The other day, my son, Bubba, decided he wanted to make coffee.
"Mama," he said. "How to you make coffee?"
"You put some ground beans in the filter, fill the coffee maker with water, and then wait for it to get finished."
The boy had seen his dad grind coffee beans, so step one was not a problem. He placed a new filter (after a lot of searching for one) in the filter cup. Then came the water part. He carefully inspected the machine to figure out where to put the water. He put his fist into one of the openings. "It's not wet," he said. "It must not go there." He poured the water into the filter, over the grinds.
"Dude!" I said. "The water goes there." I showed him where he had put his fist. "It wasn't wet, because it hadn't been used in a while."
We cleaned up mess one, and tried again. This time, he put the water in the right place, but when the beeper went off, indicating the coffee was done, there was nothing but a few drops in the pot.
We opened the lid. All the hot water was on top of grinds in the filter, but it didn't go through.
"I know what I did," Bubba said. "I didn't take the plastic part out of the filter cup."
We cleaned up mess two, and tried again. This time he got it right.
So, ladies and gentlemen, this is what Bubba learned about making coffee:
1. Grind the coffee beans.
2. Find and insert filter into the filter cup, making sure liquid can pass through to the coffee pot. Remove parts that inhibit this.
3. Add ground beans to the filter.
4. Add water to proper reservoir.
5. Make sure coffee maker is on.
6. Wait for the beep, indicating brewing is finished.
7. Carefully pour coffee into suitable coffee mug.
8. Enjoy.
3rd time was the charm haha now he knows.
ReplyDeleteYep. He's an expert now.
DeleteLots of steps to learn before that cup of perfect coffee can be enjoyed!
ReplyDeleteTrue.
DeleteI don't drink coffee, so problem solved :)
ReplyDeleteI don't either, but it's good to know how to do in case you have to entertain people.
DeleteLove my coffee!! But I had no interest in it until I was in my late teens and it was the only thing I could get for free as a waitress at a truck stop. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Free is good.
DeleteTell him not to get hooked and he'll never have to worry about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I don't drink coffee. I do just fine in the morning without it.
DeleteLoved the story Sherry, you've certainly got an enterprising son there.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Yes, I do.
DeleteHi, Sherry!
ReplyDeleteBubba should write a book called Kitchen Adventures and Misadventures because he has had many of them. Over the years Mrs. Shady and I have had many minor disasters with coffee makers. She has a bad habit of turning the heating switch off when she starts brewing a pot of coffee. Iced coffee is good but room temperature java tastes yucky. We also have problems with paper filters that are either too small or two tall. When we make a full pot using a too small filter the beverage winds up full of grounds. When a too tall filter is used, it folds in on itself and the coffee leaks out all over the counter. So please tell Bubba not to feel bad about being coffee challenged. :)
Happy 4th to you and your family, dear friend Sherry!
I don't think he was phased at all.
DeleteIs Bubba going to take up coffee drinking? I would warn him that it will stunt his growth, but my son became an avid coffee drinker as a teen and he's 6'3". Of course, he might have evened out at 7' without the coffee.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I've already warned him, but that news has fallen on deaf ears.
DeleteThat's a great lesson!
ReplyDeleteFrench press for the next gift-giving-reason?
Good idea!
DeleteHmmm, subtly training him to make all of your coffee from now on? I'd say that's brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHaha! His dad will be pleased.
DeleteNow he knows more than me ;) (I've never made a cup of coffee before in my life.)
ReplyDeleteI probably would have never made one if I wasn't around coffee drinkers.
DeleteYay, Bubba. Making coffee is an art, and my favorite drink. 👍
ReplyDeleteI'll have Bubba make you a cup.
DeleteI wouldn't have a clue, but I've never owned a coffee maker and don't drink coffee. I'm sure he'll be a pro with a bit of practice!
ReplyDeleteIf there wasn't anyone in my family who drank coffee, I wouldn't know how to make it either.
DeleteAt least he's learning through trial and error! Now he has a better understanding of how it all works. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, he does.
DeleteWell done, Bubba. I once made our coffee maker explode and the coffee hit the ceiling in a non-metaphorical way. I have not been allowed to make coffee ever since. The Bollywood Princess can be so strict.
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me of my ginger ale incident. We were cleaning sticky spots off the ceiling two years later.
DeleteLol:) My 4 and 2 year olds are fascinated by the coffee machine. When I make breakfast on the weekends they like to watch thew entire pot fill up.
ReplyDeleteThey'll be able to make their own coffee soon!
DeleteAn important lesson. And I'd be lucky if I could remember how to make it! :)
ReplyDeleteWhere to put the water is probably the trickiest thing.
DeleteI've never made coffee before, but now if I ever need to, I'll actually know how, thanks to this post! LOL.
ReplyDeleteWell then, you're welcome! :)
DeleteLOL. These kids, eh? Life is messy, but if we allow them to make these mistakes once or twice, they'll never forget the lessons they've learned.
ReplyDeleteTrue!
DeleteWell done Bubba!!! He did better than me! LOL!
ReplyDeleteIf it was my first time, I probably wouldn't have gotten past grinding the beans.
DeleteSuch a great story. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeletewww.ficklemillennial.com
Glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteHe could go over to the UK and give lessons! I remember my great-grandma teaching me how to perk coffee when I was five... I started drinking it then, too, with a lot of milk and sugar, which I gave up by the time I was in college (the milk and sugar, not the coffee)
ReplyDeleteThe only way I drink coffee is with lots of sugar and milk. Which is why I don't drink it. :)
Delete