Fine Gifts and Cigars Boutique Yaletown Vancouver

Putumayo is a river that begins in the South American country of Colombia and flows along the border of Ecuador and Peru until it reaches the Amazon in Brazil. Putumayo’s founder, Dan Storper, was traveling through the region in 1974, and was so enamored with its beauty, he decided to name his new handicraft shop after it.

The etymological origins of the word Putumayo in Quechua (indigenous Indian language) are as follows: Mayu (or Mayo) means “River” and Putu can mean either a gourd for drinking chicha, which is a homemade corn/maize liquor, or “nace” (birth) or “sale” (leaves). Therefore, the Quechuan origins of the Putumayo word could be understood to mean either a gourd river or “birth of the river.” Another literal meaning of the word Putumayo is a heron (type of bird).

Putumayo World Music was established to introduce people to the music of the world’s cultures. The label grew out of Putumayo clothing company, founded by Dan Storper in 1975 and sold in 1997. Co-founder Michael Kraus joined Storper to help launch Putumayo World Music in 1993. In the past fifteen years, the label has become known primarily for its upbeat and melodic compilations of great international music characterized by the company’s motto: “guaranteed to make you feel good!”

Putumayo’s CD covers feature the distinctive art of Nicola Heindl, whose colorful, folkloric style represents one of Putumayo’s goals: to connect the traditional to the contemporary. By combining appealing music and visuals with creative retail marketing, Putumayo has developed a unique brand identity, a rarity in today’s artist-based music industry.

Putumayo is considered a pioneer and leader in developing the non-traditional market. A large portion of its target audience consists of “Cultural Creatives,” a sociological and lifestyle term for 50 million North Americans and millions more around the world with an interest in culture, travel and the arts. To reach these consumers, Putumayo has built a proprietary network of more than 3,000 book, gift, clothing, coffee and other specialty retailers in the US and thousands more internationally that play and sell its CDs, in addition to maintaining a strong presence in record stores.

Since it began in 1993, Putumayo World Music has contributed to many non-profits doing good work in regions where the music originates. For the past years, Putumayo has focused its non-profit efforts on various local as well as international NGOs working in different parts of the world. They intend to keep on supporting these organizations and other specific NGOs working in the countries where the music originates.

Putumayo’s products are protected by their Feel Good Guarantee. If you are unhappy with any purchase of a Putumayo CD, you may return it to Putumayo for a full refund. Send the CD, along with your receipt of purchase and your address to: Putumayo World Music, Attn: Consumer Returns, 411 Lafayette St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10003

All we have is the moment… and I would like to take this moment to express my gratitude to all those that I have come to know through Revolucion. You have all through your support created an idea into a reality. Revolucion came about from an idea to create a store that would specialize in gifts and gadgets both in function and design for men, a great store where women would feel comfortable and confident in entering and purchasing a gift for their man. It has been 4 years and they have all been great! Some people have come and gone and at some time they may stop by to visit again, I am grateful.

I wish you all Happy Holidays and your hearts overflowing with Love.

With regard in kindness,

Pavlos

If you are like most Canadians you love giving christmas presents. But every year you face a new challenge. What can I buy my wife, husband, partner, sister, brother, friend, relative, employee or other lucky person that they don’t yet already have? No matter how hard you think of something special to give to that special person, in the end you feel like you are buying another pair of socks again. How about a raclette grill?

What is Raclette?

The name “raclette” (pronounced ruck-lett in English or rah-klett in its native French) refers to a meal and to a type of cheese with the same name. The traditional dish can be described as melted cheese eaten with boiled (or roasted) potatoes with small gherkins and pickled onions. Modern electrical appliances that are used to make the dish are called Raclette grills. While the method of melting the cheese has changed over time, the raclette meal is quite easy to prepare using the simplest of ingredients and has been a long favourite for festive and fun interactive evenings.

With the tradition originating in Switzerland, Raclette, the meal, is one of Switzerland’s best loved national dishes and is very popular in other parts of Europe such as France and Germany. The most famous and best Raclette cheese is made in the alpine villages in the Swiss Alps which has a very distinct flavour and excellent melting qualities as well as being the main ingredient that makes the dish. Just like the well known Classic Cheese Fondue Raclette is another way of enjoying simple and delicious cooking incorporating lots of interactivity and of course lots of cheese.

Origin - Somewhere hidden in the valleys of the Swiss Alps…

Raclette cheese originated in the French speaking areas in the Alpine regions of the Valais canton in Switzerland. While the process of melting cheese has been around since ancient times, according to legends – local farmers or herdsmen in the valleys of the Swiss Alps set up camp for the night and the cheese that was laying around on stones at meal time, melted near the open fire and some farmer scraped it off the rock (not wanting to waste any of it of course), he then tasted it and thought it tasted divine. The idea quickly caught on amongst the group and this novel idea quickly spread throughout the valley and so the cheese became well known as the most ideal to melt. Other ingredients would accompany the meal like gherkins (pickled cucumber) and small onions and to drink; kirsch (cherry liqueur), or herbal tea.

It was a filling meal and enjoyed for its great simplicity and heartiness. The concept was simple and the melting of the raclette cheese was to become a popular way to eat it. It was comfort food at its best and the tradition eventually spread to other countries beyond the Alps from visitors travelling from afar to enjoy the famous ski resorts in the Valais region.

Modern Raclette Party Tips

If you only have a small dining table and need more place for the raclette grill and all the other ingredients, you can try elevating the raclette grill onto a mini table to enable you to use the area underneath your raclette grill.

If you are organizing a large group function and need helping hands or need to cut costs, you can ask guests to bring one/some of the accompanying ingredients e.g.. a jar of olives, capsicums, can of pineapple or wine. As there is no precooking required, this wouldn’t be too much trouble to ask anyone.

To ensure everyone gets their fair share of cheese and other ingredients, you can choose to allocate a plate with a selection of all the ingredients to each person or to share between two. This also makes all the ingredients at only arms length away and reduces the need to pass various dishes around the table.

For those who are lactose intolerant or can’t eat cheese because of dietary restrictions there is what’s known as non dairy cheese on the market based on soy beans. So you don’t have to miss out if this applies to you. Actually, raclette cheese contains only a small amount of lactose because of the way it is made.

Aside of Raclette Cheese, there are plenty of other great cheeses available at your supermarket suitable for cooking:e.g. Swiss Gold , Gruyere , Emmental , Jarlsberg , Mozzarella , Mature Cheddar.  The top hot plate of your grill can be used for meat, sausages and vegetables.

A raclette grill is the perfect gift idea for many. Alone its novelty and style make it a great present.  There are many reasons and groups of people who would love a raclette grill as a gift for that special occasion. So, have a look at our Swissmar Raclette Grill – and avoid the Christmas rush shopping for that very special and unique gift idea – you have found it!

No longer will you need to shave with a ruddy old disposable or a less than superior shave cream, it’s high time you took pride in your daily shave regime and got some uber-cool shaving accessories to not only modernise your bathroom but also make you feel completely indulged and undeniably masculine.

Breath new life into your shave regime with a premium quality nickel plated shave and grooming set from Edwin Jagger. Utilising your existing (and easily replaced) Mach 3® cartridges, you can now upgrade to a more masculine and more indulgent shaving set that is guaranteed to leave you feeling invigorated, pampered and stubble-free like never before. Each set features the highest quality workmanship, and is certain to take your daily shaving ritual into the 21st century.

Edwin Jagger ltd. a family business, prides itself as the finest manufacturer of exquisite wet shaving products.  The unrivalled design expertise and production techniques are reflected in all Edwin Jagger shaving brushes, razors and shaving sets. Pre-eminent in prestige shaving accessory creation; excellence and quality are paramount and Edwin Jagger accepts nothing less.

Wet shaving should be a pleasure not a daily chore. Using an elegant and effective shaving razor will not only improve the quality if your shave, it will look fantastic in your bathroom.  Using a shaving brush in your daily shaving routine helps to produce a richer lather, lift and soften the beard hair and improve the overall shave quality. It also gently massages your face for a great ´feel good´ factor.

Shaving sets are a wonderful lasting gift and will transform the shaving experience into a genuine pleasure.  Many of our shaving sets are designed and manufactured in Sheffield, England, by Edwin Jagger – considered by many to be the Rolls Royce of shaving.

The Edwin Jagger range of travel sets are perfect for the busy world traveller. All are handmade using the finest grade heritage shadow hide, with waterproof lining. The different styles and sizes suit the many requirements of both the overnight commuter and the international businessman.

A variety of other shaving and grooming related items can be found here. Porcelain, chrome and gold shaving bowls, strops and sharpening paste for cut throat shaving enthusiasts, mirrors and manicure sets.

Come and experience the Revolucion in shaving products by Edwin Jagger!

I trust Swiss.

Let’s face it, they make great watches and clocks and their chocolate is the best in the world. Oh, and they’re smart. So smart, in fact, that they have come out with a men’s skin care line that lists liquid oxygen as one of the ingredients.

The TASK ESSENTIAL line offers a good deal of various products to make you feel your best — from the usual shower cleanser to the pit grease.

The SHOWER GEL scent is really nice and completely non-offending. A light citrus smell with almost a gentle sweetness to it. The scent lingers for only a short time and then leaves. I like that as I know it won’t interfere with my after shaves.

The FACE WASH is quite agreeable. Like the rest of their products, you only need to use the smallest amount. Non-foamy or overly soapy, it slickly covers the face. After rinsing, you skin feels BBS and glowing.

AGE RESCUE is their anti-age product. Again, only a small amount is needed to lightly cover your kisser. It goes on easily and without the “girly smell” sometimes associated with these products. I felt my skin absorbing it quicky. Either I noticed an improvement immediately, or I was just too tired and ready for the sack, my face looked pretty good!

Lastly, I used the EYE RESCUE for the excess luggage I get after a hard day at the office. Just a very small dab under each eye and I was amazed what was happening — it became very cooling  and I swear I could feel it regenerating instantly. The coolness continued for nearly 25 minutes as it worked its way into my puffy luggage. Can’t say what happened next as I had to crawl into bed. I think it would be just the thing for those who keep late nights out on the town or just don’t get enough sleep. I have tried several under eye creams/gels and have never been impressed and although no product gets rid of them completely, this one does the best job by far.

Got up this morning and my bags looked pretty good and I was off to the shower to try more…

I showered with the WASH OFF HAIR AND BODY WASH. I really liked this! Non-soapy and very little lather. Slick and that really nice clean smell! I only had to use half of what I would with comparable products, and it left me feeling squeaky clean and Summers Eve fresh. Ok, maybe not THAT fresh. I used it as a shampoo and although it did the trick, I don’t think I would be using it as such in less I was in a pinch, like traveling. Don’t expect it to wildly lather on your head like shampoo.

Next came the NEW SKIN FACE SCRUB.I’ll tell you right now that this scrub ain’t for sissies. It’s got what I considerer, the perfect ratio of gel-to-scrubbers and those scrubbers are pretty grainy. Larger in size than found in other face scrubs I have used, you can feel it getting down to business and deep cleaning the pores. Face glows so radiantly that you just might want to have a cigarette afterwards. Finally, a real scrub for a real man and without that acetone smell. If you have sensitive skin, keep looking.

After my shave and oral hygiene, I used the SKIN FEED O2 MOISTURIZER. Light weight and clean. I used it in place of my usual AS blams or gels. As with the rest of the products, just a bit went a long way. Didn’t leave my face greasy or sticky, but you could feel it was being protected and nourished. I ended the regiment by applying the EYE RESCUE  and was ready to take on the word!

With having such a success with Task Essentials, I am looking forward to trying their STOP BURNING AFTER SHAVE and PURE INSTANT WHITE CLAY MASK.

Although the mix of products I have been using have served me well, I feel that Task Essentials is the front runner these days in the men’s skin care arena and is viable challenger to the already crowded market.

Pricewise, it’s about the same as the rest out there, but since you use to little, it could be a good value.

Packaging is very, well, “bright” and will wake you up out of your hungover stupor in the mornings. Red and white are the colors of the Swiss flag, so I suppose it works in that respect. Big, bold and in your face kind of packaging.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I feel the overwelming need to buy a Swiss Army knife, now…