Five Easy Pieces: January 3, 2025

On art collecting, tea ceremony, and Super Juice

• I’m an art collector but I’m also frugal. In the States, even bad art is expensive. I went to Art Basel for the first time 15 years ago. Not that it was a bargain shopper’s haven then, but prices in the art market have ballooned ridiculously heights since. Now, I look outside the US for great deals: Wondering People (also selling beautiful functional objects for the home) and Jenna Burlingham are two favorites, both in England.

• Ever since my first viewing of Phantom Thread, I’ve wanted a proper tea ritual in my life. Reynolds Woodcock just makes his morning Lapsang look so goddamn good. We’ve been drinking more tea in the last few months, ending the day with a blend my wife makes from various herbs, sourced from weird corners of the internet. We both agreed we want to elevate the experience with the right vessels (still searching) and proper countertop storage for the teas. I just purchased some of these tin tea canisters (from Postcard Teas in London), made by a 6th generation craftsman in Japan. You can also find them in the US through Tortoise General Store. You could also use them for spice blends, coffee, or hard drugs.

  

• If you appreciate the meditative nature of a long run (or you’d like tools to better harness it), this book, written in the 1970’s, may be of interest. I just bought a copy after reading about the death of its author via District Vision, who are beautifully combining fitness and mental well-being. More of this in 2025.

  

• We just bought a Berkey water filter. The water it produces tastes incredible. One step closer to turning our home into a 1960’s West Coast health food store.

• Super Juice is a game changer for restaurants or home bartenders. I’ll try to do a longer post on this in the coming weeks.