The majority of water-filter pitchers out there are terrible (or at best, uninspired) but that doesn't have to be the case. Enter the Soma water filter, which is a beautiful and eco-friendly water filter that puts the competition to shame. Made of sustainable materials—including burnt coconut shell and a plant-based, bio-degradable casing—Soma is the first water filter I've heard of that is…
LifeStraw Go is essentially a sports water bottle, but with a crazy-good filter built in. You can use it to scoop up water from just about anywhere in the world and then safely drink it through the mouthpiece. By the time the water has made it up the straw, the filter has already removed 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.9% of waterborne…
Before the coffee geeks cry out with indignation: yes, I realize I am linking to a Nespresso product and Nespresso is a blight on the coffee-making world, but this is not one of their wasteful coffee pod contraptions. No, the Aeroccino 3 – no relation to the AeroPress – is merely a milk frothing machine, and a good one at that. It…
One of my favorite ways to take my coffee on-the-go is with my Contigo Autoseal Tumbler. It keeps hot drinks hot for several hours, and cold drinks cold for half the day (not that it takes me that long to drink my coffee, of course). It only holds 16oz of liquid though, so if I'm having the kind of day where I'm…
The guys at Studio Neat, makers of the Glif tripod mount for the iPhone and the Cosmonaut stylus for iPad, are putting on another Kickstarter for a...cough...neat kit for making super-clear ice at home. It uses an insulated, block-shaped ice mold to freeze water from the top down, pushing impurities to the bottom. The resulting ice block looks like this: Using the…
There's a Kickstarter campaign happening right now for a product called MaCool, which is basically an insulated cooler designed to look like the original Macintosh. This thing may end up getting sued into oblivion by Apple, but I couldn't resist posting it because, well, just look at it! Now, if only it let you play Oregon Trail... Thanks, Alex!
I'm a big fan of infused drinks in the summer. Often, drinks with a strong flavor can be the opposite of refreshing. This Prodyne Fruit Infusion Pitcher is the perfect tool for the job. The 2.9-quart, BPA-free acrylic pitcher is built around a removable, hollow core that can be filled with fruits, herbs and other goodies. This construction is great to look…
We've mentioned the standard Bonavita Gooseneck Kettle ($42) before, but the kinds of coffee nerds who experiment with AeroPress recipes are likely to want very precise temperature control. And that's exactly what the Bonavita Variable Temperature model ($90) brings to the mix. It rocks the same 1-liter stainless steel design and distinct spout that allows for greater pour control, with the addition…
This is not your grandmother's water bottle. Plastic water bottles are an enormous waste and aren't insulated. A superior, reusable alternative is the Hydro Flask. Its double-walled, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel design keeps hot liquids hot for 12 hours and cold liquids cold for 24 hours with ice. And don't worry, because of the double wall, no matter the temperature of your drink…
The Espro Press makes an amazing cup of french press coffee. It has a double-walled steel vessel that is rugged and durable. After brewing you can leave the coffee in the pot and it will stay hot for over an hour. But the real magic is with the double micro filter. The Espro Presses uniquely-designed micro filter is designed to help keep…
Speaking of collar stays... for the less thrifty, this 4-pack of titanium collar stays are a bit more pricy but also can open old-school soda bottles.
I recently ordered one of these double-walled glass bottles as my new traveling coffee mug. In theory, it's designed to be a tea tumbler — there is a metal basket at the top of the bottle which holds a tea bag. You turn the bottle upside down to brew, and then flip it right side up again and remove the tea bag…
When I brew coffee each morning, the items I pull out onto the kitchen counter consist of a conical burr grinder, and electric water kettle, a bamboo stir stick, my coffee brewing device (such as the AeroPress or French Press), my coffee beans, and a digital scale. It may sound like a lot but it isn't really that bad. For years I…
This utility notebook has a singular purpose, or 33 singular purposes that is: to document the coffees you drink. Specially designed pages give you a place to write the name of the coffee, where you drank it, how it was brewed, how much it cost, and if it was any good or not. The Coffee Journal is an obsessive coffee nerd's dream…
Not all teas are brewed the same way. Different types of tea (green, black, white, etc.) require different water temperatures and extraction times in order to brew just right. The Breville One-Touch Tea Maker takes all the guess work out of tea brewing. It is fully programmable for all types of tea, water temperatures, and steep times; it has a moving tea…
After I posted the Tèo I received many emails about the no-nos of using teas that come in tea bags. One fine reader pointed out this Teastick Infuser that is great for brewing single cups of loose leaf tea with easy cleanup. The Teastick is made out of stainless steel and is designed so you can scoop the loose leaf tea, slide…
How many years have we been forced to wrap the string of our Celestial Seasonings tea bag around our spoon and draw it tight to wring out the last of the tea? Or how many times have we used our fingers and suffered the heat of a tea bag just pulled out of steeping hot water? Well, my friends, no more. The…
Though I do not yet own one of the Hario kettles (I use an electric kettle), this is an item I'd love to add to my coffee shelf one day. The Hario kettle works great in any scenario, but it's designed especially for use with pour over coffee makers such as the Chemex or a single serving pour over option. What makes…
We boil water at least 3 or 4 times a day. Anna for her tea in the morning, me for my coffee, me again perhaps for my afternoon tea, and then the two of once more in the evening for our after-dinner tea or decaf coffee. In our kitchen have a similar version of this Breville that is made by Hamilton Beach,…
My parents are hard and fast tea drinkers. And, despite my obvious and outspoken affinity for a good cup of coffee, I too am a regular tea drinker. In fact, I probably drink at least as much tea as I do coffee. This tea infuser from Forlife is great for several reasons: (a) it's big enough to hold plenty of loose-leaf tea…