NCP I guess I'm finally a "car guy". I got coilovers installed in my JDM Mazda MX-5 Roadster (Miata over here), two weeks ago. Did their followup adjustment today. The 20 year old suspension in the sports car was tired, lots of bouncy bouncy, corner roll etc. No more. These are tuned for dampening, ride height, and camber. The car dropped about 2.5" and looks way, way better now (what do you think - see the before and after photos). Ride comfort is surprisingly good, and the car now feels like it is on rails, glued to the pavement, even on the twisty back road / farm roads of the Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island. Cost about $2300 (CAD, parts, labour, alignment), and well worth it. MX-5s, especially the NA-NC models, look like they're on stilts with the factory shocks and coils (see the second pic for my "before" photo). First pic is how the car looks today.

The original Lagom mini carved out a space between manual grinders and bulky electric ones. The new Option-O Lagom mini 2 keeps the same minimalist design but improves everything that matters: burrs, power, workflow, reliability. You get a travel-friendly grinder with filter-first focus, a smarter motor, and wildly capable USB-C portability. CoffeeGeek has the full story. Here's the link (remove the ./ to visit) https://coffeegeek./com/blog/new-products/option-o-lagom-mini-2-first-look/

Speaking of the Lagom Casa, and the Mini, here's how they compare in size. Front view - not too much different in terms of "counter space", but side view tells a radically different story. And keep in mind, the Lagom Casa (the black grinder) is SMALL, compared to what else is out there. But the Mini is TINY.

Been really putting the new grinders from Option-O -- the Lagom mini 2, and the Lagom Casa -- through paces this week. Also discovering every single difference between the original mini and the mini 2. Some big ones (USB-c powered, different burr, auto-off, very usable power brick), some very subtle: - etched Option-O logo not on mini 2 base - etched Option-O brand name not on the side of the mini 2 base - zero point indicator not on mini 2 (the smaller hollow dot). (second photo) - Grind setting marker (the drilled dot on the main grinder body) smaller on the mini 2 compared to original mini. (2nd photo) I actually loved the subtle branding on the original mini, sad to see it gone on the mini 2. #coffee #espresso

Long post ahead - and I'm soliciting your feedback. I'm toying with the idea of changing how we review and score products at CoffeeGeek. Here's our current baseline: 90-100 Best in class 85-89.9 Very Recommended 80-84.9 Recommended 75-79.9 Good Product 70-74.9 Acceptable Under 70: Not Recommended Here's the new structure my team and I discussed. We settled in on "Benchmark" and "Exceptional" to replace the "Best in Class" segment. 95-100: Benchmark. A truly category-defining product that sets a new industry standard. This score is reserved for items that we believe will remain top-of-the-class for years to come. 90-94.9: Exceptional. A top-tier product that demonstrates clear superiority over its competition. While not a benchmark setter, it is an unequivocal leader in its class and a definitive "best buy". 85-89.9: Highly Recommended. An excellent, high-performing product with very few, if any, minor drawbacks. A confident purchase you are unlikely to regret. 80-84.9: Recommended. A solid and reliable product that performs its job well and represents a good value. 75-79.9: Good, with Caveats. A competent product that works, but has notable compromises in usability, features, or build quality that should be considered. 70-74.9: Functional, but Flawed. While the product operates as intended, it has significant issues that detract from the overall experience. Under 70: Not Recommended. We do not recommend purchasing this product due to critical flaws. It will be a bit messy changing historical reviews, so I may leave them alone; I worry about confusion between the old and new. But I am liking the new structure I discussed with my team. It still gives us the headroom we want (reserving anything 95 points or higher for exceptionally rare products), keeps our "best in class" still reserved for 90-95pts, and is still very kind for products scoring in the 80-90 range. What do you think? I'd love to get your thoughts.

Jane Black, over on the Consumed Substack Magazine, did a feature on coffee: Called Coffee: A Buying Guide. An excellent resource for anyone new to specialty coffee, looking for some good basic information on how to find, as she puts it, your "forever coffee". (nb, subscription required - and worth it!)

Coffee: A Buying Guide

With prices hovering near a 50-year high, we'll help you find an ideal cup of joe

A bit of a scoop for y'all. Not much info out there about the successor to the entirely unique and capable Lagom Mini grinder, but that's about to change, thanks to your coffee geekery friends at CoffeeGeek! We have the Lagom Mini II in the CoffeeGeek Lab, and are putting it through all the right paces. What's new? - USB-C powered! - Comes with a USB-C mini 100W power brick that has additional plugs for your other USB charging needs! - Auto Off feature! - Less static, less retention than the original Mini - A bit more quiet too! - Can be purchased WITHOUT the power brick (BYO, but it has to be 100W, PD compliant) for under $300! We'll have a lot more to say, very soon.

Dunno why, but I just love this photo of the 1Zpresso X-ultra grinder, broken down. I took it for our review on CoffeeGeek, published a few months ago. Buried a bit in the article. So I wanted to highlight it here.