Andrea Maybaum

Gunther came to train me how to use the coffee machine and I am thoroughly overwhelmed. I’m still not sure whether or not this coffee maker can simultaneously knit me a sweater and drive the space shuttle by remote-control, but nothing would surprise me.

Eventually I turned to Gunther – this kid who was decked out in full black, little round glasses, spiked hair – and simply said: “How do I make coffee with the darn thing?” And thankfully he finally realized that I’m not cool, not hip, and not a coffee maven – I’m just a gal who’s starting a coffee shop and who wants to make a nice cup of coffee for her customers. I mean really, that’s not too much to ask is it?

So I learned how to make coffee and I have to say, the coffee is pretty fantastic. I did finally decide on a coffee supplier, and the coffee met with grudging approval from Gunther. He’d really prefer that I use another brand, but his recommendation is almost exactly twice as expensive as my choice so I’d have to charge over a dollar more than the national chain two blocks over. Not going to happen.

Given that I wasn’t going to take his very expensive advice, Gunther relented and made a couple of very sensible suggestions about getting the best from the brand I’m using. He suggested that I go back to the supplier and ask for a slightly lighter roast, and a finer grind … this machine brews a little hotter than some other commercial models, and a lighter roast will produce a slightly mellower drink than the blend I had chosen.

Oops, I just got a call from mission control, and they need me to adjust the orbit before reentry, so I’ll be back later.

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