crank the temp up or down. (For safety purposes, the cup goes into “sleep” mode if it hasn’t been moved for two hours.) Post-caffeine session, simply hand-wash the mug (its fancy tech isn’t suited for dishwashers, not to mention microwaves) and place it on its accompanying conductive coaster to juice up its built-in rechargeable battery, according to CNET.

Ember’s ceramic mug sells for $80 and is available for purchase at Starbucks and on Ember’s website. And for those who prefer to drink their tea or joe on the go, the company has also created a $150 travel version of the product that can heat or cool your drink.