Today, We Bid Farewell To One Of Our Oldest Employees

This coffee machine, pictured above, was solemnly laid to rest today.

Acquired from KKKarlson in exchange for an advertisement in the summer of 2004, it has diligently served our office ever since. Since then, it has made 55,409 cups of coffee to feed the mangled nerves of various and sundry editors, journalists, interns, graphic designers, salespeople, photographers and distributors over the years.

Although not well known for the quality of its products, it was still a marked improvement, according to one of Grapevine’s founders.

“The predecessor of Aunt Júra was the worst coffee machine, that we and [publisher] Hilmar [Grétarsson] bought when we were renting an apartment in Prague in the winter of 2002,” co-owner of Grapevine Jón Trausti Sigurðarson recalled. “That machine served the office the first summer of publication. May that coffee machine rot in coffee machine hell.”

In point of fact, this machine is one of our oldest employees, having been here longer than anyone apart from Hilmar.

Sadly, last month the machine squeezed out its last cup, and had to be retired. It has since been replaced with a coffee machine that requires an MA in engineering to operate.

Good night, sweet prince. May highly caffeinated angels ferry you to the great beyond on wings of espresso dust.