I brew in your general direction

For all of the Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail fans out there, I bring to you an adaptation of the rude French guy guarding the castle.  I'm pretty sure this is my favorite scene from the whole movie. 

This sign is one of the originals, and is a favorite by many.

"Brew another pot if you take the last cup, or I shall taunt you a second time-eh"
"I fart in your general direction"

Just remember to fill it up, meow

Here's a great sign from a scene in Super Troopers where a couple of cops have a contest to say "meow" as many times as possible when they pull a guy over.  In the movie, they really only substitute "now" for "meow", but it's definitely possible to get more creative than that...

Happy Thanksgiving!

This one is definitely random, but it seemed important to have a holiday-themed coffee pot sign.  By the time I posted this last year, it seemed like most people were already out of the office for vacation.  This year I'll remember to post it a bit earlier.  Or ideally, one of you has come up with a better Thanksgiving-themed sign!  (nudge nudge)

This will be the only post for this week, but I'll start back up with 3 per week next Monday.

Full Pot. Groovy.

My coworker Eric took a different approach to coffee pot signs.  Instead of focusing on the caption as a one-liner, he makes signs of a scene with a coffee cup or pot subtlety photoshopped in.  Once a workplace is used to the signs (and understands what they're for), introducing these "meta-signs" are a great idea.  However for this one, I was able to come up with an effective caption.

If you aren't familiar with the cult classic Army of Darkness, or if you are and don't get the reference, this scene explains it for you (so it's not exactly the right scene, but it's close enough).

In Soviet Russia, coffee brews YOU!

I'm not familiar with this comedian, but some of my coworkers are.  Yakov Smirnoff apparently has a one-liner that he repeats continuously during his routines, much like a Mad Lib.

In Soviet Russia, ________  ________s YOU!

                   (noun)    (verb)

I'm really happy for you

The meme (and the sign) are over a year old at this point, so if you missed it, this one is about Kanye West being...well...himself.  This is definitely one of the best coffee pot signs of the year.  No - the best coffee pot signs of all time!

"Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you and Imma let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!"

This is Sparta!

Today I take a break from posting the classic original coffee pot signs, to post one of my newer ones.  The concept for this one is so awesome, I'm don't know how I didn't think of it sooner!

This is madness?

If you don't get the reference, here it is, for your viewing pleasure.  It's actually a very popular internet meme, as explained in this Wikipedia article.

A short scene from the movie 300

NSFW: Ceiling cat is watching you...

Okay, so this isn't directly NSFW, but you definitely should not post it in your workplace.  This wikipedia article explains why. 

Ceiling cat is watching you...

Prepare to brew

I feel like there are a lot more potential signs from The Princess Bride.  Let me know if you think of any!

This has been everyone's favorite so far

Why is the rum gone?

A bit cheesy with the "rum" crossed out, but it's still a fun reference.  I had to take a screenshot of youtube clip paused at just the right moment to capture the perfectly anguished facial expression.

You kill the Jo', you make some mo'

Terry Tate, the office linebacker educates a coworker on coffee pot ettiquite.  If you haven't heard of Terry Tate, you DEFINITELY want to watch these videos:  Terry Tate Office Linebacker   Terry Tate: Reading Is Fundamental

"Playin' hurt?  Baby that don't phase me.  I don't got time for pain.  The only pain I got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is."
- Terry Tate, Office Linebacker

This one is taken pretty much straight out of the first Terry Tate video, so it's not all that creative.  If you look closely at that first video, you can see that they actually already had a coffee pot sign, back in 2002!

"Don't be a drip...Make a new pot!"

I pity the fool

This was the coffee pot sign that started it all.  It's one of my favorites!

Don't be that guy

Image courtesy of ronalfy.com

It has happened to all of us: you get into the office in the morning, and head straight for the coffee pot.  The early risers greet you as if they had been awake since 4:30.  They have worked out, eaten a full breakfast, and have already caught up on email.  On your way to the coffee pot, one of the peppy morning people catches you in the hallway for a quick chat.  "No, I haven't read that email from Stephen yet [you jerk.  I need my damn coffee first]."  Having deflected the interruption, you continue on.  You can smell the aroma.  Your pulse increases, your body feeling caffeinated merely by the smell of the roast.  You reach for your mug on the shelf, but then realize you left it on your desk they day before.  "Screw it," you mutter to yourself in a groggy haze, and grab a paper cup instead.  You place the cup under the carafe, and hit pour.  But nothing comes out.

Really?  Who does that?  What kind of person is self-centered enough to take the last cup of coffee in the morning without brewing another pot?

This is a major societal problem.  It is not efficient, and it is unjust.  If the person with the last cup takes the 20 seconds to add coffee and hit the brew button, the next person who shows up a few minutes later doesn't need to wait another 2 minutes for the thing to finish brewing.  And, maybe this person heads to their desk while the new pot is brewing, and gets distracted with email for a few minutes.  By the time they come back, the next pot could easily be empty as well, and the vicious cycle begins again.


This blog is an attempt to come up with creative ways to solving the "empty coffee pot" problem.  I have employed a handful of techniques, which I'll write about here.  One simple technique in particular has been wildly successful where I work, but I do not believe that one size fits all.

If you have ideas of your own, please email them to coffee.pot.blog@gmail.com, and I'll post it here on the blog!  (And I'll give you credit, of course - tell me what name you'd like it posted under.)