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In the midst of March, we're struck by the cruel dichotomy of awakening spring light and the burial of the brutal chills of winter. During this time, the rising sun tickles early buds but crisp sheets of ice linger in the periphery of the landscape and stern winter gusts remind us that we have a ways to go before the vernal equinox. It's not quite winter, but not yet spring, and this limbo of transitional seasons consistently leaves us restless and dissatisfied. Yet all of our seasonal unrest is instantly, effortlessly, and frankly deliciously settled by a warm cup of yuja-cha or honey citron tea. Available in most Asian markets, this Korean treat arrives packaged as luminous jars of golden marmalade "created by curing [citrus] into a sweet, thick, pulpy syrup" (1). When mixed with hot water, the glistening sticky jelly dissolves into a foolproof citrus tea. Yuja-cha is not technically a tea in that it contains no dried Camellia sinensis leaves; rather, it is an herbal beverage made from gently submerging and steeping citrus paste in hot water until it alchemizes and emerges as a sunrise of flavor. Our favorite yuja-cha features a bountiful bouquet of floral honey and tangy citrus—typically a yuzu or citron—that introduces us to spring with the whispered scent of blossoms humming in the familiar warmth we come to cherish in winter. The tinge and subtle bitterness of the partial rinds scattered within the marmalade balance the bee gathered nectar to create a sweet tea that isn't in any way overpowering. And the presentation of these flavors as a thick, syrupy marmalade provides the opportunity for a perfectly personalized cup. Some tea connoisseurs prefer a densely concentrated orchard of citrus produced with a generous serving of jelly, while others favor subtly and add a modest teaspoon to their cups. Some are purists and find the simplicity and balance of traditional yuja-cha superior while contemporary and curious consumers experiment with playful yuja-chas made with luscious quince or pears or those scented with spicy ginger. Here at ARCANISA, we're typically purists as it's hard to challenge the time honored pairing of citrus and honey. Plus, there is an undeniably nostalgic, medicinal characteristic that arrives with the combination of citrus and honey. Perfect for soothing sore throats and easing the discomfort of colds, a warm cup of yuja-cha can work magic on those ensnared in the battle with common colds by serving as a dose of necessary vitamin C and antibacterial honey or just as a comforting mug of brew. And the versatility doesn't end there. Try adding some yuja-cha to ice water for a cool summer refreshment, or use it in place of traditional marmalades on toast, atop yogurt, and in any recipes that can be elevated by a hint of sweet citrus. But now, as we wait for the official arrival of spring, we believe yuja-cha is best experienced and enjoyed as a steamy cup of tea. In closing, we invite you to watch this fantastic video, demonstrating the elegance of yuja-cha preparation to the whimsical narration of a song dedicated to this delightful drink. Embrace this brief but magnificently dynamic season of transition, nestled quietly between winter and spring, by indulging in a warm cup of tea that foretells the bounties of eager spring.

It would be a disservicing understatement to say we've been waiting all year to share this Valentine's Day gift suggestion. In earnest, this is one of our all time favorite gifts; one that puts metronomic boxes of foiled-wrapped chocolates and idiomatic rose bouquets to shame. So now, without further ado and with inarticulably abounding excitement, we invite you to discover the intimacy, expressivity, and unexpected romance of aesthetic text with the gift of signature digital handwriting. Consider how frequently you communicate with your partner* via technology. Employing text messages, emails, shared documents, and instant chats, we spend a significant portion of our modern relationships conversing digitally. In the current information age, your typed text is your voice—your digital handwriting— and its visual weight dictates the tone of your messages as much as the content of your language. When we write to one another virtually, our voices are often depersonalized by the monotony of default typefaces. While Microsoft attempts to reassure us that its pre-set, Arial, is an accurate digital rendering of a shared contemporary voice, one with "more humanist characteristics...in tune with the mood of the last decades of the twentieth century" (1), it is impossible for a single font to appropriately represent all of the diverse voices buzzing within a platform's user population. So this Valentine's Day, move beyond the uninspired defaults and present your loved ones with a digital voice that fully conveys how you feel about them with signature typefaces. *we use the singular designation for partner and significant other throughout this feature but know that we fully support you sharing this gift and your affections with any/all of your partners, playmates, galentines, palentines, or just with yourself as an act of self-love. Absolutely all love is celebrated here! While it's easy to appreciate the inherent aestheticism of type designs, we believe a bit of background on our typeface gift pick is important to understand, with completeness, the unrivaled exceptionalism of typeface valentines. Many years ago while in university, we were too preoccupied by our insatiable intellectual curiosities and newfound freedoms to settle into any meaningful meditations on sustainable romance. Our youth and passions felt limitless, our sheer existence was an unvarnished—albeit slightly performative—presentation of our ceaselessly colorful emotions, and we were entirely unencumbered by the pressures of finding eloquently romantic gifts. In the midst of this blissfully naive sensationalism, we one day found ourselves in the gentle company of the most venerated of collegiate wisemen: our Resident Advisor (RA). A senior with a self-assured suaveness that our bewildered freshmen personas could only dream of, our RA was in the midst of trekking through a deeply nuanced research jungle with the ultimate goal of producing a thesis in Japanese studies. During discussions about his thesis, we were introduced to a petrophilic Japanese tradition that solidified itself as our romantic gift-giving keystone and ultimately inspired our typeface valentines. The custom, as relayed to us by said RA, involved the utilization of natural stones as mediums of emotional expression. One would identify, with fated spontaneity, a stone that embodied the way they felt about a person. After collecting the stone, the person then sent or otherwise shared it with their emotional muse, the object of their fondness. The exchange, likely a folkloric manifestation of gong shi or suiseki aestheticism, struck us as one of the most sincere and poetic forms of romantic communication. The indelibility of our youthful gift-giving cavalierness was shaken by an unassuming pebble in the palm and we were instantaneously and irrevocably entranced by the hypnotic ponderance of such a simple and profound gesture of love. If you're anything like us, you might be overcome by a sudden rush of inspiration to stroll along rocky shorelines and through mountainous paths with the hope of stumbling upon the stone that epitomizes the fervor of your ardency. However, sending your loved ones a rock will likely be received devoid of your lustrously romantic intention. As one of our peers noted, "to those unfamiliar with the [Japanese] practice, a rock on Valentine's Day is roughly as heartwarming as coal on Christmas". So we turned to typefaces as our contemporary interpretation of this storied custom, one adapted to our increasingly digitalized romantic world. In preparation for this Valentine's Day, rather than waiting for the perfect stone to reveal itself, scour the internet for the typefaces/fonts that epitomize your feelings for the special people in your life. Take a moment to thoughtfully listen to the full symphony of feelings you have for your partner and observe which emotional notes carry the melody of your relationship. Does your partner leave you intoxicated with dauntless adventurism? Empowered with an emboldening sense of sultry confidence? Electrified with a spark of creativity and artistic inspiration? Enlivened with wondrously child-like playfulness? Or awe-struck with wholesome comfort and undying loyalty? Are your feelings smooth like a Sunday morning cup of coffee or as sharp as a deliciously quick wit? Do they paint you in a smoky glow of Hollywood glamour or transport you to the pristine serenity of private zen gardens? Allow this melody to narrate your typeface search until you arrive at a style that epiphanically and euphorically moves you. Like true love, there shouldn't be a sense of ambivalence; we believe this is a 'you know it when you see it' pursuit. Fortunately, there is a seemingly endless pool of available designs to choose from and the optionality doesn't end with published font offerings! You can collaborate with type designers to create one of a kind, individualized typefaces unique to you and your partner. Once you've discovered or designed your ideal font, offer it as a gift to your partner; establish the selected style as your signature, visual love language. Commit to exclusively use your chosen font in digital correspondences with your significant other. Commission a work of contemporary art inspired by and prominently featuring your graphic typeface or order stationary, designed using your font, for moments when you're inspired to put pen to paper. Use your typeface as digital handwriting to add an enhancing amorous visual to a digitally-penned love letter or transform a tediously mundane email into a quiet reminder of your adoration. Fonts hold unquestionable communicative weight yet remain an overlooked aspect of our virtualized relationships. The subtle act of changing a font can assign a private, coded tone of affection to an otherwise prosaic medium. Apprehensive about expressing yourself and your relationship through typeface? Not to worry. Instead, set out to find a font that embodies the characteristics you love about your partner. Is your partner extroverted or introverted? Are they bold? Sleek? Whimsical? Effervescent? Charming, organized, imaginative, industrious, reserved, or refined? Let the traits you cherish guide you to a font that is an effortless and recognizable extension of your partner's personality; one that visually communicates the very best of who they are. Similar to a signature fragrance, a gifted type design may become your significant other's aesthetic digital signature. Bear in mind, how you see your beloved may not be how they wish to present to themselves to others. As such, we favor selecting a font that epitomizes your feelings and using that font yourself in correspondences with your partner. We are admittedly hopeless romantics and each year we strive to pinpoint the most appropriate way to translate the complexity, and often monumentalism, of our amorous ardors into tangible Valentine's Day gifts. Unfortunately, when commercialism conspires with Cupid to bombard us with heaps of saccharine hearts, the individuality of our valentines can dissipate as quickly as a flutter of Cupid's wings. Amidst a dizzying sea of trivial trinkets and chocolate-covered treats, typefaces and fonts stand alone as personal, intimate, and accessibly expressive Valentine's Day offerings that are sure to leave your loved ones weak at the knees. Below, we've included designs from some of our favorite type foundries to inspire you as you being you typeface escapades; simply click on a photos below to be redirected to the corresponding foundry page. Discover more Valentine-worthy gifts by browsing the Holiday Gift Guide or by shopping the collection of items available in our store.

Today—the finale of our 30 day 2021 Holiday Countdown!—our featured gift epitomizes the ‘last but not least’ aphorism. With gift giving deadlines rapidly approaching, we saved this pick for last, not because it wasn’t worthy of an earlier spotlight, but because it’s digital availability makes it ideally suited for last minute, shipping-free shopping. From prescient art advisor and fundamentally phenomenal human being, David Behringer, The Two Percent premium membership service is a digital door to the art world through which one is introduced to the nuances of contemporary conceptualism and to the unraveling mysteries behind outstanding—but less than illustrative—installations. "David Behringer is founder of The Two Percent, [the] highest rated private gallery tour company in NYC… For the last 17 years, he has visited over 40,000 contemporary art exhibitions, uncovering and sharing the most exciting artists today through private tours and various written/video educational resources." (1) As art lovers and Miami residents, we have spent our fair share of time grazing through the luscious abundance of newly sprouted art gallery exhibitions and navigating the hoards of tourist-minded patrons in the corridors and booths of Art Basel. But, as all art lovers know, there is a limitation to how much art we can make time to see and, more importantly, how much art we have the resources to understand. Especially true with contemporary pieces, the artists’ inspiration for and conceptualization of the works are as important to a complete understanding and appreciation of the pieces as the initial emotional evocation. It is unfortunately impossible to understand, with completeness, every piece exhibited in every gallery, in every city, particularly given the restrictions of this peaking period of the pandemic. Because of this reality, we turn to experts like Behringer, who dedicate their lives and enviably expansive mental energies to understanding art world offerings, for both wisdom and guidance. In his own words, “because 98% of art is boring, let us save you time and show you the best 2% of contemporary art in New York City” (2). We emphatically agree! Behringer, based in New York, visits galleries and art shows sifting through the roughage and compiling an astonishingly rich mental library and a monumental breadth of artistic experience. He then calls upon this canon of knowledge to curate collections, presented as guided tours, newsletters, and video explanations, through which he shares the brief moments of found brilliance with us mere mortals. When it comes to the art of the Big Apple there is no one—honestly, no one—we trust more than Behringer. Not only does he share ingenious works we would have otherwise missed, he explains why one should appreciate them and offers his own insightful and often instinctual relationship with each piece. Art is a deeply personal experience—one that demands a level of vulnerability in addition to a strictly academic dissection of meaning—and it can be challenging to find experts who are willing and able to guide with authenticity, openness, and candor. Behringer’s sincerity creates an approachable and engaging atmosphere of learning—free of the all-to-common pedantic pretension—that appeals to art world novices and veterans alike. There is objective verity in his descriptions of each piece; he winds through the history of the artists’s process and pilots us through the significance of the placement of the work and the intentionality of its interaction with surrounding space. Through his content, Behringer introduces us not only to newly exhibited art but also to his profoundly unique perspective—one that is a remarkable marriage of intellectualism and intuitiveness. Most importantly, he invites us to develop our own perspectives and provides us with the ample tools with which to do so. Let’s talk a bit more about what comprises The Two Percent premium content and why we think it makes an absolutely unrivaled gift. Here is Behringer himself expounding his two premium offerings: the “1 Year Tour” which shares a recorded guided gallery experience featuring 2-3 exhibitions every two weeks for the entire year and The Back Room weekly newsletter designed for those with a minimum $10,000 art budget who are specifically interested in acquiring new works and advancing their art collecting strategies and skill sets. Additionally, members are granted access to The Two Percent’s map lists: maps of New York onto which Behringer overlays current, spotlight-worthy exhibitions and provides a brief description of what one should keep an eye out for when visiting them. For the art-loving New Yorkers on our list, this map alone is worth the membership fees! The addition of the comprehensive, insider-acquired insight into the world of art acquisition offered in The Back Room subscription solidifies the service’s standing as a life changing gift for those with the financial resources, artistic acumen, and drive to collect that is reasonably required in order to take value from the newsletter. And for those residing outside of The City, those just beginning their dives into the depths of contemporary art, and those simply with a thirst for knowledge and insatiable curiosity, the 1 Year Tour membership makes an incredible gift. There aren’t many opportunities for us to see the world through the eyes of experts, especially those who are as captivating as David Behringer, so each time we get the chance it feels like magic! Through this membership, you’re gifting your loved ones that moment of wonder, of discovery, and of scholarship every two weeks. We truly can’t imagine a more enticing offering. So there you have it: 30 days of holiday gifts! We hope you’ve found inexhaustible inspiration and support for your planning of outstanding winter celebrations. Next week we'll return to our regular content but, similarly to last year, we’ll make the Gift Guide content available year round so you can return whenever you need birthday, anniversary, and just-because gift ideas! Have a wondrous and healthy holiday season! Cheers to you, our phenomenal audience! Stay tuned for next week when we return to our non-gift content. Holiday Gift Guide Day 29 >

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