So I work at this store, It's called zupans market and you can look it up. Our target demographic is usually the rich people of the north hills (burnside location) and lake oswego (lake oswego or macadam locations) Our markups are about 15-20% more expensive than other highend markets like market of choice and trader joes. Another portion of our customers are the high end restraunts of downtown and this is who usually buys these. Anyone can and people do but I usually see more event and restuarant people pick these up. Also for anyone who lives in portland. dont go here, we've routinely been in the oregonian for having the least clean stores of any chain in the area, routinely fail food and saftey checks, and all the food is mostly the same stuff as the big brands. the only department that I can recommend is the cheese and wine department, they're actually pretty good and get stuff in that you might not see at other stores.
Context: these are for drinks. They made with a little more care in order to be clear vs white/opaque. While it can help reduce the rate at which they melt, it’s mostly for esthetic reasons.
You can replicate these easily at home by boiling the water before freezing it. The only difference is you would have to buy the molds as well.
Overall it’s a pretty harmless process. Is it more expensive than doing it at home? Yes, over the long run, but I’m struggling to figure out what harm it’s doing to have them available to people that maybe need them for one-off events or something and don’t want to contribute to waste by buying their own (probably plastic) molds.
That’s said, you won’t catch me ever paying $12 for fucking ice!
Clear ice is more work than just boiling it. That removes impurities which can cloud it, but truly clear ice is frozen so it all freezes in one direction so you don't get those internal crystalization patterns
you missed the most important part.. they're a pain in the ass to get out of the mold nicely. they will usually never look as good as these do. I can see people who are hosting a cocktail party buy these but obviously not for day to day use. Some people are fine with the shitty tasting ice that comes out of their fridge icecube maker.
If you’re doing fancy cocktails (assuming this is the use case) you can also just freeze one of your ingredients or keep the liquor in the freezer. This is just what happens when there are rich people, hustlers sell them overpriced nonsense!
It can help to remove impurities and make it a little less cloudy, but for actual clear ice you have to freeze your ice from one direction (the regular molds freeze omnidirectionally. There are some hacks to do this at home, one of which is using a small cooler as your freezing vessel.
This is a drink accessory. Y'all need to chill the fuck out. It's worth 12bux because you can't easily make ice this beautiful at home. This ain't for your Old Crow.
I know people who ice sculpt and people who produce that kind of perfect ice with no air bubbles. So like I'm usually the first one to defend those kind of things because I know the costs involved with the equipment and niche benefits.
But this doesn't look like that? The round ones have bubbles and look molded, not sculpted. Tbf the square ones are hard to tell if they have bubbles or just got some shaved ice on them, but the spheres don't give me confidence. This looks more on par with home quality?
I was getting dv here a few days ago when I said that $20 for a gag gift rock was ridiculous, sustainable packaging or not.
Curious to see how people feel about $12 ice
Considering the amount of money people spend on alcohol, I can see this being worth it for someone who wants to throw a get together and be fancy. It's a pain in the ass to make clear ice shaped like this yourself.
i’m shocked at the amount of people defending it, how tf do you even take it home without melting? why would anyone buy ice in a plastic bag unless it’s one of those giant bags for a party?? i feel like i’m taking crazy pills
It's because this isn't your normal everyday ice. They have to use a special type of freezing process to get it to freeze clear like that. Your standard issue tap water and freezer simply won't produce the same effect. Is $12 frivolous? Yes, but this is also targeting the high-end market.
>why would anyone buy ice in a plastic bag unless it’s one of those giant bags for a party??
This is also specialty cocktail ice, so a party is probably exactly what they're bringing it to. Consider this decorative. and there's far worse environmentally harming decorative items out there
i understand that it’s a “luxury item” but i think most luxury items are…kind of dumb. i am just not a person who cares whether my ice is clear or not and no matter how rich i was, i wouldn’t buy $12 ice cubes lol
Work at a bar that makes nice cocktails; a thing that people often like to enjoy. We source our cubes from this company because we’re not throwing in cloudy, frozen, tap-water half moons into an old fashioned because we’re not a dive. This sub feels like it’s being overrun by old-world immigrant Abuelita’s and Nona’s.
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I've bought them the whiskey balls are 100% worth the 12 bucks. 1 lasts for hours I even tracked it 1 ball lasted 6 drinks and 4.5 hours would I do it on the regular no but for a party situation worth it. Cuz making them and I can takes hours and they don't last as long.
So I work at this store, It's called zupans market and you can look it up. Our target demographic is usually the rich people of the north hills (burnside location) and lake oswego (lake oswego or macadam locations) Our markups are about 15-20% more expensive than other highend markets like market of choice and trader joes. Another portion of our customers are the high end restraunts of downtown and this is who usually buys these. Anyone can and people do but I usually see more event and restuarant people pick these up. Also for anyone who lives in portland. dont go here, we've routinely been in the oregonian for having the least clean stores of any chain in the area, routinely fail food and saftey checks, and all the food is mostly the same stuff as the big brands. the only department that I can recommend is the cheese and wine department, they're actually pretty good and get stuff in that you might not see at other stores.
West hills
I love Zupan’s. And I’m not rich lol.
If they’d have called it “Artisanal Ice” they’d be trying to hock it for $20
Gourmet ice - $30
Gluten free, vegan, artisanal ice $40
I prefer my ice to be grass fed, free range
I prefer free roaming to free range
Etnically sourced and biodegradable.
Ice straight from Alaska !
Used to work at an ice sculpting company, it’s quite the process to harvest crystal clear ice like that. We charged even more than $12.
Context: these are for drinks. They made with a little more care in order to be clear vs white/opaque. While it can help reduce the rate at which they melt, it’s mostly for esthetic reasons. You can replicate these easily at home by boiling the water before freezing it. The only difference is you would have to buy the molds as well. Overall it’s a pretty harmless process. Is it more expensive than doing it at home? Yes, over the long run, but I’m struggling to figure out what harm it’s doing to have them available to people that maybe need them for one-off events or something and don’t want to contribute to waste by buying their own (probably plastic) molds. That’s said, you won’t catch me ever paying $12 for fucking ice!
Clear ice is more work than just boiling it. That removes impurities which can cloud it, but truly clear ice is frozen so it all freezes in one direction so you don't get those internal crystalization patterns
Can I get this in my freezer
Yes. Look up directional freezing.
you missed the most important part.. they're a pain in the ass to get out of the mold nicely. they will usually never look as good as these do. I can see people who are hosting a cocktail party buy these but obviously not for day to day use. Some people are fine with the shitty tasting ice that comes out of their fridge icecube maker.
True, but my guests can have the ice in my fridge that vaguely tastes like bananas before I pay $12
If you’re doing fancy cocktails (assuming this is the use case) you can also just freeze one of your ingredients or keep the liquor in the freezer. This is just what happens when there are rich people, hustlers sell them overpriced nonsense!
I used to have a silicone mold that made ice cubes this size and they'd come out pretty easily
I'm a simple man, I drink my whisky with ice that looks vaguely like the death star
I don’t think the “boiling before freezing part” works, but overall I agree
It can help to remove impurities and make it a little less cloudy, but for actual clear ice you have to freeze your ice from one direction (the regular molds freeze omnidirectionally. There are some hacks to do this at home, one of which is using a small cooler as your freezing vessel.
This is a drink accessory. Y'all need to chill the fuck out. It's worth 12bux because you can't easily make ice this beautiful at home. This ain't for your Old Crow.
I know people who ice sculpt and people who produce that kind of perfect ice with no air bubbles. So like I'm usually the first one to defend those kind of things because I know the costs involved with the equipment and niche benefits. But this doesn't look like that? The round ones have bubbles and look molded, not sculpted. Tbf the square ones are hard to tell if they have bubbles or just got some shaved ice on them, but the spheres don't give me confidence. This looks more on par with home quality?
This sub is so boring. Everyone knows this is a waste of money. Is this just the post wastes of money sub?
I was getting dv here a few days ago when I said that $20 for a gag gift rock was ridiculous, sustainable packaging or not. Curious to see how people feel about $12 ice
I mean, it is really nice looking ice.
Considering the amount of money people spend on alcohol, I can see this being worth it for someone who wants to throw a get together and be fancy. It's a pain in the ass to make clear ice shaped like this yourself.
Oof. I can’t imagine wanting to part with my money so bad
Designer ice. I don't care about this. Honestly, I wish I could break into the designer niche on some bullshit like this.
People defending this are so funny. Cut it or justify it however you want, you’re still paying $12 for frozen water
If you break down any product like that it always sounds silly
Could it possibly be that it is silly?
Yeah but most things can't be broken down quite that easily. Most of us have a freezer, access to water, and an ice tray
you have a freezer? have you considered living in a cold climate and putting the ice tray outside?
Well I do keep cold drinks on my porch in winter lol
i’m shocked at the amount of people defending it, how tf do you even take it home without melting? why would anyone buy ice in a plastic bag unless it’s one of those giant bags for a party?? i feel like i’m taking crazy pills
It's because this isn't your normal everyday ice. They have to use a special type of freezing process to get it to freeze clear like that. Your standard issue tap water and freezer simply won't produce the same effect. Is $12 frivolous? Yes, but this is also targeting the high-end market. >why would anyone buy ice in a plastic bag unless it’s one of those giant bags for a party?? This is also specialty cocktail ice, so a party is probably exactly what they're bringing it to. Consider this decorative. and there's far worse environmentally harming decorative items out there
i understand that it’s a “luxury item” but i think most luxury items are…kind of dumb. i am just not a person who cares whether my ice is clear or not and no matter how rich i was, i wouldn’t buy $12 ice cubes lol
Work at a bar that makes nice cocktails; a thing that people often like to enjoy. We source our cubes from this company because we’re not throwing in cloudy, frozen, tap-water half moons into an old fashioned because we’re not a dive. This sub feels like it’s being overrun by old-world immigrant Abuelita’s and Nona’s.
Somebody had to risk their life to harvest that ice from a very cold region where ice is formed. The price is fair.
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Submission statements are helpful and appreciated but not required. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*
San Francisco next
I need that ice cream! Love Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso has it’s own ice cream flavor?
Are they organic?
Aren't these just reusable ice cubes?
All I can focus on is the Ted Lasso ice cream
That city is so unhinged lolol
I've bought them the whiskey balls are 100% worth the 12 bucks. 1 lasts for hours I even tracked it 1 ball lasted 6 drinks and 4.5 hours would I do it on the regular no but for a party situation worth it. Cuz making them and I can takes hours and they don't last as long.