A customer wanted to pay for an earl grey tea ahead of the time he wanted it made. He said he didn't want it yet and it would get cold if we made it immediately. I insisted we will be open, just take a seat and come back nearer the time. We are talking 12 minutes here.

I'm anxious that a queue might form around the time he wants it but I prepare the cup, sleeve and teabag. The guy decides 4 minutes is long enough and returns for his tea. It is almost like he was waiting watching us begin a task knowing we have just short of 10 minutes, just to interrupt.

"Let me put the bag in. I want to put the bag in..." puzzled, I handed the teabag sachet and the cup to the customer, who teared the wrapper, put the tea bag in the empty cup and then gave it back to me to fill with hot water...

"Milk, milk... I want milk..." Who has milk in their earl gray tea? So I do the usual flowchart of questions which customer always seem to get confused with. Do you have a preference of milk? How much milk do you have in your tea? I don't like doing "say when" half of the people say it too late when too much milk is poured despite doing it in small increments.

Of course, I ended up having to do "say when" 3 times... must be a Guinness world record for the most milkiest earl grey tea. Including constantly pouring water out to make room for it. How he managed to drink it I don't know. I have to assume he was just paying to be able to annoy someone and binned the drink on his departure.