Menos es Mas

Menos es Más bills itself as being a drink that is all about optimism and joy. I think that illustrator Andrew Bannecker did an excellent job of bringing those ideals out on these bottles with such lovely drawings. With one small bottle of this drink, produced by Coca-Cola Spain, you can make up to 2 liters of drink. In this instance, less really is more because a tiny bottle produces a lot of beverage. In an effort to cut costs and and be as efficient as possible, Coca-Cola Spain decided to offer simply the syrup (that’s what you get in the bottles) and from there you add water and kaboom, instant drink with a small carbon footprint.

I’m interested in how Menos es Más tastes. I’m thinking that it has a milky flavor but I could be completely wrong. Have you tried it? Let us know what it tastes like!

Rotorcaps by Jen Roder

Renegade Silversmith and crafty designer, Jen Roder, has created some fancy pieces of wearable art using just used bottle caps. Something that people normally just toss in the trash has been turned into useful accessories for the office or a night out in the town. Roder constructs cufflinks, pendants and earrings out of the bottle caps and sells them for quite a profit. The pendants are priced at $48-$65, the earrings start at $88 and the cufflinks go for $150.

Buy the Rotorcaps from Jen Roder for $48-$150.

Fred. He’s Water.

My dad’s first name is Fred, which makes this fine piece of bottled water a little bit weird for me. Fred (the water) comes from Alpine Spring, located in Livingston Manor, New York. According to Fine Waters, the top purveyors of water in the world (or ate least in InternetLAND), Fred has is “super low in total dissolved solids (TDS)  and has a superior rating for nitrates” which gives Fred a  smooth characteristic.

If there was a Don Juan equivalent of the water world, Fred would be it.

Buy Fred from Love Fred for $30 Per Case (20 Bottles Per Case).

Thanks to Ade from Milk & Eggs Co. for the Tip.

Mimijumi Bottles

For the beverage enthusiast in training, this BPA free baby bottle is the perfect transitionary tool when going from the natural comforts of the nipple to the synthetics of a baby bottle. I’m not even kidding when I say this is probably the closest thing you find to a nipple on a bottle. And with beautiful design, what’s not to like about it.

“With natural colors, textures and forms, the mimijumi baby bottle closely mimics the breastfeeding experience, providing the perfect complement to breastfeeding and the best possible transition to bottle feeding. The innovative design of the nipple to replicate a mother’s breast creates a natural feeding and latching experience for a happier and healthier bottle fed baby. Bold color and soft textures are combined to give the Very Hungry bottle a distinctive, eye-catching appearance.”

Buy the Mimijumi BPA Free Baby Bottle from Mimijumi starting in December.

OK Soda

I tend to like my beverages to be better than OK so when I found out about the beverage known as OK Soda, I had to cringe. That cringe turned into a nod of approval once I saw the packaging of this now extinct drink. The can has a great sense of design and typography. It makes me wish that the “big boys” like Coca-Cola and Pepsi would re-imagine some of their current and stale packaging designs. Ironically, Coca-Cola was responsible for developing the drink, but ultimately failed to capture an audience for it.

“OK Soda was a soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company in 1993 that aggressively courted the Generation X demographic with unusual advertising tactics, including endorsements and even outright negative publicity. It did not sell well in select test markets and was officially declared out of production in 1995 before reaching nation-wide distribution. The drink’s slogan was Things are going to be OK.”

USB Whirl Wind Warmer Cup

As if we need another USB device! Well for those of you caffeine drinkers that always have a cup of of coffee sitting on the desk anyway look no further than the USB Whirl Wind Warmer Cup when deciding on your future coffee cup. This techie cup will keep your drink at a constant temperature and will even stir on command! But of course this convenience has its drawbacks. Remember when they said never park a drink next to your computer? 

“The USB Whirl Wind Warmer Cup is a lifestyle gadget. It is a drink warmer that can keep the drink in around 40°C. it also be a Whirl Wind cup; built-in lid and rechargeable battery. Just press the button, the lid will swing and stir your coffee or tea. No stirrer any more!”

Features:

• Just press a button to stir the liquid
• Work as a mixer, etc
• Keep coffee/tea/drink warm at around 40°C
• LED battery capacity indicator
• Switch button for Heat, Stir, Heat + Stir or Power off function
• Rechargeable battery which is environmental-friendly
• Powered by USB or rechargeable battery
• Charged by USB or AC adapter(not included)
• Dimension: 62 x 62 x149mm (approx.)
• Weight: 202g

Buy the USB Whirl Wind Warmer Cup from USB Brando for $37.

Via Red Ferret Journal. 

Sugar Blocks by John Truex

Call Me Thirsty reader, Kimby, a fellow blogger over at The Artistic Adventures of Kimby, submitted a link to these incredibly cute concept sugar blocks by industrial designer John Truex (Truex Design, NYC). Fancy building a sugar wall around you cup of coffee? If so then these cinderblock-like sugar blocks is just the thing for you! Once you’ve had your fun you can always knock the wall down and drop them into your cuppa java.

Nespresso Concept D290 + Aeroccino

The Nespresso D290 Concept Automatic Coffee-and-Espresso Machine with Aeroccino Milk Frother is one sexy machine. It might be pricey, but think of it as an investment considering that you spend an arm and a leg on coffee and espresso at your favorite “not-to-be-named” coffee shop anyway. This model comes with the Aeroccino milk frother so that  you can make the perfect milk froth in mere seconds. They also have a model sans the Aeroccino if you could care less about froth.

Features:

• 1250-watt single-serve automatic espresso machine designed for coffee capsules
• 19-bar pump; ThermoBlock heating system; backlit control buttons; removable 40-ounce water tank
• Capsules eject semi-automatically into collection container; auto and programmable coffee quantity
• Includes 12 capsules, espresso cup, lungo cup, saucers, and 1-touch Aeroccino milk frother
• Machine measures 14 by 8-2/3 by 12-1/5 inches; milk frother measures 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 by 5-5/7 inches

Buy the Nespresso D290 Concept Automatic Coffee-and-Espresso Machine with Aeroccino Milk Frother from Amazon for $438.58.

Pantone Coffee Mug

I’ve featured a lot of different mugs but the Pantone Coffee Mug has got to be one of the more original ones. If you’re not familiar with Pantone, it’s a Color Matching System that allows for the standardization of color reproduction so that you can ensure that the color you want on any given product is the color you get. And of course, the Pantone Coffee Mug features different shades of the color brown to differentiate from black to creamy blends! Perfect mug for those that color consistency from their daily cup of joe.

“All you have to do is look at the color guide inside showing different shades of brown. Pick your favorite color, the one that’s the same shade as coffee mixed the way you like it, and add milk until you get the exact hue. It’s perfect! And, what if you have guests? Show them the mug, let them point out their choice of color, and the rest is child’s play.”

The Pantone coffee mug is made out of ceramics and has 4 colored lines inside corresponding to four different ways you can drink coffee: milky, regular, strong or black.

Buy the Pantone Coffee Mug from Curiosite for $19.13.

Diggnation Tea Collection

Samovar has collaborated with the stars of Diggnation to bring you the Diggnation Holiday Tea Collection. There are four different sets available, including the Alex “Duke of Earl” Albrecht set, the Kevin Rose set, the Hippie Glenn set and the Diggnation set. Each set features three different blends and comes with a samovar infusing basket.

“Kevin Rose stopped drinking sodas years ago and has since found far better options in tea. This set includes some of his favorites for this season: the sweet-yet-sophisticated Vanilla Dian Hong black tea, sleep-ready Nocturnal Bliss herbal blend, and the invigorating, caffeine-free Mint Redbush. Plus a handy infusing basket so you can brew them any where you go.”

Buy the Diggnation Tea Sets from Samovar for $39-$40 (available for pre-order).