Civilisation Restored

Glimmer of Hope

Sometimes you look at a product and think there's a glimmer of hope for civilisation. I had this very thought when I clapped my jaded peepers on the Grappa Glass, Chocolate Chopper and Cigar Cutter set from Lamami of Maniago, Italy. Honestly, what would we do without our Italian chums?

Maniago is located in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, capital Trieste, in a district famous for production of knives and steel blades (equivalents being Sheffield in England and Solingen in Germany).

Lor' lumme!

Lor' lumme! this would make an excellent gift for the suavest of your male friends; certainly not for the men-children in your life, you know, the ones who wear shorts and anklet socks and play X-Box — just get them a Harry Potter t-shirt. How you think is how you speak is how you live.

How you think is how you speak is how you live

The tools in the set are made from stainless steel and are available in a choice of handles. The set you see here has olive wood handles.

Tulip-shaped grappa glass

The grappa glass is of crystal. I must return to grappa sometime. There are some excellent grappas out there. I enjoyed a bottle from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region one Christmas; smooth as you like and delicious. Why the tulip shape for the grappa glass?  The stem and bulb help maintain the temperature and the funnel opening channels the aroma, although they say a brandy balloon is excellent for aged grappa. Grappa should be served chilled for young grappas and at room temperature for older grappa.

Lamami's set is intended to be used together, as the cigar, grappa and chocolate tastes complement each other. I must say I've never hacked at chocolate with a chopper like that, but I'm glad that there's a specific tool for such an operation.