Oh, I like this idea. I get involved in my work and my hot mug of tea goes lukewarm. Don't know if I'll buy - maybe - and give away a few as lil gifties.

It sounds great and looks pretty cool too, but I'm wary of any product when the makers have to reassure me that it is safe. Even with the stainless steel, I'm not likely to be an early adopter of this product.

Very cool. I'm just concerned about how much tea space it's taking up.

That's pretty neat! The only thing about my French press that I don't like is that I can't keep coffee warm till hubby wakes up. :) Will be looking for the reviews on this product!

At home, I just keep my spoon in the mug and my beverage stays hot. It's free!

I'm willing to give it a shot! I let my tea get cold all too often.

i am leery of products described as being made of "magic".

@Janis on the Farmette-- Since they describe the substance keeping your beverage hot as basically melting while it's in there, I think it only makes sense they'd want to reassure you that they weren't planning to leach toxins into your coffee.

It sounds a bit like an As Seen On TV sort of idea, but since I'm incapable of finishing a mug of tea in a timely manner, I'd consider buying some.

@hipsterhousewife, I hear you, but like kittystockings, the additional descriptor of it being made of food-grade "magic" made my antenna go up. The part about it being edible helped, but not enough for me. I'd need to know more. Meanwhile, I'll try foodlibrarian's trick with the spoon. :-)

Phase change temperature control is the same as the air conditioning in your car. Te dangerous chemical used to absorb and release heat as it moves and changes state is sealed inside a closed system. Sounds to me like in this case the material is sealed inside the metal, probably solid at 140 and liquid at any temperature above that.

Okay, but how do you sip the last of the tea/coffee, without the thing falling forward and busting you in the lip/teeth? Do I have to take it out beforehand, because I don't much like the idea of sticking my hand into a hot cup of coffee, and it looks too big to take out with just my spoon.

So, real quick-like: the material inside the "joulie's" stainless steel shell melts, and while it's melting it remains at a constant temperature. (For those of you who don't understand this, go back and review your eight great physical sciences notes).

Oh, and the name is a pun - Joules are a standard measure of energy. One calorie is equivalent to almost 5 joules.

50 bucks?! I'm thinking I'll stick with the free spoon.

"stick with the free spoon". Hmmm. A spoon is what we put in our cuppa when it's too hot. The spoon conducts heat up and out of your cup to cool it - not keep it hot. Or is that just a wives' tale?

If you can reuse them indefinitely, why would you need a pack of 5?

You need a pack of 5 because you need 1 for every 5oz of beverage you have in your cup. That seems like a lot of room in my 24oz cup :(

Clever shape and name, not so sure about safety. I'd rather just drink clumpy luke-warm decaf than anything else that leeches into my drink...

ok, I think there's some confusion here. The stainless steel "shell" is filled with a phase change material. Phase change materials are nothing new, water would be one example that would tend to hold a liquid at 32 degrees F, Chocolate is another one that would hold a liquid at about 98 degrees F. Whatever is inside these beans converts from a solid to liquid at 140 degrees F. During that "phase change" it stays at a constant temperature while absorbing or releasing a LOT of energy. So when you put the bean in your 180 degree coffee the PCM turns to a liquid, sucking up a whole lot of heat (energy) from the coffee, cooling it to 140 degrees. Then, as the coffee cools, the PCM begins to release that energy , keeping the temperature right around 140. Eventually, enough energy is released, the PCM changes back to liquid and the magic essentially ends. This is the principle, the bean is an energy storage device. That said, I'm skeptical it can keep coffee hot for 5 hours, and I'm not totally sure that 140 degrees is hot enough to enjoy coffee...

colour me a skeptic about the 5 hour claim, but the filler is probably beeswax, which would have the right temperature phase change, and would be safe to have leak into your drink, though if they're well made shouldn't be a problem.

re: smacking you in the teeth, this was my concern too, as my favourite tea is licorice, and the last drop is always the BEST drop. the kickstarter says they work the best in an insulated travel cup, so I'd probably just use them in there. gonna have to upgrade a cup size though, but I love the idea.

I'm old and retired so I'm easily amused. I just bought a set. :o)

euphoria066: AH!! I love licorice tea too!!! and i know of no one else who does!

i dont have the extra cash, i mean it works out to 10 bucks a bean so it's not too bad but i just dont have it, and i NEVER finish any hot drink quick enough, and a spoon which i ALWAYS leave in said drinks does nothing to help keep it warm so not sure what the other poster was talking about, my guess is unlike myself who gets distracted easily they finish their drinks before they get cold. *oh look something shiny!*

Re: the spoon comments, the spoon cools drinks down by conducting heat away from the drink. It does nothing to keep them hot.

I like the idea, but would want to hear some consumer reviews before shelling out $50 for something that I have lived perfectly well without...

That said, if they work as advertised and pose no safety hazards... kinda cool!

I'd like to address everyone's safety concerns briefly: They're pretty much entirely unfounded.

Stainless steel is safe as can be, that's why they make surgical instruments and dentists' tools and silverware and a million other things out of it. If you're afraid of stainless steel you're probably having a hard life.

The material inside: there are two phase change materials I know of that have the right melting point: beeswax and sodium acetate.

Beeswax is - well - beeswax. It's harmless.

Sodium acetate may sound scary, but it's just what's left over after vinegar and baking soda have reacted. It's also harmless as harmless can be. It's actually the same thing they use in most of those chemical hand warmers.

As a side note, I actually made some sodium acetate once with the intention of filling the empty space between the walls of a tervis tumbler with it. Then I forgot about it though...
http://www.adrenaldesign.com/blog/sodium-acetate-coffee-regulator

I use a Mr Coffee Mug Activated Warmer at work. It shuts off automatically after sometime, but keeps my tea warm as I drink it all day. I've had the same one for almost 8 years.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-MWBLK-Mug-Warmer/dp/B000CO89T8

Luckily I dont have a problem drinking my coffee in a timely manner but even if I did...I would have to wait and see on this one, being "safe" yet something melting into my drink to keep it hot doesnt sound like Mother Nature intended.

I'd be much more inclined toward this product if they actually just said something like "filled with beeswax, which is a phase change material" as opposed to creepy sounding doublespeak like "100% edible food-grade magic."

Foodbrarian- thanks for the tip re the spoon.

Thanks for the post! I just went to the site and ordered a set of five for Christmas presents! Can't shop too early, you know.

re: the spoon - could very well be a wive's tale. still, for me, 50 bucks is a lot for something that will inevitably lose a fight with the disposal at some point... I'm just hopelessly witless before 10am... :)

I'm not so afraid of it using "magic" cause most of the kitchen uses "magic" already. I mean, I put bread in the toaster and where does it go? Toast pops up magically too!

@thallendan -- so many magical mysteries!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQQ5eBG2f7k

For fifty dollars, I'll stick with my whiskey stones.

Those would totally wreck the bodum glass right?