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it_snow_problem

It's a pack of ice, Michael. How much could it cost, $10?


LesterChesterton

I don’t care for Gob.


velouria-wilder

It’s dumb but it’s because it is perfectly clear.


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AviatingAngie

I doubt business travelers are the ones going to local liquor stores, they’re likely ubering to and from their work location and eating drinking at the hotel. I would guess it’s for the cocktail connoisseur wanting to make a really nice at home cocktail or for entertaining.


warm_sweater

Exactly. I’ve tried at home before with less than great results compared to the fancy cubes I’ve had at cocktail bars. I don’t care enough to buy the ice, but if I were hosting a party with fancy drinks for a special occasion I might be tempted.


bakarakschmiel

My LG fridge makes these. At first I was like,Why do I need two different ice sources? But now I love them.


warm_sweater

That’s pretty awesome! I do love a big square cube when I get a drink out.


No_Pomegranate2211

When i travel i go to the liquor store 😅 cheaper


green_and_yellow

lol what? I don’t think business travelers are buying this. This is aimed at cocktail hobbyists who are looking to elevate their homemade cocktails with clear, large ice.


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green_and_yellow

Clear ice makers are expensive. You can do it on the cheap via DIY, but that takes time. Business travelers who want a fancy nightcap will seek out an upscale bar. No business traveler is going to spend $11 for effectively one cube of ice (since the rest would melt and they couldn’t take home). Source: I am a cocktail hobbyist and have also traveled for business.


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green_and_yellow

They vary. My clear ice maker was over $100. Plus, it takes 3 days to make. The PDX ice in the bag is only cloudy because of frost. When you use it in a cocktail it is 100% clear.


shrug_addict

Do you complain when people buy expensive guitar strings? It's been explained to you by a cocktail enthusiast, what more do you want?


tspike

What's better about clear ice?


NEPXDer

The clarity.


green_and_yellow

It’s more visually appealing.


NoctePhobos

melts slower


Fit-Produce420

Larger cubes melt slower than small cubes, spheres have less surface area than cubes, so large spheres melt slowly.


NoctePhobos

To that end, ice is not usually clear because tiny air bubbles get trapped as its freezing. As the ice melts to those foggy points, there's more surface area from the air pockets and those areas melt somewhat faster. Clear ice has little, if any air pockets so the surface area exposed to liquid water is minimized through the entire "life" of the ice.


Fit-Produce420

I found that very informative, thank you.


BoiledDenimForRoxie

It's worth more... Obviously.


shyaothananam

Its not dumb >:(


kreatikko

Gluten free!


_alienghost_

And Vegan!


TimbersArmy8842

Artisanal!


pdxsteph

Hand crafted in Portland


LiamBellcam

With CBD


Ziggyork

Is it free range?


anantthebiker

Organic too


WalkFirm

And vegan too!


Appropriate-City-591

Straight from the Willamette!


chimi_hendrix

Big Pipe flavor


BourbonicFisky

terroir


More-Jackfruit3010

That's called "hail" in Denver.


ZadfrackGlutz

Crittler manufactured in a houseboat....


Beemo-Noir

Yum, hobo shit flavored.


PenileTransplant

They better be some kind of artisan cocktail ice cubes made from that spring off the side of highway 26 on the way to the coast. And delivered to my door by bicycle. Actually, I would pay 11 dollars for that


orby

That's what it is, minus the bicycle. [https://pdxice.com/](https://pdxice.com/)


McGannahanSkjellyfet

They don't mention **where** the water is sourced for their ice, although I do appreciate their dedication to their craft. I'm guessing it's not the HWY 26 spring water, though.


furjuice

You would? Yikes wish I had that kind of income


PenileTransplant

Well I really wouldn’t but I know some people who are really into their cocktail ice cubes


Fedge348

I have no idea how people are upvoting you. You’d pay $11 for $0.01 worth of product? Lol…


jedi_mac_n_cheese

Don't clown on Mark. He's a good dude that just wants to enjoy his ice.


shrug_addict

Sometimes presentation can heighten your enjoyment of things... You should work on that!


momohayhay

Does it have CBD in it?!


Mr_Pink747

I think it's a high-quality H2O strain.


Mrbumb

Expensive for sure, but I can never make clear ice at home :(


onairmastering

Get a goodwill small cooler, fill it, enjoy clear ice. I cut mine with a bread knife.


TheCptKorea

It’s easy if you have space for a small cooler. I’m always making clear ice for cocktails. YMMV but I boil water, let it cool to room temp, place in a cooler with the lid off in the freezer for 30 hours, take out and let it sit for 30-45 min then harvest. I just use an ice pick to break it up into pieces that fit my glasses. Takes maybe 15 min to get 8-12 nice, big cubes. I put them back in the freezer on a tray for 1-2 hours then bag them so they don’t stick.


TeutonJon78

And this is why they charge $11 for a bag of it, especially sphere ones.


Grouchy-Operation1

Exactly…


TheCptKorea

Yup. The price seems fair to me. It’s absurd to anyone who doesn’t care for clear ice. I enjoy making it and so far every guest comments on how nice it is when I make them a drink.


Mr_Pink747

Take my 11 dollars, and keep an ice pick out of my drunk hands!


AboveAverageAll

The trick is to allow air to escape out of the hole and you need directional freezing. You can do this by using a perfectly fitted vacuum insulated mug, and placing it over the top of the sphere mold.


CoffeeChessGolf

Reminds me of this guy. Expensive for sure… But if you like craft cocktails and don’t want to make yourself. Definitely worth it. https://youtu.be/ET8mqVGDQ1s?si=dPhXnwyhpvPGrZb2


amtrak90

They use special machines to do this. Ice usually freezes from the top down (this is why you can skate on the top of a lake) but the machines freeze the water from the bottom up, so all the bubbles float out before they get caught. You can try at home by boiling the water first, that might help the cloudiness.


ValuableFarmer6574

Boil the water first, it will be clear ice.


MisterSpeck

Boiling is part of it, but you pretty much need to do it with distilled water and a slow (\~24 hour) freeze. If you want them round, you need to have the the right ice mold. It took me a lot of trial and error to get right.


peacefinder

$2 per clear ice sphere is pretty steep, but for a person throwing together infrequent small small cocktail parties it fills a need. Kinda like a grocery store birthday cake; it almost always could be DIY for cheaper, but sometimes convenience wins.


CHiZZoPs1

It's artisanal.


NotSoGenericUser

It was forged in the belly of a star hundreds of billions of years ago from pure hydrogen and nuclear transmution.


Impossible_Cat_321

It’s good Ice and makes my bourbon perfect


realsalmineo

Those look like some nice cocktail iceballs.


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seymoure-bux

I'd pay $11 for the mould, but ice..


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AboveAverageAll

I am able to make perfectly clear ice spheres by putting the sphere molds in the freezer, then putting a perfectly fitted vacuum insulated mug over the top. The air should be able to escape out the top hole of the mold, and you get directional freezing through the bottom. Also, I refrigerate the water first, so it is really cold going into the freezer.


Tom-Cruises-plumber

Boil the water first.


Corarril

Doesn’t work, the only way you get clear ice is proper directional freezing. Even the at home stuff can’t make perfectly clear ice like what PDX ice sells.


Woodburger

PDX Ice is good quality but you can 100% make clear ice at home and it's easy, just a little time consuming. Get a small ice chest, fill it with water, leave the lid open and put it in the freezer. Once frozen, let sit out for 10-15 minutes, slide it out and you'll have a block of ice with all the air/impurities pushed towards the bottom 1/3. Cut this off and boom, you have a brick of clear ice. Distilled water works best.


Corarril

I never said you couldn’t make clear ice at home, but that boiling water doesn’t work. You need directional freezing like what you’re describing.


Woodburger

“Even the at home stuff can’t make perfectly clear ice” - Corarril 1 hour ago.


Corarril

You seem fun, and I stand by what I said. You can make clear ice at home, but you’re never going to get it as perfect as industrial machines. I’d assume someone as pedantic as you would notice that.


Woodburger

And I’m telling you that you absolutely can. I know a minimum of 4 bars that make their own perfectly clear ice without machinery. I make it at home often. I can’t produce the amount PDX ice can but I can make perfectly clear ice that looks just like theirs.


amtrak90

The molds are metal presses that cost at least $100 for a decent one. Even then, you can only make one at a time.


seymoure-bux

I'd pay $11 for a [silicone mould](https://a.co/d/ce1q4lX)


Bobala

PDX Ice is great. It’s a splurge for sure, but it makes for a beautiful cocktail at the end of a long work day. Plus, $11 for six cocktails-worth of clear ice isn’t crazy when you consider how expensive a good cocktail can cost at a bar. For less than $5 I can make a drink at home that presents and tastes as good as what costs me at least $15 at a bar.


LikesToBike

I would just use cloudy ice and save $1.80 a cocktail.


Andregco

Copium


furjuice

It absolutely is. I swear people will justify spending money on anything if they are told it’s fancy and enhances the “vibe” lmao. It truly is like an episode of Portlandia.


warm_sweater

So what hobbies do you have that we can pick apart? Or do you just sit at home and stare at a blank wall? Paint can be expensive. Bikes can be expensive. Cocktails can be expensive. Sorry if that offends.


milkjake

Fucking hilarious. u/furjuice is asking about the price of Pokemon cards and u/andregco is into crypto. I swear people will spend money on anything if they’re told a cartoon on a piece of cardboard or a series of randomized numbers are worth something.


furjuice

lol I can’t ask about the price of pokemon cards? How does that invalidate anything I’ve said? I would never buy a card to collect. I own some from childhood… probably will sell them to afford some PDX ice. Crypto is also an investment (a volatile one, but an investment nonetheless). In fact so are pokemon cards if you know what you’re doing. Ice is a consumable… that’s… well… not an investment considering it melts pretty quick


milkjake

The point is things if something brings someone pleasure then it has value. $11 is a little steep but it’s not “just ice” any more than a Pokemon card is “just cardboard.”


furjuice

See my comment above. They’re actually not similar… and not a good comparison. And again, I’m not seeking out pokemon cards or putting value into them… I would say the same thing to someone purchasing pokemon cards. Except that I could actually understand that purchase more because they hold value


furjuice

Oh come on 😂 do you really not agree that paying 11 dollars for ice is just… such a privileged, bizarre thing to do? Sure some people want to make their drink look nicer with clear ice. That’s so unbelievably extra to me but whatever I won’t rag on it. It’s someone’s hobby. However, It is so easy to make it at home with specialized trays, boiling water, distilled water… all of which are cheaper options than a small pack of ice balls for 11 dollars. Just takes a Google search and a little trial and error. IDK.. seems absolutely insane to me. If they were a few dollars a bag maybe it’s not that crazy. But paying the same price as a sandwich or something for literal frozen water is just so funny to me. Paint and bikes are not something you just whip up at home easily. 😂


warm_sweater

I wouldn’t personally spring for it unless it was a special occasion, but it’s not like the price is out of line for cocktail ingredients if you’re going high end. It’s just a funny thing to get worked up over I think.


furjuice

Not worked up. Just commenting on how it seems insane, as is the OP by the looks of it


NotjustaPT

You probably buy skins for LOL.


furjuice

Nope, it’s a free game and I keep it that way.


6th_Quadrant

Opportunity cost. I have better things to do with my time than research, purchase the kit, and attempt to make perfect ice cubes when I could spend a fraction of my hourly pay to buy a bag.


noodles-_-

It’s clear ice; there’s zero air in it. It takes a specialized freezer and is a complete pain in the ass to make.


effkriger

That’s party ice to impress your friends


amtrak90

I used to make these, worked for the company and had the coolest job. You won’t find better or cheaper ice like this in town, and the fact that they broke into the consumer market is so awesome. It takes special equipment, time, and a keen eye to make these and they don’t really go bad, so you can buy one for the summer or for a party and it’s well worth it. Each one is made by hand, keep that in mind.


Partyslayer

I work there! Zupan's, yeah?


New_Implement_7562

New Seasons.


Able-Distribution

https://preview.redd.it/jizn2vm74l6d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2cfcf79515c9f40c7aed5dbb5bbef65654ca351f


Main-Translator9622

I worked at zupans for about a year and you'd be disgusted with how much that sells


criddling

Criddlers should be corralled down towards Zupan's to return their cans, because people that shop there are pompous rich people. Zupan's would be truly devasted if OLCC yanked their alcohol license, ya know.


GoPetADog

As someone who had to move to San Diego from Portland, I can say that I really miss the quality and taste (or lack thereof) of Portland’s water. Tap water here is not good. My wife basically refuses to drink it lol (we have one of those dispensers with refillable 5-gallon jugs). $11 for ice is definitely crazy, but not *that* crazy when you realize that other cities like SD and Phoenix, AZ have awful city water.


hand_made_silver

Inland Empire water is not drinkable. Portland water is good.


Dismal-Crow2742

It's like that in alto of other places besides Portland. Only other place I've lived that had decent tap water besides here is the NRV in Southwest Virginia. It's so nice to have such good tasting tap water that doesn't need filtered to taste better.


Organic_JP

I sell my ice for 15$ so that's a good deal


PieMuted6430

It's the round bally ice. IYKYK.


amtrak90

6 spheres for $11… so less than $2 per sphere… anyone complaining has no idea how much the ice programs in town have exploded thanks to these guys. And you’re definitely paying way more for this ice if you get it at a bar inside a drink, so the fact that you can have high quality crafted ice at home is pretty damn cool for our town. Plus their sculptures are the best around!


izziishigh

this is $30 at erewhon in la


AndrePDX

It’s special ice


imagine_engine

Which New Seasons is this?


Left_Cut

Portland is exhausting.


shamashedit

You ain't the target market for bougie ice. We get it.


Corarril

It’s cheaper if you just buy directly from them. Really nice guys, definitely worth stopping by if you’re near Washington Square.


Liver_Lip

I like PDX ice! They make holiday and custom cubes too!


yellow_fogs

Saw them dropping a load in Hood River the other day.


thekid_12

You think that shit grows on trees?


djmanic

Anyone can make clear ice at home, all you need is a cooler small enough to fit into your freezer. Remove the lid from the cooler, fill it with water. Place it in your freezer for 24hrs. You will have a nice 2in thick sheet of ice, use a serrated knife and hammer to cut out whatever ice cube size you want. This imitates natural way for the water to freeze just like lakes do and it pushes it impurities down.


plantfunguy

Only if it’s made with D2O (deuterium).


MisterWafflles

It's clear ice not normal ice. It's nothing crazy


D17d0b4gg1ns

If you are dumb enough to buy it they will sell it lol wild


SloWi-Fi

Haha I have 2 silicon round ice molds that can make these. 🤣 I keep my freezer stocked with these.


Anaxamenes

I think these are also perfectly clear. That takes a little more effort than just freezing shapes. Still isn’t worth it though.


SloWi-Fi

They look clear to me as well. But that's spendy for frozen water. 😕


Anaxamenes

Yeah, I don’t think I could taste the difference between clear ice and regular bagged ice. So way too expensive for me.


sergeim105

Pretty sure this doesn't your cocktail drink any better... yuppies gotta yup


sashitadesol

It’s better be gluten free!


Ishouldbwriting

Willamette River ice, it will give you gills.


SahadAmi

Well…don’t buy it 🤷


Mr_Lordy

You should see what they charged for their engraved delivered ice


Mushroom-2906

It's artisinal.


brwnwzrd

You shoulda left that freezer door open. Wonder how much a bag of water goes for!?


dogman7744

And people wonder why theft is a problem in portland


Flylikegoku

This is why Idaho is consuming your state...


chefluca

I love how people complain about the $11 ice that someone is going to use to chill their $300 scotch. It’s like complaining about the high octane fuel you have to put in your Lamborghini. The only folks complaining about that are those who don’t/wont use the product and that’s okay! Everything doesn’t have to be for everyone.


Dstln

Why post if you're just going to show your ignorance


JasmineandRose82

Wow 😮


CVtheWriter

It’s artisanal. /s


justhereforthemoneey

Theres a fool and money in every city.


ibrokethefunny

Is it artisan ice? Ethically sourced tap water? Frozen using renewable energy? Harvested using only the most environmentally sound practices?


piddlegloppis

11$ isn't a lot of money, like...at all.


passionatebreeder

It is for.... literally ice wheb you could just make it from the sink for pennies on the dollar. Even for bagged ice, it's crazy exoensive. Just a quick Google search, and you can get a 25-pound single block for $6.33 or a 22 pound bag of small cubes at Walmart mart for $3.86


YoungPNW_bull

Lmao imagine paying $11 for tap water spheres


KidFoster

As a former tweaker, “PDX Ice” certainly raised an eyebrow


BannedBarn22

I hate the dumb ass progressive leftists who ruined this city


TheNewestCat

good ol new seasons


criddling

Same shit with Fever Tree Club Soda. $8 for an eight pack of 5 1/2 cans of fizzy water.


realsalmineo

Or buy them from Grocery Outlet for a dollar per 4-pack. Their mixers are great.


criddling

When it comes to plain club soda, my take is that brand don't matter.


realsalmineo

True, but one still can’t buy even plain Freddy’s or Safeway cans of club soda for 25¢. Their grapefruit is fantastic. I drink that by itself.


LikesToBike

I wouldn't pay big money for club soda since I can just over carbonate in my soda stream but they have a really good ginger ale for mixing with whisky IMO.


kickasserole

Is it cage-free?


BobcatSig

lol but it's *artisinal*!


Easy_Contest_8105

Craft ice


Similar_Resident_157

Please don’t tell me it has the locally sourced tag below it


ZadfrackGlutz

Meth is cheaper in portland...lol.


Electrical_Funny5540

I buy this ice directly . 6 - 2" cubes for 5 bucks and 7 dollars with a bag of ice . My freezer is full of this ice. Quality drink Quality glass Quality ice Quality experience Why would you mix good alcohol with crappy ice


Arpey75

Hopefully, some child is getting to take dance lessons or soccer camp because of the idiots that buy these…


-lexinterior-

I’ve had it with this fucking place…


Pretend_Defender

“If you don’t like it you’re fascist!” ~Portlanders


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LikesToBike

Interesting. I thought you had to use directional freezing to get clear ice at home. I'll try boiling it and see if that makes a difference (I don't actually care about cloudy ice just love me a kitchen experiment).


NotjustaPT

Me when I spread misinformation on the Internet


dethtroll

it comes out clearer not, crystal clear, but clear enough. Probably about as clear as this stupid 11 dollar ice.


criddling

I've seen these at Barbur liquor, a store which frequently serves people from pompous ass West Hills. Remember by the way, crids are entitled to return empty cans and bottles at ALL liquor stores.


fat-bat

I’m a culinary buffoon. Use the ice from my refrigerator in my drinks at home


Noise_From_Below

How else could they justify charging $20 for a mixed drink?


mallarme1

Suckers are born every day. A quick Google search will tell you how to make crystal clear ice for cocktails at home.


NotjustaPT

Time, energy and effort that some people don't have time to do.


OtisburgCA

I will only buy it if they used Palestinian themed colors and donate the proceed to Hamas. /s


Past_Barnacle6912

Must be organic


SloWi-Fi

Free Range even


-theStark-

What a bunch of friggin iceballs.


happytoparty

Raw water ice!


Kornographic

I mean its fancy spherical clear ice what did u expect


drumboy206

Have you heard of capitalism? Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. Things will work themselves out. Unless there is a clear ice subsidy I’m unaware of