Nextmug - Temperature-Controlled Coffee Mug

This was delivered yesterday and since then I've had a few cups of Coffee to test it out. I absolutely love this mug, very glad I bought it and kicking myself in the pants I waited so long. It's a bit pricey IMHO, I feel a better price point would have been around the $50-$60 dollar mark but I purchased it regardless, it's still cheaper than Ember (not by much as non sale price is $130 for this one). I have some of the worse coffee drinking habits of anyone I know, I'll make a coffee, won't take a sip for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the time of the year it'll either be warm or more on the cooler side by then, my second sip comes another 20 minutes later or beyond and by then I won't touch it, anything less than extremely warm and I want nothing to do with my coffee, I will not microwave warmth back into it because that's just disgusting. I did a cursory Google search for for self warming Mugs and Ember did pop up first and more dominantly, I did a ton (I do mean a ton) of digging around various websites and review sites about Ember, although I do feel like Ember is the go-to name brand for this type of device I wasn't happy with how many negative reviews there are, now I'm aware when you're moving thousands and thousands of units of a product not every product is going to be 10/10, sometimes bum devices get through the cracks, what I look for is how many of the same complaints there are - that's usually the weak spot. Ember seemed to have people complaining about not charging (user photos depict the charging ring looking ragged and ruined), the cup color peeling off or the inside of the cup looking at bit destroyed after some use, a few other things I'm forgetting this early in the morning, it was generally all the same 3 things I think it was with a few outstanding odd complaints that weren't typical for Ember. Suffice it to say I decided I did not want to take a chance on Ember, I looked at NextMug next. I read the reviews, more positive reviews than the Ember, a few people complained about the mug just up and suddenly not working or the charger not working. I have questions about reviews mentioning a failure to charge (did you hand wash only? Did you make sure to keep the butt of the mug in the air away from moisture of the sink? Did any water accidentally splash onto it? Were you careless and banged it down on the table like a tankard of ale at a Saloon? Did you pop it in the dishwasher like the instructions say NOT to do?) I settled on NextMug, it seemed favorable over Ember all around from videos and other websites/review sites. Here is the (hopefully) short list of my likes and dislikes for this mug going on my first 24 hours with it. Pros: - Came ready to use and charged right out of the box - Was clear how to use the mug simply by looking at it, didn't even have to glance at the user manual it came with -LOVE it came with a lid to keep the warm in -LOVE it's portable (maybe too fragile to just throw in a purse with a ton of things banging against it but it's def portable) - I love it seems to heat up rather quickly when asked to, no waiting time that I've seen. -I really, really enjoy the color I chose (Spice), it's very "festive" for Fall and beyond. - I appreciate the charging base is very small, much smaller than my old style coffee warmer, you know the plug in type that's like 2 inches thick and much larger than the base of your cup. - I really am an enthusiastic fan of the ability to make a fresh cup of coffee, slap the lid on it to keep it warm, no need to turn the mug on yet as the coffee's pipping hot, when it cools down ask the mug to warm it up , turn mug off again. Battery lasts forever with the way I'm using it. - I am a SUPREME fan that we the coffee drinker, have the ability to use the mug with or without the charging base - this means while you aren't using the base there is a limit to the battery, I think it's close to 5 hours (?) WITH the base being used in between sips it's infinitely on without issue, that's a very, very nice feature. CONS: - The only con I can think off this early into owning (and using) this device, and I'm not even sure it belongs in the con section as it was more of a surprise than a negative, is I request this mug to simply WARM up the coffee, which I assume means "take the chill out of" it and I wound up with it a bit hotter than I was expecting....which is great....until you take a massive unsuspecting sip lol! I didn't burn my mouth but it came close (only because I wasn't prepared for it). All in all, LOVE THE MUG...looking to buy and send some out to relatives this holiday season! Probably going to buy myself another color as well (for summer and spring!!)

I have an Ember and Nextmug. I’ve had the Ember over two years and the base broke. One of the tiny little spring-loaded nibs lost its springiness. A weakness in design if you ask me. But, the Nextmug uses the same little nibs. Their design is a little stronger in that one nib is right in the center of the cup-base. But still, a weakness in design that you cannot (and I stress CANNOT) get the baseplate wet. I’m not sure what happened to my ember, but I ended up making a solid nib out of solder for the one that lost its spring. It’s holding, but I’m not confident in it. I’m guessing at some point, the Nextmug base will do the same thing. That aside, the Nextmug is superior for a few reasons. One, it has a definitive on and off option. Where the Ember has a sensor to know when you’ve added liquid, it’s hit or miss. The Ember on/off switch is also inconveniently located underneath the cup. And it also is hit or miss. Where it gives you a tactile response that you’ve clicked it, it’s unclear most of the time what you’ve actually done. Sometimes a light comes on, sometimes not. Sometimes it’s blinking red, sometimes it’s solid red, green, white, blinking… The Nextmug on/off is located on the side (superior) and it’s easy to know when the cup is off (no lights) and which option you are picking. The Ember app? Garbage. It is unreliable. If it works, it’s fantastic. The trouble is that it rarely connects no matter what you do. When I went shopping for a replacement, I specifically looked for cups that did not have an app. “App” means IT developers, means more cost, and generally for a product like this, average developers (I mean, it’s a cup not an air-traffic control system). Plus, the Bluetooth chips they must use have to be the bottom of the barrel (aka, unreliable). Therefore, all the features that the app provided (heating options most notably), were useless to me. The Ember cup size (10 oz) was a little small. There’s now a 14 oz option, but the train had left the station! The Ember on/off button on the bottom of the cup, again, is a nuisance. And here’s something I didn’t think I would care for… the Nextmug lid! I have to say, it’s great! It helps keep the coffee warmer without using as much energy (longer charge when it’s away from the base). Also, it nearly erases evaporation. And, I’m not 100% sure, but the coffee seems to be much less bitter because of it. Maybe my imagination, but the coffee taste better from the Nextmug cup. Plus, no spills (or at least, less chance of splashing). The Nextmug light indicators where intuitive and having a button for “warm, hot, and piping” versus an app… Way to go Nextmug! Between the Nextmug and Ember, it was an easy decision for me. I’m still concerned about the little nibs losing their springiness… But, there you have it.

I bought a pair of this mugs as a gift for myself and someone else. I was a littlie bit hesitant because of the price but I decided to take my chances. Almost one year on, the mug has been great, keeps the coffe warm, just the way I like it, and it quicly has become a part o my day-to-day. A few weeks back mine started to fail, it was a battery related issue, so I sent a message to customer support describing what was happening, and to be honest, whitouth knowing what to expect. They reached out back asking for more details, and after a couple of days, they told me they would be replacing the mug, and so they did, they sent a brand new one. I'm just glad to have taken my chances with a company who values their customers.