nICE mug: a reusable kit to make your own ICE mugs
Fill the moulds.
Freeze the moulds.
Pop out the nICE mug.
Pour in your favorite beverage.
A drinking glass made entirely out of ice!
The Patent pending nICE mug mould has been tested and refined over the course of many years. Nature freezes water in a container in a unique way :
Thicker at the bottom.
Curved on the inside.
Thinner towards the top.
Sounds simple enough, but it's not easy to copy nature. What had to be figured out how to create a mould that contours the natural shape of the freeze, which makes for a stronger, longer lasting nICE mug.
It has been done! Man triumphs over nature yet again!! Rah-rah!!!
PIC: nICE tea with fresh mint frozen in the nICE mug.
Introducing nICE mug in INDIA?
OK, yeah. It is not such a big deal, we agree. But it's tremendous fun, any which way you see it. Having chanced upon this quirky invention, we instinctively bought it and fell in love with it on the first use. And then as with every other thing, we expected to find a 'desi' version of it. Turns out, there is no equivalent for the nICE mug in India. So we said what we usually say - someone ought to do this here in India - and proceeded to enjoy the constantly chilled drink.
A few drinks later when the conversation turned towards the desires of doing something adventurous, one of us said, "why don't we bring this nICE mug to India?" and the rest of us stopped him from drinking that night.
But when sanity returned the next morning, the idea seemed to have firmly implanted itself in our thoughts and we sincerely started exploring ways of making the nICE mug available right in your backyard. Ergo, this campaign.
PIC: A pretty nICE cocktail: vodka, cranberry pomegranate, splash of OJ, freshly grated ginger, wedge of lime, wedge of lemon, sparkling water.
Think of the last time you saw something radical in your kitchen and the chances are that it was a long time ago. So here's your chance to fund something superb and at becoming the resident hero of your extended family. By buying the nICE mug, you help us move towards our goal and by making the nICE mug you can grab eyeballs. Win-win!!
The aim of this campaign is to bring the nICE mug to India and make it available in every state. It is important to us because the time is ripe - both in our lives and in the current economic scenario - to start our own business.
PRICE CHART :
Pricing starts at INR 499 for the first 50 numbers. Once the first 50 are pre-ordered the price moves upto INR 649 and then to INR 799. So be the early bird and get your nICE mug at a lower price.
SHIPPING SCHEDULE
Once we meet our funding targets, we will use them for shipping out the first batch and to reduce the lead time for the next batches by stocking them up. We will post regular updates.
*PS : If you are really nice, we might cheat and send it to you right away.
PIC: nICE water on a boat before sunset.
How do I make my own nICE mug?
First get hold of one of our reusable nICE mug kits.
STEP 1: FILL mould with water.
STEP 2: FREEZE mould for 6-8 hrs.
STEP3: POP out the nICE mug from the mould (after waiting a couple minutes to warm the outside) and pop it into your nICE hold.
STEP 4: POUR in your favourite beverage.
The story of nICE mug
Once upon a time, there was a young boy of 40 years of age, living in Minnesota, who went by the name of Glenn. One cold Minnesota winter night, as he trudged out to his backyard sauna, Glenn realized that one of the water containers he used to dump water over his head was left outside, full of water from a sauna a couple days previous. It looked frozen solid.
Sitting on the sauna bench, Glenn dumped out the chunk of ice and noticed that the center was unfrozen. He poured out the liquid center and what remained was a perfectly formed drinking glass. Never to miss an opportunity for a cold beer in a hot sauna, his friend and Glenn poured a beer into the ice and took turns sipping ice cold beer in Glenn's 180-degree sauna. They finished one beer, then started on another. The nICE mug melted down a bit, but it never leaked.
After that night, Glenn started leaving more water containers outside to freeze, but realized that he couldn't quite catch the perfect freeze point: either the nICE mug was too thin, or it came out frozen solid like a hockey puck. So, a mould became the answer. Not just any mould, but a mould that perfectly replicates nature's natural method of freezing a container of water - from the outside in.
That is what this is about - the nICE mug. A mould that helps you create a mug of pure ice that you can make at your own home in which to enjoy a cool, cold glass of buttermilk or jal jeera or aam panna or just plain water. That is the story of Glenn Auerbach.
The beer tasted fantastic and nICE mug was born!
NOTE: All images and videos are used with permission from www.nicemug.com.
Risks and challenges
While our concept is innovative, its production and import is investment heavy. Should we miss our target, we might have some slight delay in the timeline. But hey, good things take time!
The nICE mug needs some real-world testing, which means that you might receive calls from us asking about the performance. But hey, if you don't like it, we'll give you a better piece!
We have listed out vendors are talking to them, but marriages are made in heaven and if we don't find our perfect partner, then there will be delays. But hey, we are hustlers and we'll get it done!
We believe that it's better late than never.
FAQs
Is nICE mug safe?
Yes, the nICE mug mould and nICE hold are food grade plastic. Your lips won’t freeze to the nICE mug because the outside will be wet to the touch, not sticky (like the flagpole in the movie “A Christmas Story”).
What do I put in my nICE mug?
Lots of folks like beer in their nICE mugs. There is a set of early adopter tribesmen enjoying prototype nICE mugs with Vodka Pomegranate, freshly grated ginger, and two wedges of lime. We would also recommend homemade buttermilk garnished with spices and sauteed moderately. Contact us for the recipe.
Do nICE mugs leak?
Eventually, yes. But you should be able to enjoy a beverage or two until it does.
How long do nICE mugs last?
Somewhere about 30 minutes, depending on how well your water freezes.
What do I do if my nICE mug gets a leak?
Spring a leak? Drink!
How do I get a crystal clear mug?
We've learned that boiling and cooling the water before freezing it goes a long way in getting a clear nICE mug.
