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Why is the Tiffany’s box a trademark blue? And why is it more coveted than the actual contents?

February 9, 2015 by anubha76 Leave a Comment

It was in 1878 that Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Book catalogue acquired its first cover in the particular shade of blue that’s now come to be known as Tiffany Blue. Variously described as ‘forget-me-not blue’ and ‘robin’s egg blue’, it was handpicked because of the popularity of turquoise gemstones in the 19th century.

Turquoise was also a favorite of Victorian brides, who usually gave their attendants a dove-shaped brooch set with turquoise so that they would not forget the occasion – a detail that was not lost on Charles Lewis Tiffany, who founded the brand as the pinnacle of wedding luxe.

tiffany blue 2The box incited such a flurry of emotions that in 1906, The New York Sun famously reported: “(Charles Lewis) Tiffany has one thing in stock that you cannot buy of him for as much money as you may offer; he will only give it to you. And that is one of his boxes.”

At the beginning of the 20th century, the venerable jewellery house trademarked this cult shade and it now bears the same number (1837) on the Pantone Matching System as the year Tiffany was founded. More than a century later, the “little blue box” remains an international icon, whispering romance and sophistication, and inciting bidding wars on eBay from collectors who sometimes value the packaging more than the contents.

tiffany blue 4Bonus facts:

1. Pantone makes the blue-coloured paper for all Tiffany’s packaging materials.

2. The white satin ribbon that is tied at the counter is another de rigueur for all Tiffany’s boxes. The only time it’s replaced is during the holidays, when Tiffany’s uses a red ribbon for the festivities.

3. The brand’s name is embossed in Baskerville Old Face.

4. During the shooting of Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the store posted 40 armed guards on the floor to prevent its blue boxes from vanishing!

5. The Tiffany’s blue box has even inspired actual pieces of jewellery (like this pretty charm) – not to mention the innumerable nail polishes, desserts, wall coverings, fashion collections and decor objects.

Own a Tiffany’s blue box? Want a Tiffany’s blue box?

Filed Under: Brands, Cult, Design, Fashion, Gifting Tagged With: Pantone 1837, Tiffany, Tiffany & Co., Tiffany blue, Tiffany blue box, Tiffany blue box charms, Tiffany color, Tiffany colour, Tiffany font, Tiffany history, Tiffany nail polish, Tiffany packaging, Tiffany red ribbon, Tiffany signature, Tiffany trivia, Tiffany white ribbon, Tiffany's, what is Tiffany blue, why is Tiffany's blue

Conversation starter: What is the Hermès orange?

January 21, 2015 by anubha76 Leave a Comment

Orange has been the Hermès hallmark colour since the Second World War, when the company’s packaging supplier ran out of its traditional brown-trimmed beige box. When the company was launched in 1837, the first boxes were cream-coloured, with gilded-edging, imitating pigskin; a few years later they became mustard-coloured with brown edging.

hermes orange 2The Second World War forced the next color change. During the Occupation, the shortage of all materials forced Hermès to use the only plain paperboard available: it was orange. Moving to orange was a pretty bold move in the 1940s, but there has been no turning back for the company that began in Thierry Hermès’ saddle shop in Paris.

According to Leatrice Eisman, author of All About Colour, “Because orange is closely associated to red from which it comes, vibrant orange is a very physical, high-visibility colour, calling for attention. And because of it’s connection to sunny yellow, orange is seen as friendlier and more approachable, less aggressive than red – a gregarious, fun loving hue.”

After the war, this color was continued, but in a much more vivid shade (as today) with a relief pattern. In 1949, the Bolduc (brown ribbon) was introduced. Before 1996, jewellery and tableware had different colored boxes: grey for jewelry and green for tableware; however, today all Hermès objects come in the orange box, which comes in 188 different sizes. This burnt orange corresponds to No. 1448 on the Pantone Matching System.

hermes orange 1

Filed Under: Brands, Cult, Design, Fashion, Gifting Tagged With: Hermès, Hermes color, Hermes colour, Hermes orange, Hermes packaging, Hermes signature colour, what is the Hermes orange, why is hermes orange

Simply everything you need to know about Japanese whisky. In 11 peg-size points.

December 6, 2014 by anubha76 Leave a Comment

Whisky connoisseurs are still recovering from the shock of having their beloved Scotch edged out of the top rung by a relative stranger – the Japanese single malt. The Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 was given the World’s Best title by the iconic Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2015. Murray praised the Japanese malt  as  “near indescribable genius”, with a “nose of exquisite boldness” and a finish of “light, teasing spice”, giving it an astounding 97.5 out of 100.

To add further insult to injury, not a single Scotch managed to make the final five shortlist.

So, what is it that the rest of us have been missing about Japanese whisky? Let’s find out, in 11 peg-size points.

Collection of Suntory single malts, including the award winning Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013

Collection of Suntory single malts, including the award winning Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013

1. Japanese whisky is not exactly the new kid on the block…

Whisky has been commercially produced in Japan since the early 1920s, after Masataka Taketsuru, a young chemist, studied the art in Scotland. On returning, he set up the Yamazaki distillery, in partnership with Torii Shinjiro, now the owner of Suntory.

Bonus fact: Recently Suntory announced a $16 billion takeover of Beam Inc., the maker of Laphroaig and Ardmore Scotches among others. This makes Suntory the world’s third largest spirits-maker after Diageo and Pernod.

2. … and it’s the world’s third largest producer now

Japan is the world’s third largest producer of whisky behind the Scots and the Americans – yes, they beat the Irish!

3. The Missing “E”

Since Japanese whisky has more in common with Scottish ones, rather than Irish or American, its name follows the Scotch tradition and is spelled without an “e”.

4. Getting the grain

Barley is not indigenous to Japan, so the grain still tends to be imported from Scotland.

Photo: Norio NAKAYAMA/Flickr

Photo: Norio NAKAYAMA/Flickr

5. The age factor

Though the Japanese whisky makers use many types of barrel for ageing – including French oak and bourbon – several distilleries employ the native Mizunara oak, which imparts almost ecclesiastical aromas of temple incense and sandalwood. Plus, Mizunara-matured whiskies lose an exceptional amount of water through evaporation, making for a much more condensed end product.

6. Nature steps in

Japan’s extreme climate speeds up the maturation, making the whisky seem older than it’s actual age. Plus, the mineral water used for making these whiskies is treasured enough to be bottled and sold on its own. All this has a distinctive effect on the whisky.

7. The flavour profile

Like with any and every facet of their lives, the Japanese prize harmony and balance in their whiskies as well, paying more attention to the body and texture than other countries. The top rung ones are usually floral, more rounded and have a softer, silkier texture than those from Scotland, while being equally complex. Suavely bold rather than jaw-grabbingly aggressive is how one would sum them up.

8. Breaking the rules

Unlike Scotch, Japanese whisky is not regulated in the USA, so producers have more freedom to experiment with flavors and techniques. For example, the Scots cannot use a combination of different types of stills and casks but it’s very usual in Japan. Even the ageing process can run through different iterations: the Yoichi distillery uses coal fires (instead of steam) to heat the pot stills, creating a richer, peatier flavour.

Photo: Norio NAKAYAMA/Flickr

Photo: Norio NAKAYAMA/Flickr

9. Mix-‘n-Match, the Japanese way

In Japan, there is no trading of unfinished whiskies between distillers. Instead, each distillery creates every conceivable style of whisky by itself, providing the master blender with a wide range of minutely calibrated in-house variations. This makes Japanese blended whiskies extremely specific to each house: individualized, idiosyncratic, sometimes even offbeat.

10. Drinking it, the Japanese way

Though technically speaking, you can drink a Japanese whisky any which way – neat, on the rocks, with a splash or in a cocktail – the most authentic is mizuwari, which translates as “mixed with water”. To make it right, fill your glass with ice and add one part of whisky to two parts of mineral water. Younger generations of Japanese are now also leaning towards the highball – a version of mizuwari where whisky is mixed with sparkling water.

11. Taking the world stage

The Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 isn’t the first whisky to shine on the world stage: Nikka’s Yoichi whisky was named Best of the Best by Whisky Magazine in 2001. Suntory’s 30-year-old Hibiki won the top award at the International Spirits Challenge in 2003, after which Suntory went on to earn awards at the competition for the next 11 years.

Japanese whisky: Top bottles

So, now you know. And since the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 is all sold out across the world, here is a shortlist of the best that’s available on the market (in no particular order).

Hibiki 21-year-old blended whisky, $300
Hakushu 12-year-old single malt, $70
Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 21-year-old, $170
Yamazaki 25-year-old single malt, $1,600
Yoichi 15-year-old single malt, $130

Have you tried a Japanese whisky? Which one’s your favorite?

Filed Under: Beverages, Cult Tagged With: Hakushu, Hibiki, Japanese malt, Japanese Scotch, Japanese Whiskey, Japanese Whisky, Japanese whisky guide, Japanese whisky vs Scotch, Liquor, Suntory, Suntory Japanese Whisky, what is Japanese whisky, Whiskey, Whisky, Yamazaki, Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013

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