Vobaga Coffee Mug Warmer: An Electric Stove For Your Mug

POSITIVES

✓ Safety Features

Prevents heat dangers

✓ Affordable Solution

Keeps warm for cheap

✓ Multiple Heat Options

Three settings of warmth

NEGATIVES

✘ Cheap feeling

Very light weight plastic material

✘ Depends on the Mug

Mug type affects compatibility

Purchase Price: $24.99

Buy on Amazon

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During the holiday season, I received a mug warmer as an office white elephant gift from a co-worker. This was actually a logical gift for someone like me as I always have a mug of tea or coffee with me throughout the day. Michelle reviewed the Ember Smart Mug last year at The Sypnotix and I’ve been interested in seeing how my drinking routines would work with some sort of smart mug warmer. While the Vobaga warmer I own isn’t as fancy as the actual smart mug from Ember, I do find myself using it every single day. At $25, is this an essential lifestyle product?

The Science Behind the warmth

In a way, it functions similarly (on a much smaller scale) to an electric stove top.

Unlike the Ember product which is three times more expensive than this Vobaga; this mug warmer accomplishes the task simply by using a small heating plate. The process is simple: place the cup on top of the plate and turn on the electric surface. In a way, it functions similarly (on a much smaller scale) to an electric stove top. Pressing the power button cycles through three temperature settings: 104℉-131℉-149℉(40℃-55℃-65℃). If the Vobaga is still on after 4 hours, the device will automatically switch off to prevent accidental heat issues. Most human beings finish drinking their beverage within 4 hours. The ones that don’t usually have no intention of consuming the rest of the content inside. The power button also pulses a red color for a period of time after shutting off to indicate a cooling process so the user doesn’t accidentally touch a plate which is still hot. These are some valuable smart tendencies that some competing warmers on Amazon don’t provide in these products. 

With a 20w wired energy consumption, the warming plate at its highest heat does actually warm up a mug. I shouldn’t say it warms up a mug as much as I should claim that it maintains heat for a certain period of time. When I prepare a hot beverage, it’s going to be already hot by the time I set it onto this plate. Don’t expect to pour lukewarm water into a mug for this plate to warm up like a microwave. A lot of people don’t seem to understand the purpose of a product like this. These plate styled products function as a way to slow down cooling. If you are looking for a mug that actually heats liquids internally, you’ll have to pay more money for that technology.  

Fundamentally, the thermodynamics behind the warming in this instance is surface based on transferring energy to glass. A flat bottom mug has a likelier chance to improve energy spread evenly throughout the cup, whereas a concave cup would insulate the heat strictly onto the bottom. I’ve found glass cups for tea to be more effective in absorbing the heat across the length of the surface, whereas a porcelain mug only seems to keep the bottom surface hot. 99% of my daily drinking habits see me sipping from a porcelain mug. The liquids inside your cup will always be within a reasonable warm temperature to drink from thanks to the Vobaga. This is the benefit of a plated warmer as the drinker doesn’t need to worry about burning their fingers on a hot mug. The Vobaga will only maintain a heat so that it’s ideally always comfortable to hold that mug as long as the initial heat from the liquid source is safe. 

Gifting the Gift of HEat

For $25 on Amazon, the Vobaga is made of a cheap plastic material. There’s absolutely no heft behind the product as it is deceptively light weight. There’s a 59-inch cord that allows for decent flexibility to plug into any office desk. I’m a fan of cheap lifestyle convenience products like this as they make for an inexpensive gift that actually has decent usage value. Not everybody drinks hot beverages, but for those of us who do, it does often feel like a race against time (and science) to consume the liquids before they cool. While Michelle’s review of the Ember Smart Mug did get me interested in a much more luxurious way of incorporating technology with coffee consumption, I found myself perfectly adapted to the way the Vobaga solves the warmth issue that has plagued coffee drinkers for generations.    

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