(Photo via Nathen Heskew)
A couple of months ago I signed up for Tonx, a coffee subscription service. Their pitch:
We are a small team of longtime coffee zealots focusing on sending great coffee straight to your door. All of our efforts go towards helping you brew the best possible coffee at home.
Most subscriptions are created by previously notable coffee roasters. Tonx was started by a former Intelligentsia employee, but they are not attached to any existing coffee shop. They ship (2) 12 oz bags a month for 35 dollars and the coffee is different every time.
This review would end right here if the coffee was bad, but that is not the case. I wake up every morning excited about how the new batch will taste. However, one of my favorite parts about the subscription has nothing to do with the coffee. Every piece of correspondence they send proves that they:
- Care about coffee.
- Care about their customer’s coffee and experience.
They send cupping notes, emails about how excited they are about a particular batch and even remind people to change their mailing address for the holiday if they are traveling. I feel like my coffee experience is in good hands with Tonx.
The coffee is more expensive than the Stumptown beans that I was buying at a local shop, but in this new Amazon Prime based world, the convenience is worth a few extra dollars per month. They ship immediately after roasting and the LA to NY trip takes 2-5 days. I wish it was always two days, but most of the beans I find in local shops are at least a week old, so this is not a deal breaker.
Tonx is a great option for those that want no fuss infusions of good coffee and good cheer. It is also nice to support a couple of guys who are trying to share what they love.
Thank you so much! We appreciate the support!
What’s the line from Batman? The night is always darkest just before the dawn. I like to think that’s true, because times seem awfully dark these days.
Agreed. Very dark.
Virginia Tech’s web site covers the breaking news on their campus.
Such bad news. :(
(via latimes)
[video]
“Overall, I think it’s a good time to have a girl in the 21st century because things are changing, with more opportunities for women. But girls are still the underdog, which means they’ll work harder, and everybody loves an underdog. The next Steve Jobs will totally be a chick, because girls are No. 2—and No. 2 always wins in America. Apple was a No. 2 company for years, and Apple embodies a lot of what have been defined as feminine traits: an emphasis on intuitive design, intellect, a strong sense of creativity, and that striving to always make the greatest version of something. Traditionally, men are more like Microsoft, where they’ll just make a fake version of what that chick made, then beat the shit out of her and try to intimidate everybody into using their product.” — Louis C.K.: The Next Steve Jobs Will Be A Chick | Fast Company (via Briana Mowrey)
(via buzz)
Browse Anonymously on Your iPad and iPhone With Tor-Powered Browser -
It uses Tor to encrypt Internet traffic and route it through three different servers to ensure data about users cannot be intercepted by third parties. Such data would include browsing history or, more commonly, one’s geographic location.
“If you do go down the VC path, choose wisely. Your investors are one of the most important hiring decisions you’ll make.” —
Veen (via brycedotvc)
And too often “chosen” without leverage, meaningful evaluation or any due diligence.
[video]
I <3 Tumblr
I </3 PIPA and SOPA.
Disclaimer: This is a pet peeve of mine. Please excuse me while I am a dick for a moment.
I don’t understand companies emailing their customers funding announcements. Why do I care about your funding? You closed your series B? Why do I need to know that? What the hell does that mean? I mean, I know what a series B is, but most of your customers don’t. And even though I can evaluate the names that you so casually drop when you tell me who led your round, your customers don’t.
Instead of telling me how proud you are by raising X dollars from Y investors, show me you can put that money to work by improving the product. If you’re going to improve uptime, do it. Then you can brag to me. For all I know you’re going to be using the money to expand into markets I care very little about.
If you’re going to add more selection and or better deals to your site because of your war chest, do it. I don’t care how you get there or who is backing you; that’s for your startup colleagues and followers on AngelList to care about - not me, the customer. Show me don’t tell me.
My opinion (and we all know how much those are worth): Unless knowing that you have cash in the bank directly improves the value delivered to me, you look more concerned with your startup image than the service you’re providing.
By the way, I hate businesses like that.