Tony Hatfield's Retired Ramblings

Coffee Anyone?

This morning I got up as usual and switched on our coffee machine. It’s a Gaggia Classic. Apart from a couple of times I’ve descaled the thing, and cleaned its accessible innards-not many- it’s not been through the machine’s equivalent of the M.O.T. No annual service. Despite my lack of care, it must have produced pints of wonderful espresso without complaint in the three years since it arrived. My lack of attention caught up with me this morning. A few drops of water fell from what I think is called the “brew head”, the pump made an unusual groaning noise and the water flow stopped abruptly. It was clear none of that unctuous brown, caffeine-laden liquid, was destined to lubricate the Rambler’s tonsils this day. So it’s to the telephone- first-stop the shop where it was purchased. Anyone agree that one of the most irritating of today’s inventions is the automated telephone answering system? After ten minutes pressing various keys and being assured my business was valuable, down went the phone. Second stop, and I have now little difficulty in a bit of boosting here, was Fenwick Limited , one of the oldest department stores in Newcastle. A real operator on the phone and a transfer to someone who seemed to know what she was talking about. “ Yes sir we can send it back to Gaggia for you” and “yes, they will give you an estimate before they carry out any work”. And the most surprising offer of all “ yes we have a machine we can lend you whilst yours is away”! On a roll like this, I wondered whether I should break the habit of a lifetime and buy a lottery ticket this week! Within the hour a steaming espresso had dribbled into a cup, mingled with a large amount of granulated and the caffeine in the resulting mixture was undergoing separation within my inaccessible innards!

Cheers

posted by Tony @ Thursday, January 27, 2005