With gear like this, I know I can make better coffee梐nd maybe a cure for cancer while we抮e at it.
A middle-aged woman not much taller than me with short curly hair appears at my side. 揧ou must be Eliza. Hello.?
I smile. 揧eah, that抯 me.?
揋ina Walker. I抦 the head of research and development.?She holds out her hand.
I shake her hand. 揂wesome to meet you.?
揕ikewise. It抯 not every day a fresh face handpicked by Mr. Lancaster personally shows up to join us. I抦 here to help you settle in. Let me show you to your desk.?She leads me to a cubicle. 揥e don抰 spend a lot of time at our desks, but you have a computer and drawers. It抯 good to check your emails whenever you can. Sometimes you抣l be testing all day, and that抯 fine. Just log it as you come in and out.?She picks up a clipboard full of lab sheets. 揟hese go to the testing stations with you, so you can record everything. It抯 important to log each step, ingredient, and device used. If we don抰 record it, we can抰 repeat it, and we certainly can抰 rely on our overworked brains to remember.?
Harsh, but sensible. I nod.
I抳e definitely had my memory hole days where I brewed up the perfect drink and then couldn抰 replicate it to save my life.
Even if everything here is beyond futuristic, I抦 always down for improving my technique.
揈verything happens here,?Gina continues. 揜oasting. Mixing. Brewing. Literally everything. There抯 a place to record observations at the bottom as well. These sheets need to be scanned in daily to keep us current on what works and what doesn抰。 But if you抮e still working late, it抯 no big deal as long as they抮e all in the system by Friday.?
I put my purse in my drawer and grab my clipboard. Maybe too eagerly.
Gina smiles. 揈xcited to get started, huh??
揧ou have no idea. At the risk of sounding like a huge dork, coffee is my life.?
揧ou抮e in good company then.?She laughs. 揕et me show you where the beans are…？
We walk back to the lab area, where there are huge floor-to-ceiling storage compartments with hermetically sealed covers. They抮e all brimming to the top with various beans listed from lightest roast to darkest. Notes about their chemical composition and origins are on the labels, too.
Gawking, I lift one of the covers and inhale the freshest scent I抳e ever smelled because it抯 so good.
For a second, I wonder if I got flattened by a bus the day I walked out of that store after colliding with Lancaster. Because I抦 in heaven.
Gina hands me a small container full of freshly roasted Sumatran beans.
揗r. Lancaster said you made some unusually delicious coffee in a mason jar. He requested we start with that, if it抯 okay with you.?
揑抦 happy to show you, but I brewed it over a campfire. Any idea how we would replicate that in the lab??
揑nteresting.?She taps her chin, thinking. 揥e抣l fire up a grill for starters. If you need to, you can put the kettle directly on the flame. What kind of wood do you need??
I grin.
There are long days and happy days in life.
Miraculously, this is about to be both.
Several hours later, Gina stops by and finds me stirring the pot.
揝mells intense! Is it ready for a taste test??she whispers, adjusting her glasses.
揑 think so.?I ladle a cup for myself and take a cautious sip. I smile as the brew nips at my tongue. 揧ep, ready!?
I ladle out a second cup for Gina.
She takes a tiny sip at first and then a bigger one.
?is that a hint of bourbon? This is amazing.?
揘o actual bourbon, but it does have notes like something that came out of an aged barrel.?I grin proudly while she sucks down the rest of her drink.
Only a few hours on the clock and I抦 already feeling accomplished.
That抯 a rare thing for sure. Of course, if we spent all day drinking our samples, we抎 be so wired we wouldn抰 be able to function.
But clearly, she can抰 help herself with this one. I can tell she抯 giddy before the caffeine even gets into her system.
I expect her to ask for another cup, but instead she says, 揑抦 going to call the lab techs over. Everyone should taste this stuff. Be right back.?She takes a couple of steps and looks back over her shoulder. 揂wesome first day, Eliza.?
Be still, my heart.
A few minutes later, Gina returns with half a dozen people. I serve them each a cup, and they all compliment my coffee with surprising sincerity.
揥ould you be offended if I use cream and sugar? It has a complex flavor, but it抯 very strong,?one woman asks.
揘o. Fix it however you like. You抮e the one drinking it.?
揟hanks! I抦 Chrissy, by the way.?
揈liza,?I say.
揥e all know who you are. I抦 Ryan,?another tech says. He slurps his coffee and gives a fast thumbs-up. 揟his is bussin. Don抰 think I抳e ever had fire-brewed coffee before.?