the coffee saga

it has recently come to my attention (and intense embarassment) that one needs to clean one's coffee maker. not just the pot (which i probably do a little more sporadically than i should), but the whole coffee maker. those of you acquainted with me (who, i assume, would be my whole readership...i don't think i've established a japanese fanbase yet) know that i'm rather obsessed with tidiness - i windex my keyboards with cotton swabs, for crying out loud. the necessity of cleaning a kitchen utensil should not have come out of left field (now, i've always wondered, are things just harder to see from left field? why is left field a surprise? hmmmm...).

here is my coffee maker...well, sort of. mine's a little less technologically-advanced. and waaaaaaaaaay dirtier. i couldn't find a good image of a dirty coffee maker online. apparently i'm the only person who might be inspired to photograph, and disseminate, such a thing.



i figure, my home brewed coffee has to be atrocious for a reason. i love coffee. i love coffee more than a lot of people, pets, and...uh...possibly some siblings. my coffee isn't bad for lack of trying. there has to be another factor here.

anyway, so, after some helpful googling, i had my mission. there were some snags, to be sure - who keeps that much white vinegar on hand, really? - but i got the job done:

* vinegar brew #1
* vinegar brew #2
* clean water rinse #1-4

then i scrubbed the hell outta that @#$%er. with a scouring pad. we went hardcore. then, finally, many an hour later, i was ready to brew a fresh pot.

...

and it was @#$%ing atrocious. still. weak, disgusting and just...so...wrong. forced to put my cogitation skills to the test, yet again, i think i've discovered the culprit(s):



this stuff is gross. i think maybe every week i'm going to purchase one less beer, one better bag of coffee. 'cause for the amount of coffee i drink, if i'm going to get an ulcer, i might as well enjoy it.