So when you scraped the frosting off that store cake, did your mother in law say anything else at the table or just leave it at that one comment? I ask because a 9 year old not noticing is one thing, but a grown woman calling out the bakery on 5th street in front of everybody is a whole different level of awkward. Did your wife back you up or did you just sit there chewing? And did you ever figure out what actually killed the oven, like a dead bake element or a bad thermostat? My money is on the element, since those usually go mid bake and everything looks fine until you open the door.

That 45 second bloom is one of those things that gets passed around like gospel without anyone asking why. I switched to about 20 seconds for my dark roasts a while back and noticed the same thing, the cup just tastes rounder instead of flat. Now I eyeball it based on how fresh the beans are, older beans get even less time.