*notcot - 11.05.17 , 16:20 -

ORCA Chasertini

chasertini00.jpg What do you get someone who has everything… loves fishing, the great outdoors, and an ice cold martini? The ORCA Chasertini! It’s essentially a martini glass meets super insulted travel cup meets… medieval chalice?

Absurd, right? Ridiculous even? Well, even crazier, i’m totally impressed by it! We just got one for my dad, and while it was meant as a fun, silly gift, it’s proven far more functional than we thought! It really does keep your drink cold longer, and with a lid, it’s totally an adult sippy cup of sorts. For the animal lovers, their whale tail (with fishing hook detail) keeps the top closed, and can be flipped open to drink. The base is non slip, and the size is LARGE. It can hold 8oz of liquid and keep it icy cold, or super hot, depending on what you’re using it for. They are also designed in Nashville, TN!

See all the details on the next page! (And on a side note, the more i research, they more curious i am about trying out one of their coolers next! Perhaps YETI replacement time?)

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*notcot - 05.16.17 , 12:15 -

Patagonia Provisions

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Whoever says it’s difficult to eat healthy, didn’t realize you could grab pouches of delicious, organic food at Patagonia… and the hardest step might be adding hot water. Whether for camping/adventures, dorm room living, or just the chaos of every day life… Patagonia Provisions is a solution to easily feeding yourself healthy, tasty meals and snacks. While the packaging and photo/illustrations look great, i must admit i was hesitant at first. Patagonia makes incredible gear and clothing, but food? So when they offered to send some samples over, i had to try it! And it tastes as good as its packaging looks! Detailed looks at what we sampled (from hot breakfast grains to smoked salmon to buffalo jerky, savory grains, and more) on the next page ~ in its packaged and finished forms.

Back in 2014, we reviewed Good-To-Go gourmet dehydrated food, which was some of the better tasting, just-add-hot-water instant meals we’d had. These packs from Patagonia Provisions are certainly another option we’d add to the packing list when heading on NOTFZJ80 adventures as well as back up easy food in the kitchen at home. While most Patagonia Provisions can be seen as snacks or meals on their own, they can also be considered a base or an ingredient depending on your creativity. Their instagram contest “How Do You Top It” shares lots of pictures of what people add to the soups and chili. There’s even a Recipes Section filled with things you can cook using breakfast and savory grains (i.e. scones, pancakes, tabbouleh) as well as their smoked salmon.

While packaging and taste are only some of the factors to love about Patagonia Provisions, you can also dive into the whole story of WHY Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard, wanted to get into food. “What we eat does more than just fill our stomachs and nourish our bodies; good food lifts our spirits and helps us understand the world a little better.” Patagonia Provisions not only aspires to feed people well, but help find solutions to repair the food chain - with everything from the sourcing of products, to causing no unnecessary harm, helping environmental crises, and more. After trying these, i’m tempted to gift a few packs to friends who can’t stand cooking and think healthy eating is hard… maybe these can be a gateway to helping people understand where food comes from, and what’s possible in the realm of sustainable, delicious, and healthy eating.

Now for the unboxing and details of our Patagonia Provisions sampling… to the next page!

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*notcot - 03.06.17 , 14:38 -

Distiller Inspired: Stunning, Delicious Spirits

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I’m thrilled to have our NOTCOT sponsor, Distiller, present this post on gorgeous, delicious spirits! (Additionally, don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to join them as a NOTCOT Sponsor!)

When it comes to spirits, i am usually in one of two mindsets - either i know what i like, or i’m excited to try something new. If i’m perusing the shelves, or picking from bottles up on the bar… i’m definitely prone to impulsively trying something based on the packaging. It should be no surprise that this doesn’t always go so well (though at times it can be fantastic!) So, with the help of Distiller, i’ve compiled a selection of some of their best rated spirits where the packaging caught my eye! If you’re like me, the next time you’re impulse picking - these should at least taste as good as they look (if not better!) With the Distiller App, you can not only read reviews from experts, but also weigh in with your thoughts as well. You can rate bottles (out of five stars) to help the community, and you can also see the Distiller Scores (out of 100) next to their color coded droplets.

Check out the list on the next page…unfortunately, i haven’t been able to taste them all, so i’m picking based on packaging and trusting Distiller’s team that they are truly delicious! (… and i’ll see what i can do to work my way through them when the opportunity arises!)

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*notcot - 02.14.17 , 13:15 -

Mucha Liga Tequila

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How amazing are the bottles from Mucha Liga Tequila?!?!?! First thing it reminded me of is the Crystal Head Vodka bottle we reviewed back in 2008! But it’s a fun, faceted, luchador take on it! I was doing some research, and while on Distiller (one of our awesome NOTCOT Sponsors!) i found this review of Mucha Liga and had to find out more.

Turns out Mucha Liga Tequila, has fantastic branding in addition to their fun bottles! There are stories behind each character/flavor… and there are even mini sets of their great faceted head bottles. Check it all out on the next page.

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*notcot - 01.20.17 , 16:26 -

Cannabis Packaging + Branding Design

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We’ve been finding so many interesting Cannabis products with great packaging/branding lately! So instead of hunting for them each time, or flooding NOTCOT.org with the links… here’s one big post of them!

It’s no surprise that the cannabis market is booming and growing at record speeds, and will likely continue to do so. After many recurring conversations about the design emerging around the cannabis space - i finally started rounding up some of the more intriguing packaging/branding design of cannabis products. This doesn’t even begin to look at the branding of dispensaries, architecture/interior design of dispensaries, or paraphernalia. And while cannabis product packaging is much like packaging for water, alcohol, anything you can add sugar to, etc. - when looking for inspiration to design packaging and branding for a cannabis brand, you can really find inspiration from ANYTHING. The products have enough range that you could probably have an equivalent cannabis product for nearly anything in a supermarket or drugstore. But, that being said, i was still curious what’s new in the cannabis specific space with regards to eye catching packaging… so here’s my current (and probably growing) list! Let me know if you find others i should check out!

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*notcot - 01.13.17 , 16:32 -

SPYTAIL Ginger Rum

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SPYTAIL Ginger Rum!!! The most stunning press kit just arrived from our friends at Biggar & Leith - you know, the folks behind the delicious and beautiful Malfy Gin we tried last March. Well SPYTAIL Ginger Rum taps right into all my childhood loves of Captain Nemo’s Nautilus, Tintin’s Shark Submarine, Bathyspheres and undersea adventuring (and the amazing gear that goes with it)… It blew my mind to open up a box and see a porthole staring back at me! Of course with a stunning bulbous bottle of rum staring out from within.

Sipping it straight while i work on this post, it’s deliciously warming, with quite the gingery punch. As for the story ~ “SPYTAIL Black Ginger Rum - Caribbean Rum blended and bottled in Cognac, France. SPYTAIL is based on a 19th Century traditional recipe of aging fresh ginger root and spices in barrels of Rum - resulting in a rich, spicy and complex spirit. SPYTAIL is named after a legendary submarine - plans for which were discovered by our distillers. The first mechanical submarines in the world were invented in France - and tested on the Charente River which flows nearby our distillery. These were the submarines which Jules Vernes used as the inspiration for his famous novel - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” From a packaging standpoint, the bottle is so beautiful, even those who don’t love ginger might want it on their bar!

But on to the press kit ~ through the porthole ~ and into all the packaging details on the next page.

p.s. On amazing little details - hidden within the bottle porthole are the co-ordinates of the final resting place of Jules Vernes.

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*notcot - 10.20.16 , 17:16 -

Bon Puf Cotton Candy

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The Original Bon Puf Cotton Candy has an online store now! For those who have been trying to taste the candy floss fluffiness through instagram for years, but haven’t been close enough (or managed to make it to an event the adorable cart has popped up at) - you can now had organic sugar cotton candy in fun flavors like Champagne Sparkle (edible glitter and all!), Pop Puf (pop rocks!), Sugar Cookie, Salter Caramel, Watermelon, Mango and more show up right at your doorstep. I’ve been a bit slow writing this post, because my fingers keep getting sticky as i taste the various flavors and type right now…

If you haven’t peeked at the Bon Puf Instagram yet, you must. Let’s face it, sadly, a picture is worth more than a thousand words (and perhaps more than the experience itself at times) today. And while Bon Puf has mastered the instagrammable, happy, fluffy, colorful deliciously playful world of cotton candy digitally - i was so curious how the organic cotton candy fluff actually is! So… yes, it’s super tasty! Can i taste the difference of organic sugar? I’m not sure - but if definitely tastes better than that county fair vendor stuff! Also, it’s so adorable with the subtle toppings sprinkled throughout and I’m still excited to one day see the super cute cotton candy cart in person! But for now - it makes a fun surprise to send to a friend (or to yourself) now that you can order Bon Puf Online! And if somehow you end up with too much - clearly you can use it as a topping, or in lieu of sugar in things like my espresso in the gif up top!

Take a look at the unboxing and some of my favorite pics from their feed on the next page.

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*notcot - 08.27.16 , 14:47 -

Green Door Gourmet Local Farm Box CSA

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On finding things that are uniquely local - i’m currently obsessed with the Green Door Gourmet in Nashville, TN - particularly their CSA Local Farm Box! Traditional CSA (community supported agriculture) models rely on customers to buy subscriptions for weekly boxes, pay up front, and essentially fund the farmers to buy seed, grow crops and do their thing. Super awesome, but terrible for people like me who have rather sporadic schedules and are terrible with planning.

While Green Door Gourmet has a traditional CSA option, they also have a limited number of “Flexible CSA model (Pack-Your-Own)” boxes! Which is awesome for those with crazy schedules or go through cooking bursts , commitment-phobes, and even travelers passing through! Sure you could go to a normal market or a farmer’s market, but there’s something so nice (and so much more delicious somehow) about popping by the farm, and picking deliciously fresh produce from the baskets. To join in, just get on their email list, and every week you get a message about what this week’s box includes, and you can place your order and prepay the $27 by Thurs to pick up Sat or Sun. They’ll happily explain what everything is to you, share recipes and tips, and tell you more about who, how, where they were grown and more.

Take a peek at how fun the Pack-Your-Own process is, as well as the amazing market/general store is on the next page!

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*notcot - 07.02.16 , 10:21 -

Custom Lay’s Instagram Chips

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On ridiculous things - these custom Lay’s Bucky BBQ Potato Chips just arrived! I had forgotten that 6+ weeks ago i got curious about an instagram ad, and ordered a free bag of customized Lay’s! Love the fun packaging (nice box print details) and print quality of Bucky droooooooooling on the bag looks pretty good. (Don’t mind the caption, they only let you pick from prewritten messages.) Fun example of social media digital campaigns to physical manifestations. You can see what everyone else has been putting on their Lay’s too! (Surprise - LOTS of dogs and cats!) Details on the next page…

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*notcot - 06.30.16 , 16:20 -

Nicoletto’s Pasta Co & Italian Kitchen

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Nicoletto’s Pasta Co. is my latest Nashville discovery/obsession/craving. Another reason to add to the list of reasons we love East Nashville and started the NOTCOT Project House! I’m not even sure where to start - the fact that I kept being drawn to the black and white adorableness on our multitude of Home Depot trips… the fresh pasta… the fun packaging… or the MACARONS!

OMG. The macarons. Let’s start there - it is the most delicious/amazing dessert mashup i’ve tried in some time. They are like the jelly donuts of macarons. And the flavors change every few weeks! And Nicoletto’s Italian Kitchen is the only spot you can find them! Yes, it’s a pasta company, and yes the pasta is quite delicious, BUT it’s totally worth going by just to get a macaron. The one we had (and then went back the next day for another, but more on that later) - was filled with white chocolate ginger cream around an apricot jam center… and the shells are painted beautifully. Head to the next page for all the macaron/pasta adventures and details.

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*notcot - 06.19.16 , 00:21 -

Seersucker Candy Co for Bourbon Lovers

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Mmmmmmm… good scotch and dark chocolate are a favorite pairing of mine. Bourbon and caramel is another delicious one. Now mix up a delicious soft bourbon caramel in a divine dark chocolate shell… shape it with facets and colorful splashes and gold? WOW. Especially good when it isn’t just any bourbon but - Belle Meade Sherry Cask Bourbon, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Weller Antique 107 Proof, and Bulleit Rye Whiskey. Seersucker Candy Co. and Olive & Sinclair have outdone themselves. Their new limited edition Bourbon Lover’s Collection is a terrible thing, simply because they are only making 100 factory exclusive boxes that you can’t order online! I wish i could send you all a box! It’s THAT good.

When i first noticed it on their instagram, it was so pretty and sounded so good i shared it on NOTCOT.org immediately. Then as we kept working on the Nashville house, being only a few blocks away from the Olive & Sinclair factory/store, I convinced Shawn to take a break with me to go get some! We joke that we picked the new house project in part because of its proximity to delicious chocolates and our favorite breakfast sandwich, but having tasted these new chocolate caramels, maybe it’s not really a joke? Take a peek at more details on the next page - and if you’re in Nashville, go get some!

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*notcot - 06.08.16 , 16:05 -

Icebox Coffee Concentrate

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We’re currently in Nashville - and as usual, gave into a packaging based impulse buy! Check out this Icebox Coffee Concentrate! Love that it basically has a built in jigger. Squeeze to fill the 1/2-1oz section, and uncap and pour! Ounces on one side and mL on the other. How can you not grab the bottle in the refrigerated section amongst all the bottles and cans? It is similar to Bettix Twin Neck Dispensing Bottles - which are more commonly used for horticulture, animal health, herbal supplements, fuel additives, pond/aquarium treatments, industrial and domestic cleaning markets. See more details of the packaging on the next page!

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*notcot - 04.26.16 , 12:30 -

LA Love: Compartes Chocolate

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With neighbors doing construction on with two sides of our bedroom wall (it’s that time of year?) starting at 7am every day, i’ve certainly been a bit more of a grumpy zombie than i’d like to admit. BUT, luckily we’ve been trying to counteract all of that with field trips… and chocolate can never hurt! So the other day we popped over to Compartes! As fun as their wacky photocollaged chocolate bars boxes are individually (or in little clusters at stores) - a wall FULL of them is pretty mesmerizing… and bound to take your mind off anything else. And the black and white stripes inside their black and white bags are so fun to stare into! So we picked a few bars, a bunch of chocolate covered marshmallows and oreos as well as some dark cherry and strawberry clusters and headed home after construction to dive in. How can “Campfire S’mores” and “Let Them Eat Cake” and “Donuts & Coffee” chocolate bars not make you feel better?

Check out the delectable (and visual) inspiration on the next page!

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*notcot - 03.29.16 , 10:55 -

Belcampo Beef Blunts

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On things disguised as other things… while at Belcampo Butcher Shop in Santa Monica, i came across these faux-cigars (in wood box and all) that are 100% Beef Blunts! So of course i had to try one!

They are basically fancy slim-jims? Mini cigar shaped salamis? They are what i imagine our hardcore paleo non-smoking friends will give out at the birth of their kids. take a peek at the details and what’s inside (as well as the lovely Belcampo store!) on the next page.

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*notcot - 03.10.16 , 18:00 -

Unboxing: Malfy Gin con Limone

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Mmmmm… a beautiful press kit just arrived from Malfy Gin, a new spirit from Biggar and Leith. Did you know that Gin was invented in Italy - In the 11th Century?!?!?! Italian monks in Salerno infused alcohol with Juniper berries and gin was born. Over the years, my friends tend to fall in the gin lovers and the not-a-fan of gin folks… Hendrick’s was one of the first to start converting the not-a-fan group (myself included)… but Malfy Gin! It’s so… zesty? refreshing? delicious! Beyond the branding and colors that just scream summer - my first sip tasted like summer too! The crisp refreshing lemon filled flavors hit you long before you realize you’re sipping gin.

It brought me right back to being 20 in Cinque Terra. Distracted by glistening ocean views, we hiked up the trail further than we realized without packing water (i blame the last night’s activities)… and luckily came upon an older Italian man tending to his garden, who offered us a huge lemon that he cut up with his pocket knife. In any other situation, i can’t imagine devouring it as easily as we did, and while it was tart, it was incredibly sweet and juicy! That first splash of Malfy Gin on the rocks tasted just like that. Italian Riviera Summer… in a bottle? Honestly, while it looks lovely with a twist - it certainly doesn’t require it!

So back to this delicious new gin… or delightful lemony liquor (for your “non-gin” friends) - “MALFY G.Q.D.I. (Gin di Qualita Distillato in Italia) is distilled by the Vergnano family in Moncalieri, Italy, using a traditional stainless steel vacuum still. Malfy Gin’s is made from 6 botanicals including Juniper (Ginepro in Italian) and lemon sourced from the Italian Coastline,” says Biggar and Leith. I’m fascinated by the story, delighted by the branding (those colors!) and packaging (the stopper is Italian Oak!), and reaching to refill my Malfy on the Rocks as i write this.

Take a peek at all the details on the next page!

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