Greatest Achievement to Date

My greatest achievement in the lab so far is the purchase of an espresso/flat white machine.  During my last position in New Zealand, I was spoiled with a great coffee maker.  I have changed my definition of great coffee since coming to the Southern Hemisphere.  Here, they have what they call long blacks and flat whites.  A long black is hot water mixed with an espresso and this tastes, surprisingly, great. A flat white is frothed milk, without foam, mixed with an espresso.  The milk gets to a creamy texture as it is heated and the baristas create designs between the espresso crema and the frothed milk.  I've tried making such designs and have failed miserably. 

To the point, I noticed that my new lab had no coffee machine.  The only thing available was freeze dried coffee.  I can handle one of those a day, but anything more and it just tastes horrendous.  So, I have become a coffee snob.  Interestingly, the majority of the lab is interested in good coffee and most people go and buy a $5 coffee from the cafes at least once a day.  I calculated that I was spending over $100/month on coffee.  I mentioned to the boss an idea for increased productivity, a in-lab coffee machine.  My charm worked and within a week we had a coffee machine ($700).  Prior to this, everyone stated to me that the boss would never buy the lab a machine, but no one bothered to ask.  Unfortunately, I am now in charge of the machine, hence the Uncle Sam poster above the machine.  Therefore, I am in charge of bean purchasing and money handling.  My favorite so far is Griffiths (www.griffithscoffee.com.au), but others in the lab prefer McIVER'S (http://www.teaandcoffee.com.au/), specifically the Jamaican blend.  I chose the Cuban blend, just so that I could say I was enjoying some Cubans.  Plus, you can't get it in the States, so it has that sense of doing something naughty.  Anyhow, the standard coffee for the machine is now the Jamaican blend, despite my preferred Griffiths. 

The machine did not come without pain and conflict.  Once it arrived, I got an earful from an individual in the lab who complained about the machine to everyone.  I think a coffee bean may have done something bad to this person at a younger age, or something.  They had a vendetta against the coffee machine and me.  It was really odd.  They stated that I couldn't handle the care of the machine or money collection.  Within a week, I won them over, with a well oiled machine and consistent smell of coffee that diffuses throughout the offices.  It sure beats the other smells around the blood lab.