Good news (I think) for Muslim coffee drinkers out there. Kopi Luwak coffee, aka overpriced civet poop, has been designated halal. Meaning that as long as it’s cleaned and processed properly, it can be enjoyed legally according to Islamic law. Drink up!
Nice chart of various coffee drinks (click image to view it larger). Love the design, but there are a few inaccuracies. It could be just language or different interpretations, but a Latte is most definitely espresso and steamed milk. And if your making iced coffee by pouring regular ol’ drip over ice, you’re not going to have the best iced coffee experience.
Found by Jamie at Coffee Adventures
I’ve always loved the graphics and type on coffee sacks. They have a great modern feel that contrasts so much with the origin they’ve traveled from. It always makes me happy to see them filled with beans and stacked on pallets when I visit roasters. I’ve also seen them hung like flags in cafes like a patriotic ode to the countries they support. Thanks to Gus* Modern, you can rest your feet on repurposed coffee sacks while you enjoy your favorite cup!
I came across Susan Rudat’s beautiful illustrations on her Flickr stream and had to share some of them with you all. I’m not much of an illustrator, so I’m always fascinated by what can be done with a marker, a Moleskine, and a major love for coffee!
Check out more of Susan’s work on Flickr
I’ve probably mentioned before that besides coffee and design, I also love bikes. Almost everyone I know who rides is also an avid coffee drinker. So, the lifestyles seem to go hand-in-hand. On July 3rd, the Tour de France began, which is like the World Cup for people who enjoy cycling instead of soccer (there may be those who like both). If you don’t own a television or have cable, it may be hard to find a place to watch it, but if you happen to be in London or NYC there are a couple new options—good coffee included.
Rapha, a great company who make high-quality cycling gear, recently opened two pop-up bike cafes, called Rapha Cycle Club, that combine a love of coffee and bikes that provide a place to watch the Tour this summer. You can ride in, relax, and watch the race on a couple flat screens all while enjoying a fresh cup. The London store brews Nude Espresso and NYC is serving Third Rail.
Wish I was still in NYC to check this out. I’d recommend that anyone who is into bikes and coffee, should stop by!
Photos from everydaylife.style on Flickr
Rapha Cycle Club
While I was in New York in May, I drank a lot of great coffee and hung out with a lot of great friends, including the brothers behind eco-fashion company Holstee. Their shirts and accessories, made from recycled materials, are awesome—but they also voluntarily curate their store with other responsible products they love and support.
One of those products is the Presso—a manual espresso machine, that’s fun and easy to use. Just add hot water, fresh ground beans, and a little tricep power, and you get a surprisingly good shot for much less than most home espresso machines ($150).
So we got together, drank a lot of espresso (I think I had 8 shots myself) and made a video showing how the Presso works. Enjoy!
Able recently sent me photos of the new packaging they worked on for One Village Coffee. While I plan on tasting this coffee as soon as I settle down from my summer travels (the reason for a lack of recent updates), I couldn’t wait to post their beautiful coffee bags. They’ve already made the rounds on The Dieline, Lovely Package, and even Swiss Miss (a huge honor) and all for good reason.
The colors work great together and set a much more welcoming tone than the dark earthy colors normally used by coffee companies. The information draws you in to really engage and educate the customer about the company. The hand drawings carry over well into the website—although a little overwhelming at times—it maintains enough hierarchy to easily navigate through all the information on the site. Can’t wait to taste what’s inside!
Our hope is that the bag provides multiple touch points for customers who want to learn more about the company and get more involved. We are currently working on manifesting the “village” experience online, on university campuses, in grocery stores, and farmer’s markets. –via Lovely Package
One Village Coffee designed by Able
Starbucks is apparently working on a set of mugs made from recycled clay (20% of them atleast). I really like their shape and the typography made from flecks of broken ceramic. It’s not clear whether those broken bits are what makes up the recycled aspects of the mug, but I like the direction they’re headed. I’d love to see more of these in the future with a higher percentage of recycled content.
This recycled ceramic mug was brought to life in a zero-waste factory in Japan, which reuses the clay of former mugs and dishes to create new ones. It’s a story of reuse and renewal that is told from mug to package. The particles coming together to form words and shapes represent a renewed respect for resources. For from broken bits of ceramic, we can make beautiful things.
via The Dieline
A colorful package design project from Texas Tech design student, Cari Cadwell. While I’m not a fan of blends, the bird theme and the onomatopoeias used for the blend names create a unique conceptual brand within the realm of coffee. There’s also no such thing as an “espresso roast,” (one of my pet peeves of coffee packaging/marketing). Espresso is a method of brewing, but I’ll forgo that rant. On to the work:
The concept for my packaging is a retro feeling coffee. It is a series of coffee that uses the onomatopoeias for the various blends of coffee, such as Cock-a-doodle-doo for breakfast blend. The brand name I made up was Java Nest Coffee because of the bird theme. This was an open project for my student portfolio, and was awarded ‘Best Packaging’ in Texas Tech’s senior portfolio show for Communication Design.
via Lovely Package.
Winner: Karma Cup
The Betacup contest has come to an end with 430 entries! Yesterday, the jury selected winners were announced, and first place went to the Karma Cup! Karma Cup transforms buying your daily coffee into a game that can only be played by those with reusable cups. Every person who uses their own mug puts a mark on the chalkboard and every 10th person get’s their drink for free! This is a great idea and I really hope Starbuck’s implements it. This process of engagement is far more rewarding than a $0.10 discount.
Special Mention: Rice Husk Betacup
Special Mention: Champion Cup
Check out the other winners and finalists at Betacup.
