I'm amending my last blog, it's not only been a rough week at our shop, but a rough month.
This week I was starting a morning shift as barista after a few days off, and I was really looking forward to rocking the shift. (And to fully clarify, when I've been away from the espresso bar for any amount of time I feel as if my world isn't right until I'm able to pull a few shots at the vary least.) We just started to get our morning rush of regulars when I noticed that my steam wand was putting off way to much pressure, and my gauges were off. I decided to try to make a regulars drink quick before addressing the problem, but I didn't get the chance before something exploded pretty close to my face.
That's right, I said exploded.
Turns out that we had a pressure safety valve blow, and I just happened to be locking in a portafilter when it did. So much for rocking the shift. After the cloud of steam cleared we had to explain to customers why we couldn't make them anything with espresso or steamed milk, and that our repair guy was on his way from 3 hours away.
When all was said and done, all the needed repairs were barely finished just in time for me to put everything back in order for the next barista.
Thankfully everything has been going smoothly since then, but this month has been one of the worst ... good thing it is almost completely over. :)

And personally, I simply can't wait for my trip to Seattle. My fellow baristi are already sick of hearing me talk about it.