Yes, you are correct. There were several cases where customers was allowed to make their own blocks within their shop using a commercial block maker, and harvested their blocks daily. Although this set up was brought up during the initial inspection upon opening their shave ice store. Most of the inspectors usually require the machine to be placed in an enclosed area or separate room to prevent contamination. Always check with them first before making any purchasing decision would be the ideal choice.

I'm very confused as to what kind of water will produce the best shave ice block. I'm using filtered tap water, and no matter how many different combinations of tempering/shaving/packing/pouring I try , when I pour on the syrup on the ice becomes slushy. Is it maybe the water itself or my way of freezing it? I've seen some people suggest mineral water, and on the other end people suggest distilled water. What is better? Harder or softer water? Is it better to freeze slow or fast, colder or warmer? I'm so confused.

Right now I'm just experimenting with this at home with the hopes of opening up a shave ice business in a couple of years.

I use filtered well water and have no issues. Are you tempering your ice before using? Are you using a pourer or just pouring a heavy stream from the bottle?

Thank you for replying. I have been experimenting a bit more and I was probably shaving the ice a little too fine before and pouring the syrup a little too fast. I am getting better at it, but I still can't seem to make a ball shape that stays somewhat ball-like after the syrup is poured. Maybe I just need more practice. Thank you.