Stumptown Coffee Tells You How to Brew Coffee

I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that reads that blog that I could go for a cup of Stumptown coffee right about now. I was buying beans there onetime and the girl at the counter told me, in a French accent, that the coffee I was buying had hints of watermelon. I understood this to mean, "You'll never be as cool as me you preppy dork."

Fair enough, I'm still going to give them credit for this little feature on their site about how to brew coffee. Maybe this is what it takes to actually get those subtle notes onto your palate.

Stumptown Guides

Bring back some simple packaging

I'm getting older and need a little less flash and a little more honesty. Look, I still like Nutella and I'm still going to need Windex. Just make it a little easier on me. The folks at A2591 have worked on  a project to strip down some common labels to their bare essence. I'm posting a few down here for you. Wouldn't you feel better if the supermarket where more like this?

Thanks to The Fox is Black

Harris Tweed, an inside look

It should be pretty clear at this point that I'm becoming obsessed with videos and pictures that show how nice products are made. I really think if you have a great product, the marketing possible is to demonstrate the care that goes into it.

Anyway, Nike and North Face each just dropped a collaboration with Harris Tweed. Only you wouldn't know it unless you read blogs religiously as both runs are probably so limited that you'll never have the opportunity to buy either. In fact the North Face tweed bags are exclusive for the Japanese market.

The Style Salvage writer recently traveled up to the highlands of Scotland to visit Harris Tweed and he took plenty of photos. Please check it out- Style Salvage

Put this by the checkout,

and I don't care with the price tag is. You are telling me about hand crushed rosemary tea infusions with white chocolate and the packaged has watercolor and says "smile" at the bottom. It's going in cart. I don't even like chocolate.

via Lost in E Minor

Even cooler than Madvillianny

Do you remember when Madlib and MF DOOM collaborated and put out that crazy album? Yeah, me too. Everyone was a little shocked, like, "It happened. They really did it." I think it was a solid year before it left my heavy rotation.

I've commented on collaborations a bunch here recently. I'm usually kind of skeptical where the value add is. Sometimes the result is cool. Sometimes it's just really exciting and you can't wait to taste/listen to it. That's the case with this Sierra Nevada X Anchor Steam collaboration. These are my two favorite brands that have national distribution and I'm pretty excited about this (though I highly doubt this will be available in beer backwater Washington D.C.)

It appears that we are celebrating Sierra Nevada's 30th anniversary with Fritz and Ken's Ale which, I'm told, is a stout. An interesting choice as neither brewery is particularly known for stouts but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Cheers.

vis Cool Hunting 

Would you try it in this package?

I think it's pretty well established that Kimchi is a little daunting for the uninitiated but delicious for the initiated. The question remains, how does one cross over? Mother in Law Kimchi is here to help. I love the name but I love the packaging even more. Doesn't this just look safe to eat? It's almost like the yuppie salsa that Pace spent so much time warning you about some years ago. I'd try it, but I already like the stuff.

via Lost in E Minor

Field Notes manufacturing video

If I could do it all over I might not have gone to grad school or even college. I think I would drive around the states with a camera and capture American manufacturers that love their jobs. If I was good at it, I might put these videos up on vimeo. Even if I wasn't that good, I'd probably put them up on youtube.

Here's a video about a Field Notes notebook and the care that goes into making them. It's a little long but it's nice to watch.


Wings: Making the Field Notes 2010 Fall Edition from Coudal Partners on Vimeo.