Thursday.
This was definitely a memorable day for the coffee shop, as their first corporate client with over 100 employees ordered 300 lattes.
Once coffee beans are ground into coffee powder, more than 90% of their aroma will evaporate within two minutes. Many coffee shops even grind a large amount of coffee powder the night before to prepare for the next day's business, but the best baristas require that the time from grinding to making coffee should not exceed one minute.
Blue Mountain is an ambitious barista, so he naturally chose the second option.
The problem is that he needs to continuously produce 300 cups of coffee, which will be delivered to the customer in three batches by Xue Qiandai and Jian Yan. No one can help him with this process because no one can make coffee of the same quality as him.
Jin Xiangyu is also in the store today; it's a matter of great importance.
"Blue Coffee, can we start now?" she asked, clenching her fists, clearly very nervous.
"Handsome Lan, you're going to make history today!" Xue Qiandai whistled, her excitement palpable.
"Blue Coffee, if you get tired, take a break. I'll save time on the way." This is Jian Yan. In this race against time, the deliveryman's primary task is to deliver the coffee to the customer as quickly as possible.
Lan Shan was calm and his gaze was firm, but even more resolute than his gaze were his hands. A stopwatch sat on the bar; he gave the four people in the shop an OK sign and pressed the stopwatch.
The first step is tamping the coffee. The coffee in the portafilter must be evenly distributed, because uneven density after the water flows in will greatly affect the taste. Blue Mountain tamped coffee can be used as a small mirror.
The second step involves frothing the milk while the coffee is being poured into the cup, a process that takes 25 seconds.
Then, Blue Mountain uses the milk froth to precisely control the direction, angle, and pouring speed of the milk pitcher when pouring the espresso, allowing the milk to rise from the bottom of the cup and create beautiful patterns. A latte is then ready.
The entire process took 54 seconds.
Blue Mountain frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the speed. At this rate, it would take four and a half hours to make all 300 cups, almost the end of the day for the customers.
He rubbed his hands together and then made two cups of coffee at the same time.
Xue Qiandai and Jian Yan stared wide-eyed. Was Lan Shan's left hand as nimble as his right?
miracle!
Although it is still 54 seconds, the efficiency has doubled.
"Hey, I'm lame, Brother Lan, you're so handsome! If you were a girl, I'd want to marry you!" You Duoduo couldn't help but almost swear.
Jin Xiangyu smiled broadly, reminiscing about how she had tricked Lanshan into coming to the shop like a treasure; it was truly the most important investment of her life.
Lan Shan smiled and continued making coffee, just as Zhao Jiening said, he was radiant.
Xue Qiandai took out her iPhone 3, and You Duoduo reminded her that there should be a video recording here. After recording, she did some simple editing, adding a softening effect.
"Hey, give me an email address." Xue Qiandai texted Zhao Jiening.
"What do you want?" Zhao Jiening replied instantly.
"Here's a big gift for you. You're welcome. Please call me ***."
Three seconds later, Xue Qiandai received an address.
Damn, what a cool QQ number, six digits!
The video was sent, and everyone continued watching.
Half an hour later, the first batch of coffee was packaged and delivered to the customer by Jian Yan.
It was at this moment that Zhao Jiening strolled into the coffee shop, a DSLR camera hanging around her neck and a delicate little bag resembling a baguette slung over her shoulder.
As if sensing something, Lan Shan looked up and met Zhao Jiening's gaze for half a second. Perhaps he didn't even notice it himself, but the corner of his lips curled up slightly. Zhao Jiening paused, her heart skipping a beat.
Perhaps because there was an extra spectator, Lan Shan moved even faster, showing off his fancy skills.
Upon seeing the arrival of her patron, Jin Xiangyu quickly invited him to one of the only two booths to rest, greeting him with a smile.
Zhao Jiening put her index finger to her lips. "Shh." Don't disturb him.
Then, disregarding her image as a wealthy young lady, she started recording, looking for different angles, and sometimes even squatting on the ground.
An hour later, the second batch of coffee was packed and Xue Qiandai delivered it. Jian Yan returned and was taken aback to see Miss Zhao.
Lanshan was already showing signs of exhaustion, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, but the greater fatigue came from his hands. At this moment, he was more tired than if he had just played a professional e-sports match.
"Duoduo, help me out," Lanshan said, wiping his sweat.
Zhao Jiening stopped You Duoduo and took out a tissue from her bag.
Lan Shan's forehead moved closer, and his pupils dilated unnaturally. Why did the person wiping his sweat change?
"Thank you." The voice was a little hoarse and low.
To Zhao Jiening, this meant she was getting pregnant! Ahhh, this man is so charming! She wanted to have his baby! "No...you're welcome. Would you like to rest for a while?"
Blue Mountain didn't stop, muttering to himself, "At least you don't have to worry. I'll finish the task of ten single-order coffees in nine minutes."
What are you saying? The people in the shop looked at each other in bewilderment.
Zhao Jiening smiled slightly. It wasn't that he hadn't prepared for the weekend's barista competition; rather, he was far too well-prepared. "The coolest barista ever! Boss, you deserve a raise!"
As a family member, I made this request.
"Uh, I know, I know."
Forty minutes later, the third batch of coffee was packaged. Because there was more coffee this time, it was delivered by Xue Qiandai and Jian Yan together.
Lan Shan wiped his forehead, closed his eyes, and then opened them again. His fingers were still trembling, hidden behind his back. This time, he had challenged his limits.
He walked out from behind the bar, his steps not fast, heading towards the door. Zhao Jiening reacted quickly, placing her camera on the booth, taking his arm, and whispering, "Lean on me."
It's not an imperative sentence; it has a commanding tone.
Lan Shan instinctively resisted, but when he met those concerned eyes, he chickened out, realizing that he was indeed very weak.
"Blue Coffee, you..." Jin Xiangyu wanted to ask, but the words stuck in her throat.
Lan Shan smiled, her eyes shimmering with the golden light of the sun. "I'm fine, I just need some rest."
The two arrived at the large sycamore tree outside the coffee shop.
"Help me sit down," Lanshan said softly.
Zhao Jiening didn't care about the dirt, and sat down under the tree with Lan Shan. "Since you're so tired, you can borrow my shoulder."
Lan Shan finally leaned forward, but only placed his hands on his knees; his hands were still trembling uncontrollably.
Zhao Jiening then noticed something was wrong, and tears welled up in her eyes instantly. "Why are you working so hard? Why don't you take care of yourself?"
She held those hands in her hands as if they were the most precious work of art, or a priceless treasure, and began to rub them to help them recover.
Lan Shan didn't even have the strength to refuse. "Just now... wasn't I pretty handsome?"
After saying this, Lan Shan was stunned. He was usually calm and reserved, and not competitive at all, but now, inexplicably, he blurted out those words. Why did he say that to her?
Zhao Jiening hummed in agreement and gently breathed on his hand, saying, "You're incredibly handsome. Even the prince on a white horse isn't as handsome as you."
Lan Shan's face flushed red, and she abruptly withdrew her hand.
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