Viora: More Than Just A Lid
Griffin Thomas, Communications Manager | Fortuna Enterprises, LLC
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| From: www.vioralid.com |
Lids. The box held lids. Four stacks, two sizes. Just some to-go lids for paper cups.
I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed. When you've told yourself that you're about to taste space coffee and are instead presented with disposable drink-ware, it's hard not to be. However, I soon realized that these lids may just as well have come from beyond Earth's atmosphere; these are the coolest, most exciting to-go cup lids I've ever used. That's not something I ever could've expected myself to say, but here we are.
In an effort to explain why I love the Viora lid so much, I'll take you through my discovery process. I started by testing the features mentioned in the marketing pamphlet included in the box. Viora lids claim to do three main things right off the bat: drink like a ceramic cup, "unlock aroma," and catch splashes.
Being something of a chaotic soul, I decided to go backwards and start with the claim featuring the greatest potential for messiness: splash-catching. In my experienced opinion, nothing can stop a splash that wants to be splashed. So, lacking any faith in this new lid, I filled two paper cups to the brim with water. One cup was fitted with a standard, tried-and-true traditional to-go lid, and the other received a Viora lid.
Splashing
Viora went first.I started shaking the Viora-lidded cup gently at first in a way that replicated the cup jostling around in a car's cup-holder on a gravel road. Nothing. I sped up my shaking, now emulating a speedy drive along an uneven dirt road. This resulted in a few drops of airborne liquid - however, the water shot straight up in the air only to be caught by the lid's concave surface. The water slid innocently back into the cup.
Annoyed with the lack of any mess, I started taking a years' worth of built-up stress and anger out on the little cup of water. Practically throwing the cup around the room, I finally got what I wanted: a single drop of water that reached my bare hand instead of being caught by the cup. To stick with the theme of "heading down a road" analogies, I'd consider this test to resemble a trip down the rocky slope of a mountain in a wooden rowboat.
For comparison purposes, I started putting the traditional lid through the same tests. The first level of shaking went fine, and no water spilled from the cup. However, I apparently engaged in my second speed a bit too quickly, as I quickly found my nice new polo shirt drenched in cold water. I suppose it's a good thing that I was talked out of using hot coffee for this experiment.
Aroma Unlocking
In the world of specialty coffees and teas, aroma is a very important part of any tasting experience. So much so that there are charts and graphs that represent certain factors of taste to be used during specialized tasting events. I suppose everyone in some way wants to smell what they're drinking, right? This isn't exactly possible with traditional lids, though, as most are nothing but a flat plastic surface with a small hole for drinking (which will naturally be covered by the mouth).
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| From: www.vioralid.com |
The Viora lid, however, does something completely new and different. If you refer to the image on the left, you'll see that the main opening is accompanied by a lowered basin. This area allows liquid to pool up when tipped, creating a kind of well for one to sip from. This works perfectly in practice, and I noticed a massive difference in aroma availability the very first time I tried it. Additionally, there's a fairly large hole in the center crevice, just beneath the nostrils, that enhances aroma delivery even further. Where other lids seal aroma behind a plastic wall, the Viora allows for a more full, comprehensive experience. This lid truly fulfills the promise of "unlocking aroma" in a way that I never could've expected.
Drinking Like a Ceramic Cup
As a person with little faith in anything spoken by a marketing department, I was again skeptical of the Viora's claim that their lid "drinks like a ceramic cup." I have a very specific idea in my head for how the experience of drinking from a ceramic cup works, and I assumed that a simple plastic lid could never achieve that smooth, natural feeling.
Again, the Viora delivered. For starters, the lid is firm and feels extremely solid, much like one would expect a ceramic cup to feel. The recessed well built into the front of the lid allows liquid to pool up when tipped, both cooling the beverage and delivering only the perfect amount when sipped. Sipping from the Viora feels natural. It really does.
I was extremely impressed with how comfortable I felt drinking from the Viora. This is almost entirely due to the fact that the concave design allows for more precise, natural control over the hot liquid in your hand. With standard lids, the drinking hole is usually built into the upper edges around the raised surface. This means that when you tip a cup of steaming-hot liquid toward your face, you're essentially at the mercy of the lid to determine when the beverage reaches your tongue. Gravity may decide that your tipping motion was a millisecond too fast or a millimeter too deep into an angle, resulting in a mouthful of boiling drink. With the pooling, cooling, and sipping effects of the Viora, it's up to me and me alone to decide when the beverage reaches my lips, how hot I want each sip to be, and how much of my beverage I want to consume at one time. It's hard to explain this fully without being able to demonstrate, but seriously... it's life-changing. There's a minor but noticeable way that the body tenses up in anticipation of a face-full of hot liquid pouring out of a standard lid, but the Viora eliminates that and feels comfortable. Much in the way that a ceramic mug does.
There's so much more to say about the Viora, but nobody has the several months of time it would take to read through all of my thoughts. This is something that needs to be experienced in full before the effects become clear, and I encourage everyone to give this new technology a chance as soon as possible. This little box of lids that appeared on my desk made me think differently about the way we consume coffee on the go. It's been far too long since we've had such an innovation in the way we drink portable coffee, and we owe enormous credit to Barry Goffe, owner of Vaporpath and creator of the Viora lid, for this exciting new way to enjoy coffee.
Viora lids are available now at Fortuna Enterprises, LLC. This new design fits industry standard cup sizes, meaning there's no need for additional accommodations upon introduction.
These lids are available in both black and white, in 8 oz., 12 oz., 16 oz., and 20 oz. variations. Give the Viora lid a try!
- Griffin Thomas
Marketing & Communications Manager
Fortuna Enterprises, LLC
Sources:
1. https://www.vioralid.com/
2. The little box of lid samples that changed my life
I was extremely impressed with how comfortable I felt drinking from the Viora. This is almost entirely due to the fact that the concave design allows for more precise, natural control over the hot liquid in your hand. With standard lids, the drinking hole is usually built into the upper edges around the raised surface. This means that when you tip a cup of steaming-hot liquid toward your face, you're essentially at the mercy of the lid to determine when the beverage reaches your tongue. Gravity may decide that your tipping motion was a millisecond too fast or a millimeter too deep into an angle, resulting in a mouthful of boiling drink. With the pooling, cooling, and sipping effects of the Viora, it's up to me and me alone to decide when the beverage reaches my lips, how hot I want each sip to be, and how much of my beverage I want to consume at one time. It's hard to explain this fully without being able to demonstrate, but seriously... it's life-changing. There's a minor but noticeable way that the body tenses up in anticipation of a face-full of hot liquid pouring out of a standard lid, but the Viora eliminates that and feels comfortable. Much in the way that a ceramic mug does.
What Are You Waiting For?
There's so much more to say about the Viora, but nobody has the several months of time it would take to read through all of my thoughts. This is something that needs to be experienced in full before the effects become clear, and I encourage everyone to give this new technology a chance as soon as possible. This little box of lids that appeared on my desk made me think differently about the way we consume coffee on the go. It's been far too long since we've had such an innovation in the way we drink portable coffee, and we owe enormous credit to Barry Goffe, owner of Vaporpath and creator of the Viora lid, for this exciting new way to enjoy coffee.Viora lids are available now at Fortuna Enterprises, LLC. This new design fits industry standard cup sizes, meaning there's no need for additional accommodations upon introduction.
These lids are available in both black and white, in 8 oz., 12 oz., 16 oz., and 20 oz. variations. Give the Viora lid a try!
- Griffin Thomas
Marketing & Communications Manager
Fortuna Enterprises, LLC
Sources:
1. https://www.vioralid.com/
2. The little box of lid samples that changed my life
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