The Ember Travel Mug 2+ is a smart mug with a really dumb problem

Ember Travel Mug 2+ on a countertop with a coffee press and a jar of coffee beans

(Image credit: Ember)

Imagine this: you get your morning cuppa ready just before you head out the door for your daily commute and it goes from tongue-scalding hot to just right in minutes. Better yet, it stays at that perfect temperature for up to three hours, no matter the season. Sounds idyllic, doesn't it?

The Ember Travel Mug 2+ promises to provide you with this blissful experience, and its prowess doesn't stop there – it's also equipped with Apple's Find My support, so if you happen to lose it along the way, you can locate it with the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad or MacBook.

Now, I'm no stranger to the Ember smart mugs. I use the Ember Mug 2 at home, so opting to carry my morning tea (I'm not a coffee drinker) in the Ember Travel Mug 2+ instead of my usual 470ml (16oz) Thermos insulated travel mug seemed like a smart upgrade. The one thing holding me back from switching was the Ember travel mug's rather paltry 355ml (12oz) capacity. I do like a lot of tea.

Straight(en) up

I usually start sipping my morning beverage only after I'm at my desk in the office (or even at home), which is typically a little over an hour after I've made the tea. During transport, I tuck my travel mug into my backpack's side pocket – which was unfortunately a bad idea with the Ember Travel Mug 2+, despite the company saying it has a leakproof lid.

While there were no drips down the screw-on cap, a little tilt saw my tea drip through the closed mouthpiece. It's not sealed well and, with tea all the way up to the maximum-capacity marking, even the tiniest dip saw liquid seep through the hair-width gap.

So I've taken to holding the mug in my hand while I commute, consciously making sure it's held upright. The problem with that is I've now had to forgo reading during my morning commute – making the whole experience really quite far from idyllic.

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The maximum capacity marking on the interior of the Ember Travel Mug 2+ — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Battery boo-hoos

What's more, I think the not-airtight seal around the mouthpiece means the mug's heating element has to work harder to maintain the temperature, thus eating into the 3-hour battery life. This is the longest-lasting battery on any Ember mug yet – the 414ml (14oz) Mug 2 I use at home lasts a max of 80 minutes off its charging plate.

I find the travel mug gives me a maximum of 2.5 hours and, unfortunately for me, I'm usually only halfway through the contents by that point. I'm a slow sipper, so sue me! Truthfully, I get distracted by work and forget to drink my tea, so the limited battery life is perhaps not going to bother most people.

If you do want the Ember Travel Mug 2+ (or any of the other smart mugs from the brand) to keep your drink warm for longer, you'll need to keep it on the charging plate.

A hand holding the Ember Travel Mug 2+ with the LED display lid — (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

What is lost can be found again

Here's the good thing, though – I doubt I'll misplace the Ember Travel Mug 2+ thanks to support for Apple's Find My network built in.

This might seem superfluous to most people, but I am already on my third Thermos travel mug. I've had them slip out of my backpack's side pocket without me realizing – one time a good Samaritan came running up to me to hand the dented stainless steel mug back.

Given the Ember's price tag – it will set you back $199.95 / £199.95 / AU$300 – I do hope I don't lose it, but at least I know I stand the chance to find it if I do.

It's a premium mug, no doubt, and if the leaky lid and need to handle it with kid gloves doesn't bother you, it could be a good investment or make a thoughtful (albeit expensive) gift for a loved one. It's well made and the bright display looks really sharp when it lights up. The latter even switches off automatically within seconds, thus conserving battery. If Ember can fix that lid, perhaps the next iteration will be the best self-heating travel mug you could buy.

While I can't fault how hot it keeps my tea, ultimately my feelings about the Travel Mug 2+ can be summed up in one word: lukewarm.

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While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, Sharmishta's main priority is being TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor, looking after the day-to-day functioning of the Australian, New Zealand and Singapore editions of the site, steering everything from news and reviews to ecommerce content like deals and coupon codes. While she loves reviewing cameras and lenses when she can, she's also an avid reader and has become quite the expert on ereaders and E Ink writing tablets, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about these underrated devices. Other than her duties at TechRadar, she's also the Managing Editor of the Australian edition of Digital Camera World, and writes for Tom's Guide and T3.