Feel Good Friday – Boll and Branch

By Cator Sparks July 25, 2014

While we are constantly on a crusade for quality made products, we are equally aware of the cost of said products. Hand made shirts in Italy are not accessible for most of us on a daily basis. Neither are high-end sheets. Usually they can go for upwards of $500 and they have flowers on them. We just can’t win. Until now.

Since January, Boll and Branch has become one of the fastest-growing brands in the entire home textiles category. The new and dynamic bedding brand has sold thousands of sets of organic cotton sheets with Fair Trade practices as their principle obligation besides damn good feeling sheets too!

Some facts on our new favorite sheets:

They design everything in their own factories.
They sell directly avoiding the middleman and retail stores that jack the price up.
All of their cotton is organic and hand picked making it eco-friendly and incredibly soft.
A portion of every sale is donated to Not for Sale, a non-profit that fights slavery around the world (yes, it still exists).

What we love about this brand is that it really supports farms in need. For example, in the first half of 2014 they used 103,461 pounds of cotton from 105 farms in India, which in turn supports 836 farmers and their families. 250 fairly treated and paid mill workers then make all of their products that are then sent to you.

Based in Chatham, New Jersey, the founder, Scott Tannen and his wife discovered that the bedding business is dominated by a very small number of companies and their mark ups range from 4% to 600% and often are connected to sweat shop labor and poor-quality cotton. Needless to say the company has been thriving because of their quality and cost.

Lastly, they have provided 4,308 rescued victims of human trafficking with a day and night of shelter, food and education through their partnership with Not For Sale. Now that is something you can fall asleep feeling good about.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Cator Sparks was the Editor-in-Chief of The Manual from its launch in 2012 until 2018. Previously, Cator was covering…

Culture

Reacher season 3: Everything we know so far

Get up to date on Reacher season 3!

Alan Ritchson in Reacher.

The era of Jack Ryan may be over, but Reacher is carrying on as one of the best shows on Amazon Prime Video. This action thriller is based upon Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, which previously featured Tom Cruise in the leading role of two different movies. But for Prime Video, Alan Ritchson has stepped into the role of Jack Reacher, a former member of the United States Army Military Police Corps who drifts from town to town and takes justice into his own hands when the local law enforcement isn't enough.

Prime Video didn't waste any time before renewing Reacher for a third season last year. And while new episodes are still several months away, we're sharing everything we know about Reacher season 3.
Which Reacher novel will season 3 be based on?

Culture

The 11 best superhero movies of all time

Here's a short list to start your superhero movie binge

Tom Hardy and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Need a break from real life? Here's a list of the best superhero films to binge. Choosing the best superhero films of all time is no easy task. Ask any fan of superheroes, whether it's the comics or films, and you're guaranteed to get a different list every time. Share your list with others, and the responses will include either nods of agreement, raised eyebrows, or blunt responses that you're dead wrong.
In compiling the list of best superhero films of all time, I tried to keep viewers of all ages and devotion to superhero cinema in mind. My original plan was to include Deadpool on the list until I realized there's an entire generation of movie fans still not allowed to watch the film because of its R-rating. The LEGO Batman Movie also appeared in my initial top choices, but the film felt out of place compared to the other films. (I still recommend LEGO Batman to everyone because it's darn hilarious.) Full disclosure: This list might change as we add and subtract films as they premiere and earn their spot on the list.
After much internal debate, I finally drilled down 11 superhero movie choices for both Marvel and D.C. with personal reasons for each selection. While thousands of fans likely won't agree with this list, few will argue that all these films are fantastic and worth multiple viewings. That said, here's my list of the best superhero movies of all time and where to watch them. Many are available on Disney Plus and Amazon Prime for your viewing for your convenience. Spoilers ahead.

11. Black Panther (2018)

Culture

How long should you let new cigars rest in a humidor?

Cigar humidor

Looking at those beautiful, oily cigars you've just unboxed or unwrapped, the calling to light up is real. I get it. I always want to smoke my cigars right away, too. But you shouldn't. Mail day is always exciting after you've ordered a slew of new cigars. When they arrive, the real fun begins. You'll probably need to organize your humidor to make the new sticks fit or arrange them for optimal humidification. As you're handling them, it's difficult to resist the temptation to crack open the cellophane or boxes and smoke one right away. While you can do that in most cases, I would recommend against it. Depending on where those cigars came from, where you live, and how they traveled, they might need a little time to rest in a humidor. They'll need to replenish some humidity and moisture or dry out a little.
How long should you let your new cigars rest?

When you put cigars in a humidor, especially one that's filled, they'll soak up and release humidity over time until they reach the average RH (relative humidity) that you have set inside your humidor. If you have a device like a that does this automatically, it will produce moisture and humidity to keep the levels optimal. You can also achieve the same thing with in smaller humidors, which release and soak up the humidity to match the levels on the label. Boveda packs come in a range of RH levels, from the low to mid-60s to the mid-70s.