Stuff I swear by

My wife asked me today which sneaker I'd choose if I had to wear it for the rest of my life.

The answer was an easy one. I am a big fan of the New Balance 990v3. It's comfy, sturdy and in my opinion quite versatile for complementing different outfits.

This got me thinking about other stuff I'd generally swear by. Here's a small list:

  • AirPods Pro.

    • I've gone through 3 of them already. The first one had battery issues. The second one's earpieces fell into the sink while I was doing the dishes. The third one, while functional, is already showing signs of its microphone failing. However, it's one of those devices that I use so much on a daily basis that I couldn't contemplate how it would be without it.

  • Uniqlo U AIRism Cotton Oversized Crew Neck T-Shirt

    • This shirt is incredible. It's made of a Cotton-Polyester blend which makes it very breathable and comfortable to wear during all seasons. I love the oversize look too and in my opinion it can be dressed up or dressed down based on your preferences.

  • Athletic Greens

    • It tastes horrible and I've still not gotten used to the taste after months of taking it but it's still something I'd happily do everyday. The amount of benefits I've seen after taking it is amazing and it has also been one of the key factor in helping me lose 25kgs of body weight in 2022.

  • An Espresso machine

    • My personal preference is the Breville Barista Express but any decent entry-level espresso machine is such a game changer if you're into coffee. I love my routine of making coffee for me and my wife every morning. We also really enjoy trying out different beans from our local roasters here in Hamburg.

  • Santal 33

    • I usually dislike wearing any kind of fragrances since I am quite sensitive to smells and most fragrances I've tried to use in the past were never anything I'd want to stick to. Until I've come across Le Labo Fragrance's Santal 33. It's one of those fragrance that has a long-lasting smell but not overwhelmingly so. I've gotten so many compliments about it and thoroughly enjoy applying it daily.

Coffees of Berlin

The wife and I spent a great week-end in Berlin. The primary motivation to travel to Berlin was to try some local coffee roasters and it did not disappoint at all. Here are my recommendations, if you're ever in Berlin:

  • Bonanza Coffee Roasters - I loved everything about their coffee shop in Kreuzberg. The baristas were nice, the whole place was very aesthetic and the coffee was incredible.
  • The Barn - Recognised as one of the best coffee roasters in Europe, I had to go there and try it in person. It was great and I also bought some beans to bring back home.
  • Five Elephant - It was a bit crowded and we had to wait a bit but the coffee was absolutely worth it. I also got some of their beans to try at home.

Upgrading the barista express

My colleague got his Sage (or Breville, if you're outside of europe) Barista Pro coffee machine today.

The Sage Barista Express (or Pro) is usually the coffee machine I recommend to any beginner who wants to upgrade their coffee game. With the default accessories, you can easily pull great espresso shots.

However, with some minor upgrades, you can also increase the quality of espresso you can get out of the machine. Here are some of my favorite accessories that I got from Normcore:

Berlin

I will be in Berlin, with the wife, on April 29th.

This is only the second time I am going to be in Berlin after living in Germany for about 4 years but, the last time I've been there I was really surprised by how different it was compared to Hamburg.

English, as a language, seems to be more widely used which is, of course, attributed to the fact that the general population of Berlin is quite diverse.

This time around, I am really excited to go try out some coffee shops including The Barn, Fjord Coffee and Five Elephant.