Cafe, Coffee Events, Education, Inspiring People, Mystery

New Barista Miraculously Dials In Espresso Despite Forgetting Extraction Theory

A barista looks in wonder at the shot he's pulling.

This piece is dedicated to Weihong Zhang, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate. By Josh Rank DUBUQUE, IA– New hire Stephan Grant was shocked to find the espresso he had been dialing in didn’t taste like hot garbage despite having zero recollection of extraction theory. “It’s amazing,” said Grant. “It’s truly like Perger was watching over me.…

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Cafe, Customer Service, Mystery, Roasting

Customer Seeking Freshest Beans Inquires About Beans From The Future

Coffee beans falling into a pile.

This piece is dedicated to Velton Ross, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate. By Caroline Robb NEW ORLEANS, LA— David Lewis, long-time occasional coffee buyer at a popular neighborhood roaster, has always exhibited the highest standards for his take-home pick. “It has to be the freshest,” he told Knockbox reporters in a press conference this morning. “If…

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Cafe, Customer Service

Customer Interprets Pour Over Bloom as Affront to Society

A man in a suit sitting on a couch looks at his watch impatiently.

This piece is dedicated to Umeko Motoyoshi, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate. By Josh Rank BIRMINGHAM, AL– Local mortician David Hallmark watched in horror as a barista at a local cafe started making his pour-over coffee and then, inexplicably, stopped. “He was chugging right along, grinding the beans, getting the water,” said Hallmark. “Then he started…

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Cafe, Customer Service, New Findings

Homemade Charcoal Powder Receives Mixed Reviews From Customers, Health Department

A burning log turns to charcoal.

By Eric Dong This piece is dedicated to Velton Ross, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we appreciate. WALNUT CREEK, CA— A local coffee shop’s attempt at using homemade charcoal powders has received mixed reviews from customers and USDA. “Our espresso is a Columbia-Papua New Guinea blend with notes of dense dark chocolate, vanilla, and a buttery mouthfeel,” owner Jack Haney told Knockbox…

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Cafe, Inspiring People, Staff Drama

Barista Pretends to Initial Checklist Items for Third Straight Day

A barista in blue sunglasses looks proudly at the camera and smiles.

This piece is dedicated to Umeko Motoyoshi, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate. By Josh Rank COLUMBUS, OH– Part-time barista Kyle Fleming set a personal record this afternoon by marking items off the closing checklist without actually doing them for the third consecutive day. “I really thought I was pushing it with two days in a row,”…

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Cafe, Customer Service, Staff Drama

Debate Sparks After New Hire Poses Hypothetical Iced Cappuccino Order

An iced cappuccino with a straw.

This piece is dedicated to Umeko Motoyoshi, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate. By Eric Dong KAILUA-KONA, HI— Chaos broke out at a local cafe today after new hire and ex-Starbucks employee Gabriel Scott posed a hypothetical scenario in which a guest orders an iced cappuccino, sparking a loud and heated debate. Although the conflict began mid-shift,…

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Cafe, Customer Service

Barista Charges Less for Coffee He Doesn’t Like

An espresso in a double-walled glass cup on a wooden table.

  This piece is dedicated to Weihong Zhang, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate.   By Lucas Haladki   NASHVILLE, TN— On looking over his Square receipts for the week, specialty coffee lover Matt Martinez was surprised to find he had been charged $1.75 for “2 xtra shots” at his favorite local shop instead of the regular $3.75 for…

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Cafe, Coffee Events

New Cafe Lets You Cuddle and Adopt Adorable Vampire Bats

A small fuzzy brown vampire bat sits on a white table.

  HONOLULU, HI— You’re probably familiar with cat cafes, but this week, a brand-new concept has emerged with the launch of Honolulu’s beautiful new bat cafe, which allows guests to cuddle with and even adopt adorable vampire bats. With a concept this original, we had to check it out for ourselves. We flew to Hawaii to attend the soft opening,…

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