1. I?ve been a longtime admirer of Eduardo Umaña?s industrial design work, both as a horologist with a minimalist’s eye for details, and also for his efforts in designing a brewing device capable of producing consistently flavorful cups of good morning quickly. Umaña has since paired with a partner to launch Quintal Coffee, a roasted bean lover?s version of an advent calendar. Delivered in a simple black resealable bag with essential information of notes and sourcing, the origin roasted beans inside are exceptional in scent and flavor, many so unique, I?m often compelled to make my wife smell and sip every new roast to confirm both subtle notes and the occasional ?whoa!? induced reaction.

2. We?ve been a Heath Ceramics household for as long as I can remember. Heath doesn?t come cheap, so we had to slowly accumulate full sets over the span of several years, whenever we could afford to add a plate here or dish there (their annual trade-in sale discounts are a godsend). But I?ve recently begun collecting a new line of dining ceramics from Norden Goods, a SoCal brand founded by a husband and wife duo that capture a similar Sea Ranch/Big Sur organic-modernism vibe that never ever really goes out of style. Their line of black speckled dishes has given our home cooked meals an entirely new black glazed canvas to plate (who doesn’t need their home cooked meals enlivened a bit these days").
3. As the resident tech editor, I have to remain platform agnostic to t...