5mo ago

Aotearoa Weekly Kōrero 7/3/2025

Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!

This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.

It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:

Something interesting that happened to you
Something humourous that happened to you
Something frustrating that happened to you
A quick question
A request for recommendations
Pictures of your pet
A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)

So how’s it going?

35 comments

How high is too high mileage before you guys would rule out a car?
We're looking for an occasional 7 seater, but every one I see in our area and budget is either either in between 100-200k KM's or just really old. Don't particularly want an SUV, but none of the vans or people movers are looking great either.
- @eagleeyedtiger @Dave, some vehicles have totally sound motors into the high 200k kms.
  (service history and check up is good, also shows what's been changed/new and how long ago)
  Check rubber mounts and suspension, they add to a quiet, comfortable drive and a more secure one, they often show wear at around 100 to 120k km, check replacement.
  I'd go for a model that sold plenty so there are spare parts if necessary and an economic one (saves money on petrol and better for environment).
  
  Thanks, I think that's what's worrying me is that some of them are near 200k and are more than my initial budget, which means there's also potentially maintenance work that would be needed as an additional cost. Not to mention also fitting the other criteria I'm looking for. Definitely want something that's cheaper on maintenance and parts.
- Depends on the budget probably..
  Over or near to 200k KMs would probably worry me a bit, but personally I wouldn't think twice about one in the 100-150k KM range so long as it's otherwise good.
  I personally would prioritise getting newer safety features over worrying about the KMs, so long as the car is generally in good shape.
  
  Maybe I need to revise my stance then, I'm so used to always looking for smaller cars with lower KM's, but the asking prices for some of these high mileage SUVs is crazy to me, some are close to new car non 7 seater prices.
  The other frustration is trying to figure out what models and engines are good and which are duds, so much conflicting information on basically every model I look up.
OK so I think I've got black coffee going alright with my espresso machine. The grind, tamping, extraction time and volume of espresso seem right.
But I am seriously struggling with a milky coffee. I can froth up the milk with the steam wand fine, and heat it until the jug feels quite hot, but when I put it into the mug the coffee just isn't that warm. I have tried heating it like crazy and it doesn't seem to keep the heat. I always end up having to microwave it for 20 seconds.
Anyone got any tips on how to make a hot milky coffee? Should I be heating the mug?
- My mum always insisted on a warm cup and us kids would make fun of her. But now I'm drinking coffee I appreciate how it makes the coffee stay hot that little bit longer!
  Are you fully submerging the steam wand into the milk to heat it through or just keeping it near the surface for bubbles. That would make a difference in the overall milk temp. And because metal conducts heat really well, it's probably getting hot before the milk. I think for properly warm milk it's supposed to be almost to hot to touch (although my old memories from working in a cafe may be lying to me)?
  
  I'm heating the milk by fully submerging the steam wand after creating the foam.
  I have tried heating the jug until it's so hot I can't touch the bottom, and the end result is still a not-hot-enough coffee. My theory is the cup absorbs the heat. Did you pre-heat the cup when you were working in a cafe?
- Heat the cup first.
  
  How would I do that. The steam wand?

35 comments