Watching a power trip backfire is one of the most satisfying things that can happen.

So, what would you do if your superior decided to throw around his rank, forcing you into pointless tasks just to flex?

Would you grin and bear it?

Or would you find a way to play along?

In the following story, one rookie finds himself in this exact scenario and turns the tables on a Lieutenant.

Here’s how it all happened.

My coffee malicious compliance story…

Many years ago, I had just been hired as a rookie firefighter at a moderate-sized city in the Southeastern United States.

Other than the typical ribbing that rookies always get, my probie year was not bad.

There was, however, a Lieutenant that no one liked…at all.

And wouldn’t you know, I got assigned to his engine company for a three-month rotation.

He DEMANDED that I was to do all the station chores (which is normal), and he threatened to give me poor evals if I did not have coffee ready at all times for the senior firefighters.

This was not normal, and the rest of the engine company knew this.

The only problem was that he didn’t drink coffee.

Being a rookie and not wanting a bad evaluation (note that I am not a coffee drinker), I decided to give him what he wanted, but as a non-coffee drinker, I would make coffee.

I absolutely filled the coffee filter to the rim, like I had to scrape it off level at the top.

I then proceeded to use about one half to three quarters the amount of water needed.

The resulting coffee was so strong and so thick you just about had to cut a piece off after you poured it….completely undrinkable.

Two times.

It took two times, and I was ordered not to make coffee anymore.

I got terrific evals as well.

Nice! That was well-played on his part.

Let’s check out what Reddit readers have to say about his coffee-making skills.

Here’s another way to make bad coffee.

Apparently, these people didn’t like making coffee either.

Oh wow! This is terrible!

This person figured it out pretty easily.

That’s one way to get out of it!

Wonder how many people made the mistake of trying to pour a cup.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.