Small Updates - Fridge Tetris, Coffee Grinder & Finding Spots

These topics do not warrant their own posts, but I thought I would provide some brief updates to previous ones.

First, my Fridge Tetris got slightly easier with the addition of another fridge. That doesn't mean this one isn't also filling up with ingredients, whether they're ferments, things I've prepared for the week, or a collection of different pastes and sauces. I still follow the mantra of putting most things into boxes so they can be stacked, but there's now less need to squeeze everything into the small fridge.

I had a fun motorizing my hand grinder, and it still works like a charm. But recently, I decided to bite the bullet and get a D54 grinder. It's nice to have your beans ground quickly and with decent precision. Let's see how it holds up over time. For filter coffee, I stick with my hand grinder so I don't have to adjust my grind settings too often.

Over the past few weeks, I've been travelling quite a bit again. This meant being in different cities and exploring. There were many great places, but also a few disappointments. In addition to the list I initially posted in my guide, I have noticed a few more things. First, more places are obviously deleting reviews. A place that has been open for a decade will receive a negative review at some point. It is now something that I explicitly check for. Second, I also saw a few places that exchanged good reviews for freebies, such as, drinks. I have been asked by new places in the past to leave an honest review so they can be more easily discovered, which I think is fine. However, asking for a good review and offering something in return makes the entire review system pointless. Ultimately, relying on recommendations from people you trust is still the best option. On the positive side, walking around is still an awesome way to find a spot. For example, I had some time to wait, so I picked a coffee shop to go to. But on the way, I spotted a different one that looked nice, so I went there instead and had a great time.

Things are ever evolving, so I might try present the current state from time to time if there is something to report.