This piece is dedicated to Weihong Zhang, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate.
By Jorge Gadala-Maria
WASHINGTON, DC— After a gallant attempt to dial-in on Monday morning at a busy downtown DC cafe, barista Lindsey Nowles concluded that the coffeehouse’s high-end grinder was simply “being weird” today.
“It could be the heat and humidity, or the fact that the beans are too fresh, but most likely, it’s an issue with the grinder,” Nowles asserted after serving up her first flat white of the day.
Espresso grinders, such as the one used by Nowles, cost upwards of $2,000 but still fall victim to the issue of “being weird” on occasion. As she took notes on her morning dial-in for the next barista on shift, Nowles jotted down that the grinder was malfunctioning and even included a sad face for the afternoon shift’s barista to see.
Observers noticed that the always-cheery barista did not tare the scale to weigh the amount of coffee for each dose when placing the portafilter on the scale.
“I usually just let it fill to the top of the basket and then tamp it,” Nowles told Knockbox reporters. “Most of the time, this works great. If the grinder is working correctly, the espresso usually drops at 5 seconds and fills the demitasse at 30 seconds,” she said.
Luckily, Nowles warned her customers of the grinder’s troubles as she served regulars their drink of choice. She affirmed that things should be back to normal tomorrow.
Jorge can be found quietly judging you while you prepare his espresso and milk drink in the Washington, DC area. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter @porquejorge.
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