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The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

priceonomics.com

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Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#31

Post by sbilstein »

throwaway5752 wrote: post #3

If you put ice in Macallan 18, you suck. Sorry for the light epithet, but it deserves worse. and as I read more: "Gläce states that the cubes are ideal for high-end cocktails -- those that employ splashes of $38,000-per-bottle liquors, and must not be diluted or contaminated by mere tap ice." ... ICE NUMBS YOUR TASTE BUDS. Fancy water or not. edit: Downvoted to -1? I'll double down. If you are going to drink a nice s…

Agreed. I do have some cheap trays ($15) from Amazon that make pretty sweet ice spheres. They melt slow and are good for drinking cheaper whiskey when I do want it on the rocks.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#32

Post by Alupis »

tmuir wrote: post #25
danohuiginn wrote: post #15

This is, of course, ridiculous. Still, there's logic to it: find some mass-market component that is used in a luxury service, and provide a high-end alternative. The kind of idio^H^H^H^Hcustomers who want luxury certainly don't want it contaminiated by something from Walmart, regardless of the actual quality. It's the same reason as for those gold-plated cables for audiophiles.

Gold plated cables actually serve a purpose, although the average consumer does not have a need for them. In a studio environment, where cables are frequently plugged and unplugged, the gold plating protects the contacting surfaces, extending their lives.

Are you sure? Gold is one of the most soft/malleable metals used to plate connectors? (I know it's one the best best conductors).

And we all know, there's no difference between the $150 hdmi cable and the $5 hdmi cable except cosmetics and perhaps some better shielding. They're all digital connections, so the signal/bits are either there or are not.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#34

Post by louthy »

tmuir wrote: post #25
danohuiginn wrote: post #15

This is, of course, ridiculous. Still, there's logic to it: find some mass-market component that is used in a luxury service, and provide a high-end alternative. The kind of idio^H^H^H^Hcustomers who want luxury certainly don't want it contaminiated by something from Walmart, regardless of the actual quality. It's the same reason as for those gold-plated cables for audiophiles.

Gold plated cables actually serve a purpose, although the average consumer does not have a need for them. In a studio environment, where cables are frequently plugged and unplugged, the gold plating protects the contacting surfaces, extending their lives.

I'm not an expert, and absolutely willing to be proven incorrect here. But I thought that gold was a better conductor, and that's why they're better for audio cables (less resistance). Surely the fact that gold is a soft metal would be a reason to not use it for reasons of 'extending lives'?

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#35

Post by dbrian »

habosa wrote: post #18

The joke is that for very nice liquor (whiskey especially) you should definitely not be adding ice, no matter how "deserving" the ice is. If you want the drink cold, chill the liquor itself or even the glass. In hindsight, fuck it. There is no point in dissecting this, it is what it is. It's ice for people who want to spend money just to spend it.

Adding a bit of water brings out flavors you don't experience neat. It's a personal preference.

http://youtu.be/ajqd62fE73E?t=6m23s

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#36

Post by avitous »

throwaway5752 wrote: post #3

If you put ice in Macallan 18, you suck. Sorry for the light epithet, but it deserves worse. and as I read more: "Gläce states that the cubes are ideal for high-end cocktails -- those that employ splashes of $38,000-per-bottle liquors, and must not be diluted or contaminated by mere tap ice." ... ICE NUMBS YOUR TASTE BUDS. Fancy water or not. edit: Downvoted to -1? I'll double down. If you are going to drink a nice s…

I'm fine with people putting ice in Macallan; it's when they want to add ice to a truly great single malt like Springbank or (good heavens) Port Ellen that I want to cringe.

Some years back I went to a whisky tasting event hosted by Macallan, and their "brand ambassador" was quite nonchalantly splashing Macallans from 10-18 years old over big spherical ice balls that mostly filled the glass they were placed in.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#39

Post by nathanm412 »

Alupis wrote: post #32
tmuir wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gold plated cables actually serve a purpose, although the average consumer does not have a need for them. In a studio environment, where cables are frequently plugged and unplugged, the gold plating protects the contacting surfaces, extending their lives.

Are you sure? Gold is one of the most soft/malleable metals used to plate connectors? (I know it's one the best best conductors). And we all know, there's no difference between the $150 hdmi cable and the $5 hdmi cable except cosmetics and perhaps some better shielding. They're all digital connections, so the signal/bits are either there or are not.

It's also extremely stable and won't corrode, rust, or tarnish over time.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#40

Post by mikeash »

tmuir wrote: post #25
danohuiginn wrote: post #15

This is, of course, ridiculous. Still, there's logic to it: find some mass-market component that is used in a luxury service, and provide a high-end alternative. The kind of idio^H^H^H^Hcustomers who want luxury certainly don't want it contaminiated by something from Walmart, regardless of the actual quality. It's the same reason as for those gold-plated cables for audiophiles.

Gold plated cables actually serve a purpose, although the average consumer does not have a need for them. In a studio environment, where cables are frequently plugged and unplugged, the gold plating protects the contacting surfaces, extending their lives.

I'm mildly surprised that I can't find any audiophile cables with actual gold-plated or gold wires.
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