The Hot Holiday Gift of the Year Is Here (Order One Now in Case It Sells Out)

Last year, during the holidays, I couldn’t say hi to a fellow Kitchn or Apartment Therapy editor without ending up in a conversation about the Ember Mug. All my friends and family members were talking about it, too. As a picky coffee drinker, I totally understood the buzz (pun intended!): It plugs in or gets charged up and works with an app (which you sync via Bluetooth); it then heats and keeps your coffee or tea to the desired temperature. It was the hottest gift of the season (another intended pun!) and, when thinking about it recently, I figured it’d be pretty big again this year too. But now there’s some news: As of today, there’s a new generation of the Ember Travel Mug and the regular Ember Mug.

The re-engineered Ember Travel Mug² and Ember Mug²  now comes with a battery that lasts up to 50 percent longer, so that your drink will stay hotter for even longer. (That’s one-and-a-half hours for the regular mug, and up to three hours for the travel mug.) And the Ember Travel Mug² has a more streamlined experience: The rotating temperature dial at the base of the mug has been replaced with a sleek, hidden-until-lit touch display for on-the-go temperature customization that works without your phone. It’s also lighter than the previous model, which is clearly a plus for those of us who also have to tote our lunches, work papers, and various other nonsense on the train in the mornings and evenings.

Whether you’re shopping for loved ones or yourself (or both?), you’ll have a few options. The new generation is available in a 10-ounce mug (for $100), a 14-ounce mug (for $130; only available in black) and a travel version (for $180; this is available for pre-sale now but won’t ship until November). And in addition to the black and white options we had last year, there’s also this cool copper version.

• 10-Ounce Ember Mug², $100
• 14-Ounce Ember Mug²,  $130
• Ember Travel Mug², $180 (available for pre-sale, ships in November)

What do you think? Will you be buying one of these?