My Boss's Favorite Coffee Isn't So Great After All

So this week at work has been one of those mind-numbing weeks where everything feels repetitive and a little pointless. Monday to Friday, it’s just staring at the computer screen for hours on end, with a few meetings sprinkled in here and there that don’t seem to matter much. The only highlight is my daily ritual of getting coffee during the lunch break, something small to look forward to amidst the monotony. Now, my boss, let's call her Jane, has been raving about this new brand of coffee she discovered at a trendy café downtown. It’s some fancy-sounding blend with an exorbitant price tag that none of us can afford unless we want to dip into our lunch money. But the way Jane talks about it, you’d think it was magical elixir that could cure all workplace woes. Being the dutiful employee, I decided to surprise her and buy a bag for her as a little thank-you gift for all the late-night emails she sends out, nothing too extravagant, just something thoughtful. So one day on my lunch break, I went out and picked up this fancy coffee expecting it would impress her. Well, the morning came around when I was supposed to present it to Jane. With great anticipation, I brewed a pot and invited her to try it first thing in the morning. She sipped it slowly, then made an odd face that I couldn’t quite read, was it disappointment? Surprise? After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke up with what seemed like forced enthusiasm. “It’s…interesting,” was all she said. Interesting being code for not as good as the café version. The next day, she ordered her usual brand from there again. I’ve been ruminating over it ever since, maybe I misread the situation or maybe my boss just isn’t as into coffee as everyone thinks. Or worse, perhaps I was just being too cautious with my spending and missed an opportunity to really make a lasting impression. This whole week has felt like one big self-doubt spiral because of something so small that shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. At this point, it’s just another item on the list of mundane things I can’t seem to get right at work.