Today we scored some ‘black gold’ from the folks at Venice, CA based Java Juice– hats off to them for dreaming up a great coffee concept. Java Juice makes individual packets of pure coffee extract; all you have to do to indulge is ‘rip it, drip it, sip it.’ I can imagine these things working really well on those mornings you’re running late for work, and on those mornings when you are climbing Mount Everest. And what a great stocking-stuffer opportunity! Java Juice appears to be an eco-friendly, community-minded company– something I always like to see. They’re extract us made in the USA with organic Arabica coffee beans sourced from sustainable farms. I was also impressed with the recipe contest that Java Juice has going (there are already some great ones posted).

Check out the nice limited edition shoes over at Commonwealth, the Adidas ‘American Lux‘– an instant and timeless classic. Red, white and blue snake skin, leather uppers, perforated leather inner lining– pimp cup not included. Congrats to the guys for the (almost) opening of their new DC Flagship shop in a few days. These guys totally ‘get it’– and continue to stock some of the best clothes, kicks and gear cash-money can buy.

For all of you who will be in the Lake Tahoe area on or after December 15, you should definitely head over to Northstar at Tahoe and check out Burton’s new on-mountain project– The Stash. The Stash is somewhat mysterious at this point, but it is reportedly some sort of natural features park, set up to combine conventional park riding with natural features fluidity for a unique riding experience. With snowboarding legends like Craig Kelly and Johan Olofsson serving as inspiration for The Stash, how can this thing not be amazing? The brains of Jake Burton, Burton Global Resort Manager Jeff Boliba, and some of the uber-talented Burton team riders are behind this one, and Bob ‘The Chain-saw Picasso’ King is responsible for the aesthetically impressive (and jib-able) native-to-tahoe wood signs that will lead you to The Stash. Gnar-gnar-shred-shreddy.

Via Transworld

The new Patagonia sweaters are making me warm and cozy just looking at them. I have included 3 of my favorites for you to see here (from left): the Cashmere Raglan 1/4 Zip, the Cashmere Hoody, and the Wooligan Cardigan. At close to $300, the cashmere sweaters are pricey, but they are so soft and well-made that you will never want to take them off (until summer at least). From a performance stanpoint, you can’t lose with cashmere– it is one of the most efficient insulators in existence. This is what Patagonia says of cashmere: ‘although the long and bitterly cold Mongolian winter can rob a Kashmir goat of 40 percent of its bodyweight, we’ve yet to see one shiver or shake.’ I trust ‘em, you should too.

Easily the most refreshing DIY iPod case we’ve seen in a while– from a user who goes by the name of Izatchu on Flickr. Especially good for high-school kids who aren’t allowed to have iPods in school (not sure how I would have made it through school without one). This case is so Bond. Bonus if you use an old textbook, double bonus points if you use a bible. Via DIY: Happy

I can’t count how many times I’ve been in a taxi-line in any-city USA and just know there must be other people in the line going to the same location as me. Once in a while I take my chances and pipe out ‘anyone going to Williamsburg’– but usually I get a row of blank stares from the line, looking back at me as if they were a group of Russian gypsies, hardly understanding a single word I said. Once in a blue moon I get the cute girl who wants to share a ride, which goes great until I realize she’s on her way to meet her boyfriend, who is, wait for it– naturally a day trader. Still in a NYC Beta, Hitchsters is a site which might not do anything about the day-trading boyfriend, but it does wonders to help people cut travel costs by sharing cabs to and from the airport– check it out on your next trip in or out of New York.