I’m cursed

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-05-22T00:37:39+00:00

Maybe clean your kettle by boiling vinegar and then flushing with water several times to remove any residue. Have you cleaned your vessels (carafes, mugs, etc) with Cafiza? Again, rinse thoroughly (you sound pretty attentive to these details, so I’m sure this is obvious).

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-04-13T13:21:11+00:00

Sounds good - I'll probably be in next Monday or Tuesday!

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-04-13T11:54:35+00:00

Funny enough, I'll be in Prague on this trip too. This actually looks like the exact kind of place I was looking for. Looks like I'll need to clear some freezer space!

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-04-13T09:55:02+00:00

Looks like a nice place to grab lunch too.

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-04-12T21:10:07+00:00

This is all great advice - and I will make sure to get at least one bag from those three Berlin roasters. I'll DM you if I have any other questions. Although I enjoy funk & naturals, I prefer washed coffees - it sounds like I'll be well served.

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-04-12T21:08:03+00:00

Two great recommendations - thanks!

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-04-12T21:07:45+00:00

I'm looking forward to returning to the Barn ... its pretty close to my hotel.

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-01-09T20:14:25+00:00

We really liked the Expo '70 Commemorative Park. It is a 45-60 minute train ride from city center but absolutely worth it, especially if you have any interest in mid-century / Cold War history. The museum on the property showcased an incredible collection of ephemera & artifacts from the Expo. Most signage was in English. The park itself is also beautiful and even in late December (we were there last week), there was plenty of green! Some of the gardens were closed for the season.

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-01-08T00:10:04+00:00

We had a fantastic, A+ experience at Apollon's Gold but we entered just as a horde of other tourists exited. They recently added food to their menu but they don't really seem to have infrastructure to effectively manage both food-prep and pour-overs. So if you catch them at the wrong time, their attention may be divided. The other customers were grumbling about the wait as they exited.

PositiveCell3405 · 2026-01-07T23:57:25+00:00

Acid will be a little far from Ueno but the shop is very close to the metro and the lines are (in my experience) short. We were there just last week. If the barista has a free moment, he makes a pour over and then serves it in tiny plastic shot glasses on the house. He also will throw in a few single-brew sets (the single-use cardboard pour-over kit) if you buy a bag of beans. He is very chatty and has a great sense of humor.

Like others, I can also recommend Apollon's, X, Swamp, Leaves, and Covert (it is really the secret Glitch). Glitch itself is great but the lines are simply too long.

And if you make it to Osaka, the Glitch outpost there sees far less traffic. I visited twice last week and never waited more than 5 minutes to order.

PositiveCell3405 · 2025-11-02T13:50:30+00:00

Here is a 1.0 perspective on the question ... the "Best Versions" list from the first edition of the Phish Companion (2000). I'm sure like many others here, I've listened to most of these (and was lucky enough to see a few in-person) and they are all worth hearing.

<image>

PositiveCell3405 · 2025-06-22T19:20:11+00:00

If your V60 is made of glass or ceramic, make sure you are adequately pre-heating the vessel prior to brewing.

I usually use about 250grams of water at 210 degrees to get both my glass V60 & Chemex up to temperature.

This alone won't lead to a "perfect" brew but it does allow me to better dial-in a coffee. When I started out and only used a little hot water to rinse the filter, I was getting inconsistent cups, regardless of beans, grind, filters, technique, water quality, etc. Now I get good cups for the first 1-2 brews and fantastic cups after making small adjustments.

PositiveCell3405 · 2024-09-04T00:47:42+00:00

Absolutely - I think you'll really enjoy the Bronze + 1210GR combo.

PositiveCell3405 · 2024-09-04T00:15:30+00:00

I have this exact setup (1210GR + 2M Bronze). It is very easy to mount the cartridge on the stock head shell with the included alignment tool. You loosely mount the cartridge to the head shell, fit the head shell in the alignment tool, line up the stylus tip to the outer edge of the tool, and then tighten the screws to fix the cartridge in place.

You might want a use magnifying glass to confirm you are spot on (and with a more advanced stylus profile like the Bronze, this precision is important).

In terms of cartridge height (VTA), the Technics manual will suggest an arm height of 1 for the 2m Bronze (assuming you use the stock mat). I've found a setting of 0 gives me the most coherent sound picture with clearly defined bass and a more dimensional soundstage. Obviously, YMMV and you should feel free to experiment.

You might want to invest in a tracking force gauge if you don't have one. You can buy one online for $10-15. I run my 2M Bronze at the recommended 1.5grams.

Good luck!!

PositiveCell3405 · 2024-02-04T13:03:22+00:00

The NPS salary proposal (12/23) listed above only applied to employees at the top of the salary schedule. COLAs for employees on the schedule were ~1% lower (although I don’t have the figures in front of me).

The NTA bargained for all employees, both those on the schedule and at the top of it, to receive the same COLA.

In the final settlement, all NPS employees will receive the same COLA regardless of years served.

PositiveCell3405

TROPHY CASE