Adagio Teas

December 4, 2010

Chris Adagio Teas, Information, Other Stuff 4 Comments


This “Cyber Monday”, I was introduced to what I now consider one of the most amazing websites in my little web-world… Adagio Teas is an online (as well as brick-and-mortar) retailer of fine quality tea which was founded by Michael Cramer, a former investment banker. Their website is bright, colorful, and very easy to navigate, and I quickly found myself wanting some of one type of tea and then some of another. How did I find this marvelous website you ask? Why, I was randomly sent a Twitter coupon for $5 off my purchase price and telling me about the free shipping. (More on the $5 coupon later) So, I finally decided on a small white teapot and infuser (cheerfully called the “personaliTEA”) as well as a green tea “Shanghai” sample pack. Since the sample pack contained four different teas (and enough to make 8-10 cups of each), I thought that wasn’t a bad deal to start out with. So, I placed my order and sat back to wait.

My order was shipped the very next day, and they offered an awesome tracking system. Instead of just providing me with a tracking number and moving on to the next customer, they offered to update me on Twitter every time my package information was updated! Never had a company offered me this, and I was impressed! My teapot and tea actually arrived one day later than it was supposed to (according to UPS it was “driver error” and he accidentally left it at the depot, although by the looks of it, someone played hackysack with it for a bit before getting it out the door) and when I got it, the box was damaged. Thankfully, the folks at Adagio packed everything very well and the teapot wasn’t broken. The sample box was bent up pretty well though.

So, I finally get my tea home, and I decide to try some. My youngest sister asked me what I was up to (she’s 12) and when I told her she asked if she could try some too. I agreed and told her she could pick what type we’d try first. Naturally, she picked the one with the oddest name to try. Quickly, I boiled up some water and let it begin to cool (since green tea, according to Adagio’s site, is supposed to be brewed in water that is approximately 180 degrees, else it gets bitter) and then opened the first package. “White Monkey” was the label, and I was rather curious as to the composition.

Thankfully, Adagio’s site is also full of detail about each and every type of tea. It has this to say about the “White Monkey” blend: “Green tea (do not be confused by its name) that grows along the slopes of the Taimu mountains in the Fujian province of China. The young leaves and unopened buds are carefully gathered and processed exclusively by hand. The result is a tea that appears intricately woven with large and beautiful white tips. It produces a very light cup that is noticeably sweet, and infused with a fresh, delicate scent. White Monkey tea hails from the Fujian province of China, one of its most prolific. This region accounts for one-fifth of China’s total tea output. And the high quality of its teas keeps them in high demand. This region’s exports of tea account for a quarter of the country’s total. Fujian teas benefits from an excellent climate, combining mild temperatures, abundant rainfall and mountainous terrain. It has a long history of cultivating tea: over one-thousand years.” Along with this information was several helpful reviews, all written by those who had purchased and tried this tea out.

So, I opened the package, wafted the bouquet, photographed it, and then prepared to brew. Green teas brew very quickly (3 minutes), so I prepared the cups and sweetener. After pouring the tea, my sister tried it and declared it “very good” (which is the best I could get out of her). I tried some before adding sugar, and was surprised at the rich, earthy flavour. While I wouldn’t want to drink it without some form of sweetener, it was still a very interesting flavour which would perhaps be excellent paired with honey. After adding sugar, I must admit that “White Monkey” is very different from any type of tea I have tasted before. The rich, earthy flavour remained  but was slightly diminished by the sweetness, making for an extremely satisfying cup of tea which I savoured to the very last drop.

Following are some photos, and if you look on down below them, a coupon for $5 off your order (that I know you’ll place) at Adagio.com.

So, now, for a $5 gift certificate… Simply enter the gift certificate code: 8706175164 – Also, here’s another awesome feature of the site… With each order you place, gift certificate you send out that is redeemed, and each review of tea you do you receive Frequent Cup points. When you accrue 100 of them, Adagio will give you a free $10 gift certificate! Not a bad deal at all… 🙂

Forthcoming Reviews!

December 2, 2010

Chris Information 3 Comments


Just thought I might post some pictures so you can take a gander at what I’ll be looking at and reviewing here in the next several weeks or so… 🙂

Sanford Uni-ball Deluxe Micro 0.5-0.7mm Rollerball

December 2, 2010

Chris 0.50mm, 0.70mm, Black, OfficeMax, Rollerball, Uni/Uni-ball 6 Comments


Sanford Uni-ball Deluxe Micro 0.5-0.7mm Rollerball

So, today we have an interesting pen to take a look at. While I’m not a huge fan of rollerballs, they are the next couple pens that I have up for review (probably because I hold off reviewing them for as long as I possibly can). I picked a pack of these (slightly over-priced) pens at OfficeMax a while back when I had some reward points to spend and I had to buy something before they expired.

Uni-balls website lists these as being 0.5mm, but in my experience the line width actually varies slightly between 0.5 and 0.7mm. The ink helps prevent check-washing, is fade- and water-resistant, as well as being acid-free and comes in black, blue, and red. Other than the metallic painted barrel and strip which labels it as “Deluxe”, this pen actually doesn’t have any frills.

On the pro side, it does writer very, very smoothly, but in my opinion, the cons outweight the pros. There’s no grip at all, just black plastic section, the ink occasionally “blots” onto the page (definitely not good for a leftie like me), and it has an extremely slow dry time (about 15 seconds on the Leuchtturm1917 Dot Notebook I tested it on). Not on my “buy again” list…

Exaclair Exacompta Prestige Journal 21 Daily Planner 2011

November 30, 2010

Chris Black, Exaclair, Exacompta, Journal 21, Planners/Diaries, Quo Vadis 5 Comments


Exaclair Exacompta Prestige Journal 21 Daily Planner 2011

So, up for review today we have the excellent Journal 21 daily planner from Exacompta! A sample sent to me by the Amazing Karen of Exaclair (for which I am very grateful), I actually plan on using this planner for the next year, so some of this review will be ongoing. The main purpose of this initial review is to point out all of the features included in the Journal 21.

The Journal 21 I received features the Soya cover, a smooth, supple leather-like material which is saddle stitched. While the cover is nice, the journal itself is the star of our review today.

The little slip-cover insert included states the following:

  • Refillable
  • 8 am – 9 pm
  • Rules with monthly tabs
  • Yearly planning
  • 15 months monthly planner
  • Address pages
  • Tear-off corners
  • Sewn binding opens flat
  • Superior quality 72 gsm tinted paper
  • PEFC certified
  • Acid and chlorine free paper
  • Made in the USA

Yes, there is a reason I bolded that last point. Exacompta is proud of the fact that they manufacture their products here in the US, unlike many other manufacturers which have out-sourced their production overseas. I respect them all the more for this point and wanted to make sure I mentioned it.

The first several pages features an information page, US and major world holidays, telephone access codes, and time zones. Directly following them are the three semi-annual planning pages (July-Dec. 2010, Jan.-June 2011, and July-Dec. 2011). These are followed by the monthly planning pages which cover November 2010 – February 2012.

Finally we reach the crowning feature of this fine planner, the day-to-day planning section. This part features a whole page for each day with a  line for each half-hour from 8 am to 9 pm. At the top of the page is the day of the week, the number date, and the month. Directly below on the left it tells you which week of the year it is as well as what day (counting backwards and forward). Directly across the page is a miniature calendar of the current month as well. This format looks beautiful, and I really am excited about getting to use it, but there is one thing that irks me slightly… The tear-off corner is extremely close to the 9 pm designation (which is really not a major issue, just a nitpicky editing issue).

After the day-to-day section is a two page spread yearly planner for 2012, which features a small block for each day. Last, but not least, is an address book, for you to jot down those important numbers before you forget them… Again…

As I mentioned in the beginning, this is an excellent and beautiful product, and I can’t wait to begin using it and being able to provide some more feedback throughout the year!

Note: I am not an employee nor and I am in any way affiliated with Execlair or Quo Vadis. This review is in no way affected by the fact that this item was a free sample from Execlair.

Guest Review over at the Pen Addict…

November 29, 2010

Chris 1.0mm, 101, Blue, Gel, Jetstream, Uni/Uni-ball 1 Comment


So, I was going to write a review today (and I still may), but for now you’ll have to satisfy yourself with a guest review that I wrote for Dowdyism over at the Pen Addict. The topic of today’s review? The Jetstream 101 Gel/Ball/Roller…

Guest Review (PenAddict) – Uni JetStream 101 1.0mm Blue Ball/Gel/Roller

Thanksgiving Break…

November 24, 2010

Chris Information 1 Comment


Well, unfortunately, like many of the other stationery bloggers, I’m going to be taking a slight bit of a vacation this weekend. While I suppose I could go ahead and write posts, there’s not guarantee that anyone will be around to read them, since many people are traveling to/from family’s homes. So, it’s vacation time… ^_^

Christmas Shopping from a Pen Nut’s Point-of-View

November 23, 2010

Chris Information 3 Comments


So, I’m sure you’ve already been wondering… “What can I get that friend/family member/spouse/girl/boy-friend that’s a pen nut for Christmas?” Hopefully here in today’s post I can list a few items that have definitely topped my review list, as well as items that I haven’t reviewed but someday hope to. So, in each category, I’ll list my top pick of each type as well as link them to my blog post or even to a post on another pen enthusiast’s blog…

Pens:
 

Notebooks:

 

So, there you have it… A bunch of great items that would also make great gifts for the pen nut in your life. (Bt the way, I’m hankerin’ after the last two items, if anyone’s curious what I want… But if you do go with the JetPens gift card, my account is set up under my personal e-mail address, not my blog one, lol)… 😉

Kikkerland Writersblok Bamboo Giveaway Winners

November 22, 2010

Chris Bamboo, Giveaways, Kikkerland 5 Comments


Hey guys, sorry about being a couple days late on this, but I was without internet access for most of the weekend, so… Here I am again, to announce our winners!

Winner number 1 was disqualified due to having posted two comments (sorry, it’s in the rules) so I had to choose a new one…

So, our winners are.,.. *Drumroll*

  1. Thomas – 24
  2. Louis – 45
  3. Peter Berki – 18
  4. Claire – 37

E-mail me (chris@daviswebtech.com) within the next week in order to claim your prize (or else I’ll have to select another winner). Don’t forget to include your address as well as the color/style of notebook you want, as wella s your 2nd and third choices (that way if another entrant has already claimed the color/style you want I know which one to send you)! Congratulations! and thanks again for reading Pens’n’Paper… 😀

Kikkerland Retro Pens and Magnifiers Giveaway Winners

November 17, 2010

Chris Giveaways 2 Comments


And we have the winners of our magnifiers/retro pens giveaway!

So, our winners, according to random.org are:

  1. trapperhoney – Magnifying glass bookmark and pen
  2. Joseph – Camera bookmark and pen
  3. ThirdeYe – two pens
  4. Alex W. – two pens
  5. Randell Newnham – two pens

Congratulations guys! Make sure you shoot me an e-mail within the next week in order to claim your prize… 🙂

The Lost Art of the CommonPlace Book…

November 11, 2010

Chris Information 11 Comments


So, would you care to step back through the pages of history with me for a bit? I wish to take you back to an age when pens and paper (or should that be quills and parchment?) were still a big deal to many in the world… A romantic age, a world in which gentleman were such and duels were fought… I want to take you to late 19th century London… Imagine the cobbled streets, gas lamps, horse-draw carriages… Now, imagine us walking together up a small street before we stop in front of a suite of apartments. The address? Why, 221B Baker Street of course, my dear friend.

Mists of time and all that jazz…

I knock on the door, and our inquiry is quickly answered by the kind, congenial landlady, a Mrs. Hudson by name. She directs us upstairs, first door on the left, and we quickly ascend.

“I hope you counted the steps as we came up, my friend often likes to test his guests with that bit of trivia upon their arrival.” I chuckle as I remember back to my own first visit. A faint whisper of violin music tickles our ears as we walk through the hallway. Finally arriving at the rooms we were directed to, I rap twice on the door. A muffled bark of “Enter!” greets my ears as the music abruptly ends.

We are greeted by a tall, gaunt man holding a violin and bow in his hands. He quickly lays them upon a nearby table before turning his piercing gaze toward his guests. His hawk-like nose and square jaw set a striking figure as he studied us momentarily before clapping his hands together startlingly loud in the moment of silence.

“Ah, yes, here you are! It’s not often that I receive guests anymore, ever since Watson moved into his new lodgings with his wife and relocated his practice and since that I have not been doing much consulting work as of late! Do come, come in, make yourself at home, if you can find someplace to seat yourself!”

He gestured to the apartment around him, noting the lack of suitable places to sit due to the hug piles of old newspapers, outdated correspondence, and other bits of memorabilia. An experiment still lie smoking on the table nearby, many of the beakers in disarray, and the top of the desk could not be seen the mass of paper on its surface.

“Oh, I do apologize,” he said, quickly clearing the papers off of the sofa and a chair and seeming to sort them into some of the many piles around the room, “I sometimes forget that without Watson here, everything is so disorganized in an organized manner. He was the neat one when it came to the room, you understand… Please, help yourself to a cigarette or some pipe tobacco,” he added, almost as an afterthought, pointing offhandedly to the box and slipper on the mantle.

“I can tell by your lack of haste that you have no new case for me, Mr. Davis?” he shot a hopeful query in my direction, a spark of interest in his eyes.

“Unfortunately not, Holmes… I actually brought my friend here  because of his interest in your commonplace books.”

“You mean my records?”

“One and the same.”

At the mention of his books, his eyes lit up once again and turned, sweeping his arms out and gesturing grandly to a bookshelf full of notebooks of all shapes and forms. Some were bound leather books of the finest quality while others were mere reporters pads, but all of them were in alphabetical order and had obviously been well looked after.

“Ah, my crowning achievement… Truly, I have written several great works, perhaps you have… Oh, nevermind,” he intoned as he saw us gazing earnestly at the bookshelf and it’s contents. “Browse all you like, but take care that everything is returned to its proper place…” With this last exchange, he walked back over to the table, his movements reminding one of a living scarecrow more than anything else, and picking up the violin and bow once more, began to play…

Back to the future…

Well, sorry to waste your time, but I felt like a bit of short fiction was sort of appropriate to begin this article. The reason I chose to incorporate Holmes into my post is that it was one of the first times I had ever heard mention of a commonplace book. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle including in his works the sentences: “When our visitor was silent Holmes stretched out his hand and took down letter “S” of his commonplace book. For once he dug in vain into that mine of varied information.”

The moment those words registered in my brain, the search was on! Thankfully, due to the modern convenience we call the internet, my search was much easier and faster than some of Holmes’ clue-finding endeavours. Wikipedia has the following to say about commonplace books:

“Commonplace books (or commonplaces) were a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into books…

Such books were essentially scrapbooks filled with items of every kind: medical recipes, quotes, letters, poems, tables of weights and measures, proverbs, prayers, legal formulas. Commonplaces were used by readers, writers, students, as an aid for remembering useful concepts or facts they had learned. Each commonplace book was unique to its creator’s particular interests.”
(Read the whole article here)

“So,” you say “We’re talking about the predecessor to the scrapbook?” In a way, yes, in others, no… While scrapbooks are most often created to remember times, trips, and other events in life that are important, the commonplace book was for anything and everything. Some may have used it as a journal, others a recipe book, others a datebook, and still others, such as Sherlock Holmes, as their own personal encyclopedia of common and esoteric knowledge.

In this day and age, I am seeing more and more of a trend toward commonplacing, although many consider it journalling. I see more and more people not only keeping a journal, but also posting/glueing pictures, magazine or newspaper articles, or even fortune cookie fortunes into their pages. People are commonplacing and they don’t even know it!

Now, do all commonplaces have to be useful? No! It can be as useful or as fun as you want it to be. Do you keep a commonplace book/journal? How about sharing some photos or comment on your experiences below? ^_^

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