Vinicultured: A Wine Blog

My roommate introduced me to a blog, JJJJound, that I really enjoy.  It’s basically a photo blog with no page breaks, no internal hyperlinks, or anything else.  It just has a long vertical series of photographs that stretches almost to infinity.  These are photos ranging from the mundane to the artistic; they represent art for art’s sake to artistry in products.  It is this last aspect of the blog that I love.  I love beautiful things, but especially if they’re also practical.

This being a wine blog, it’s not too much of a leap to surmise that I love food (which I do).  Thus, this particular page will be devoted to things like food, coffee, and other beverages that I enjoy.  However, it will also cover products like wineglasses, books, articles of clothing, and whatever else catches my fancy.  When it comes down to it, everyone likes nice things.

February 14, 2010: The Zippo Gold Floral Flush Emblem Lighter

Smoking cigarettes for me was a “phase.”  I did it a little bit in college, then a lot more when I was in the working world, and then a little bit again in law school.  I haven’t smoked a cigarette in a very long time.

That doesn’t mean, however, that I should never buy a lighter.  I think every person should have a lighter on them when they go on a night about the town.  What better lighter than a Zippo?

The polished chrome Zippos are always going to be classics, but it seems like everyone has one.  Thus, I present this version, which seems a throwback to another era, like Robert Hass meets art deco.

February 12, 2010: The “Black Cat Project” Cappuccino Cup from Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea

I’ve raved about Intelligentsia Coffee in the past.  This Chicago-based coffee importer/roaster/benign caffeine conglomerate also offers fancy coffee-brewing equipment, such as syphon brewers and Chemex pots.  They recently introduced these sexy cappuccino cup and saucer combos, for sale at their retail locations and online.  Note the red star at the bottom of the bowl; you might  be able to glimpse just a tiny bit of the orange band at the outside bottom of the cup as well.

The “Black Cat Project” is Intelligentsia’s initiative to educate people about the finer art of espresso brewing.  It’s named after their signature espresso blend, which in fact makes a helluva cappuccino and a stellar latte.

(Thank you to Intelligentsia for the picture above.)

February 11, 2010: Crane & Co. Thank You Notes

I love to write letters, and I love stationery.  I generally write letters on 8.5 x 11 college-ruled paper, but when it comes to thank you notes they have to make an impression.  Therefore, I love the thank you notes from Crane & Co.  I have at least two types of thank you notes: one for the gentlemen and one for the ladies.

The one on top is a “Kate Spade Cherry Blossom Thank You Note.”  Designed for Crane by Kate Spade, these are printed with all the vibrancy of spring and are especially appropriate for DC.  The inside of the envelope is a dark chocolate brown.

The one on the bottom is a “Letterpress Leopard Thank You Note.”  It is heavy cardstock with absolutely no adornment inside or out except for the “THANK YOU” in all capitals on the front.  The inside of the envelope, however, has a subtle leopard print pattern which provides a nice and quirky contrast to the austerity of the note.

(Thank you to Crane & Co. for the pictures.)

February 10, 2010: Little Flower Candy Co. Sea Salt Caramels

The combination of sweet and salty is a sublime one.  This little bag of caramels from Pasadena’s Little Flower Candy Co. is a little bag of heaven.  Each caramel has the perfect balance of elasticity and resistance; is sweet but not sugary due an incredible depth of flavor (like the bass in a love song); is salty but just so.  They are great with a cup of coffee, with loved ones, and with cool gray summer mornings.

(Thanks to the Phillie Foodie for this picture.)