Drinking

Something for the tea lover and gadgeteer in your life that won't break your holiday budget.

The Tea Stick from Chiasso for $20 is a stainless steel spring-loaded stick and sieve. You use the tiny shovel to scoop loose tea and load it in the stick. The stick is completely enclosed when dunking.

In preparation of the gastronomic orgy that will take place in a just a few days, Crave continues its beverage-oriented theme for professional imbibers and teetotalers alike. In today's installment, we cater to the oenophiles among us.

What's special about this latest appliance isn't that it chills your favorite vintage to order--we've seen plenty of those--but it can control the temperature of two bottles at once, according to Product Dose. The "Coldmate EF-8780 Thermocool" actually bills itself as a digital warmer as well as a cooler, which strikes us as a bit odd. … Read more

Lest our gentle readers get the impression that we consume only alcoholic beverages at Crave, we feel obligated to feature an appliance for this holiday season's designated drivers as well. And just because it's non-alcoholic, that doesn't mean it can't look good.

The "Sirena" is an espresso machine from the drafting boards of BMW Design Works created for Starbucks, according to Uber-Review. As addicted as we are to the bean, however, we can't see spending $600 for one of these even if it does have a "commercial-quality portafilter and patented back-pressure adapter … Read more

To show we're not snobs when it comes to libations, the martini aficionados at Crave wanted to give equal time to the beer drinkers among us.

So even though we've already highlighted such hops-friendly items as the HomePub, Gamerator, and MyFridge keg cooler recently, we'll also mention Avanti's "Mini Pub Mini Beer Keg Dispenser." It's an appliance that's suitable for the everyday consumer and connoisseur alike--not only does it accommodate a generous 5-liter mini-keg for entertaining (or just solo enjoyment), but Techie Diva says temperature can be regulated by its digital control.… Read more

We're somewhat dubious about any machine that serves cocktails but, the way things are going, we may be faced with a robot the next time we belly up to the bar. Still, a martini--now that's something sacred.

So we pray that Hammacher Schlemmer did its research before coming up with "The Perfect Temperature Martini Maker," a digital appliance that shakes or stirs its stainless steel tumbler "until it reaches the optimal drinking temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring perfect homemade martinis at the touch of a button."

The ritual of mixing the ingredients, … Read more

Red wine is a drink with a dark side. We praise it for its full body, long legs, and exquisite nose, but the bacchanalian beverage has long been accused of being particularly prone to giving people headaches. Some people have such a sensitivity to red wine that they can't drink it at all.

Now, the Associated Press has good news for all you wine lovers. Scientists have speculated that the chemical culprit in red wine might be biogenic amines, like histamines. And although that hasn't been proved for certain yet, a group of UC Berkeley researchers working on … Read more

If some digital wine coolers are the subject of dubious distinction, perhaps their manufacturers should expand their product lines. Take Waeco, for instance. Not only does it cater to beverages of the grape, but it pays homage to hops and barley as well.

Its "MyFridge" line includes a keg cooler that "utilizes the century-old, well-proven principle of traditional broaching instead of pumping the beer needlessly through hoses inside the cooler." The appliance uses a "simple aeration mechanism" that keeps its precious contents at optimum temperatures while providing a more sanitary way to dispense it, … Read more

Let's have a show of hands of all the people who have an espresso maker (probably from their wedding registry) that's still sitting in its box or is stowed away in some unreachable cupboard. Machines that make espresso drinks are one of those kitchen gadgets that seem like a great idea but never seem to get used.

This is probably due to a variety of reasons: they're complicated to use; the espresso's cool by the time the milk is hot; or they just don't make good espresso.

But here's one I dare say I … Read more

Our appreciation of wine notwithstanding, we're not so sure about the need for tabletop digital coolers.

The "Waring Pro" model that we posted earlier this year, for example, apparently had been discounted from $120 to $24 at Kohl's before being pulled from its virtual shelves altogther. Still, others keep coming on the market despite this apparently unconvincing demand.

Waeco's "MyFridge MF-1W" wine cooler--sorry, that's wine "climatiser," according to Appliancist--seems to do pretty much the same thing as the Waring Pro but for more money. It also has the look of … Read more