I think I may have mentioned before that I am not a morning person. As you can see on my t-shirt design pictured below, my daily prescription is coffee in the morning to get started and bourbon in the evening to relax. As a result I have no problem-solving skills until around 10:30 AM. So when I was faced first thing in the morning with a clogged needle on my indispensable coffee dispenser, I was devastated.
I do have to say that the latest models of Keurigs are the politest machines I’ve ever encountered. When the old ones ran out of water, they just said a succinct “Out of water.” The new ones even say “Please” occasionally when they want attention. But this time I knew I was in trouble. I’m standing there in my PJs, at the crack of 7AM, and the message started with a “Sorry”.
What sort of maintenance rabbit hole had I fallen through? First its telling me I had to deal with pressurized, hot water. I thought this was a coffee maker not a car radiator. Slowly I open the lever, averting my face as if it was something worth saving. Nary a hiss or splatter. So far so good. Now I have to officially reset the thing by removing the pod and lowering the handle. OK that’s no big problem – almost a muscle memory exercise. With all that done, last but not least, what the hell is “Needle Maintenance”?
By now I’m starting to suffer from caffeine withdrawals. I begin the safari through my muddled mind trying to remember where I put the User Guide months ago when I set the machine up. Some may call me anal but I find the guide right where I left it, on the shelf next to the coffee mugs. I look up Needle Maintenance in the English section of this Rosetta stone of a manual. Oh my Goddess! There’s a tool that came with the machine that I need to use to clean the needle. I was barely conscious enough to find the manual and they want me to find a tool?
Every kitchen I’ve ever seen comes equipped with a junk drawer. I’m sure you have one in your kitchen even if you don’t admit it publicly. Its that catchall drawer that over a period of years, magically fills with screwdrivers and screws, brushes and keys. Today’s junk drawer in my house, I find, now comes with a Needle Cleaning Tool.
I follow the instructions which involve filling the tool with water and sticking it where that pod goes, opening and closing the handle a couple of times like everything else you do with the thing and then make another attempt to get a simple cup of morning coffee. Finally the sound and smell of dripping coffee, like a hazelnut scented mountain stream, come to my almost depleted senses. Oh please don’t ever make me go though another early morning like this one.
If you like my daily prescription for life, you can get stuff with this design at my online shop. As an added bonus now through October 4 you can get 15% off.