Introducing the Concrete Espresso Machine

One thing is for sure, with the Concrete Espresso Machine, you will never have to worry about knocking your espresso machine over – unless of course you’re the Incredible Hulk! That’s because this espresso machine is like no other. It’s built out of solid concrete! Israeli student, Shmuel Linski, from Shenkar College of Engineering and Design came up with solid concept product. The machine features metal parts alongside a unique and very chic concrete encasing.

Why concrete? Linkski had this to say:

“Concrete in the kitchen, not only as a wall or decorative part, I wanted it to be a desirable consumer product.”

DHARMA Initiative Drink Labels

Max Pictures has been doing an excellent job of creating Dharma labels for anything and everything you could imagine. These are perfect for you to use at your LOST finale party! Here I feature all of the drink related labels, including ones for vodka, soda, beer, and wine. All of these labels and a ton more are available for download as PDF’s at Max Pictures for free.

USB Bottle Opener

Some might argue that with the increased prevalence of cloud storing services, thumb drives may soon go the way of the dodo bird, much like the floppy disk. Having said that, it might be impossible for beverage enthusiasts with an appetite for technology to not lust for this thumb drive. The USB Bottle Opener Flash Drive is like any other flash drive, except it has the added feature of being able to open your favorite bottle of beer. Neat? Absolutely.

Buy the USB Bottle Opener from the Brando Workshop for starting at $19 (2GB).

Sunbeam Designer Glass Kettle

I spotted this glass kettle over at the Appliancist and instantly thought, wow, that’s a sleek looking kettle. The basic kettle that I have at home (and use on a regular basis) looks sort of like a Kia compared to this Porsche-esque designer kettle. Wow. The kettle was designed by Australian industrial designer, David Knott and is a part of Sunbeams ongoing designer series.

Features:

1.3 litre glass kettle
SCHOTT DURAN Germany glass vessel
Sensor-touch button operation
Patented electronic control
Fast-boil, 2400 watt concealed element
Removable lid with mesh filter
360 degree cordless power base

Buy the Designer Glass Kettle by David Knott from Sunbeam for $139.95 AUD.

Via Appliancist.

Anthora Paper Cup Designer Dies

The New York Times ran an excellent story a few days ago on the death of a New York icon, Leslie Buck. The 87 year old Buck passed away at his home in Glen Cove, New York. Buck is known as being the designer of the ubiquitous Anthora coffee cop that dominated the streets of New York for nearly 4 decades. Beck introduced his novel coffee cup idea to the masses in 1963 and since then it has become a part of the daily ritual for millions of people.

Sales of the cup reached 500 million in 1994 (when it was by far the most popular design for the company’s cups), but fell to about 200 million cups annually in 2005. One New York Times writer in 1995 called the Anthora “perhaps the most successful cup in history”. By 2007, it was mentioned in passing in a New York Times television review as “one of those endangered artifacts” – Wikipedia.

The Anthora coffee cup features the image of an ancient Greek amphora, a decorative border on the top and the bottom, and the capitalized slogan, “WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU.” The Solo cup company, which purchased the rights to the Anthora cup discontinued it from their catalog in 2006, however, they still have it available for custom orders.

Buck’s NY Times obituary can be seen here.

On the left is the original Anthora coffee cup and to the right is a replica ceramic version.

Photos courtesy of Flickr users mttsndrs and brotherM.

RateTea: Drink Tea and Then Review It

If you read this blog then chances are that you enjoy drinking tea every so often, or maybe even daily. Surely, with every sip you formulate some kind of opinion of that tea. You might love it, you might hate it, or you might be indifferent to it. You might have a few tips when it comes to brewing a particular loose leaf tea. Maybe the tea might be perfect for early risers or maybe it might be perfect for those who like a late night cup. The point is, each cup of tea is unique and with uniqueness come opinions.

RateTea might not be the first tea review site but it is a place where anyone can rate, review and learn more about teas. The new site has to date cataloged over 3,478 teas and counting. Why not add your opinion to the mix the next time you brew your next cup of loose leaf tea.

Mypressi Handheld Espresso Machine

You might be familiar more with ThinkGeek as a place to purchase geeeky apparel or gadgets. You might not know that they have an entire section of their store devoted to caffeinated goods! That’s right, alongside their caffeinated candy, drinks and lollipops, you’ll find this impressive little device – the Mypressi Handheld Espresso Machine.

“Consequently, coffee snobs (we can call them that because many of us are thus self-professed) require a lot of precision in their brewing instruments. Take this new portable espresso dispenser, for example! Many espresso machines of the hand-pump variety give a strong burst of pressure to force the water through the grounds, but the pressure dies off quickly, leaving your espresso a muddy mess of over and under-extracted coffee. The Mypressi Handheld Espresso Machine uses canisters of compressed N20 to give you a half-dozen or more strong pulls at an even 9-bar (135psi) from beginning to end. The resulting cup is hot, flavorful, with a mild bitterness and strong crema.”

Buy the Mypressi Handheld Espresso Machine from ThinkGeek for $169.99.

LOST Polar Beer Pint Glasses

There are only a few more episodes left of the final season of ABC’s hit series, LOST, and many people (myself included) are anxious for the series finale. With that season finale, however, comes the end to one of my favorite shows on Television. Having said that, you better start preparing now for your Lost finale show party now! And what better way to serve ice cold beer than with these custom LOST Polar Beer Pint Glasses by designer Ian Leino.

“Recent archaeological expeditions in Tunisia have uncovered unusual drinking vessels that have puzzled top scientists. While their shape indicates that they were for daily use rather than holy occasions, it is the ghostly visage of a polar bear emblazoned on their surface that has befuddled some of the brightest brains in the field. Whatever their original purpose, our recreation of these artifacts include a detailed artist rendering of the enigmatic yet evocative design that adorned them and are guaranteed to add an extra element of charm and mystery to any occasion.”

The Polar Beer Pint Glasses are printed on both sides (Polar Beer on one side, Dharma logo on the other) using a satin etch look to heighten the sense of wonder and enchantment of even the bast beverage.

Buy the LOST Polar Beer Pint Glasses from Ian Leino for $8.50.

Baggy Winecoat

The Baggy Winecoat by designer Jakob Wagner is just what you need if you would like to put elegance and style into your Bag-in-Box wines. Simply take the bag our of your box wine and place it into the stylish Baggy Winecoat. Skip the six-pack of beer and redefine the tailgate party by bringing this elegant and handy accessory!

“Baggy Winecoat gives the popular Bag in Box wines a casual but stylish look! Simply take the wine bag out of the box, place it in the Baggy Wine Coat and close the flexible top. A rubber bottom makes sure the Baggy Winecoat do not tip over; neither on the dinner table, nor on the picnic. If you want to carry your wine with you, just grab the handle and go!”

By the Baggy Winecoat by Jakob Wagner from the Scandinavian Design Center for $58.19.

The Water Bobble

The Water Bobble is one beautiful piece of water bottle engineering. Each “bobble” comes with its own patented carbon filter which has a slight electro-positive charge, which allows it to attract chemical and impurities in the water. It is suggested that the filters be changed every 2 months or every 40 gallons.

Each bobble holds 18.5 oz. of water, is BPA free, and made in the USA out of recycled materials.

By the Water Bobble from the Water Bobble Online Store for $9.99.