davemerrill

My current work-site has two k-cup machines: a Keurig and a Ninja. I use a reusable pod, so I'm not picky about which machine I use.

Recently, the Keurig was doing a shit job and spitting water out of the head, then not filling my 12 oz. tumbler all the way. I figured this was a result of a device intended to be used once or twice a day suffering from overuse.

Here is where I wonder if the use of single-serving coffee machines is changing office culture. With a traditional coffee-maker, you make a pot of coffee for yourself and your coworkers. There is a communal aspect to brewing a full pot for all to enjoy (or complain about) and the process takes longer, giving one time to chat with others waiting for their daily fix. The single-serve cup is quicker but a private affair. If there's a line for coffee, it's for use of the machine.

Anyway, the other night I saw that the Keurig had been unplugged. It is broken enough that someone has--literally--pulled the plug. Coffee is now Ninja or nothing.

Again, I interject: I have my reusable pod, but a coworker also has one. He's on days and I'm on nights and mine is steel and his is plastic, but there is no thought of either of us using the other's. The brew-pod is as private as the mug. While both of these handy gadgets live in the same cabinet and on the same shelf, they are not shared across shifts the same way a docking station or keyboard might.

As the Ninja is the currently preferred device, it receives the most use. This is where the woe comes in.

Because I employ a re-usable pod, I have to wash and dry it before its next use. The grounds are dumped in the sink, the pod is cleaned and dried, and then I wash the grounds out of the sink. This just seems like basic decency.

The last five times I've gone to use the machine, there is someone's used pod still in it.

Luckily, I have a label-maker and I'm going to add a little reminder to the machine. We'll see what happens.

This article is what got me thinking about it.