The Machine is a device present at Mary's Place and The Place. It automates the mixing of Irish Coffee (called "God's Blessing" by the patrons).
The Machine is a completely self-contained unit which takes care of washing and sterilizing itself. The users adds coffee beans and the appropriate whiskeys and the rest is automatic. The Machine contains several knobs for selecting the beans and whiskey (several kind of each are installed at any given time) then microwave "roasts", grinds, and brews the coffee, adds whiskey, and tops with whipped cream.
It was created by a man known only as "The Slave of Coffee"* who created it with the last of an inheritance. The Machine is a prototype, with the production rights inadvertently transferred to an unnamed corporation. The Machine itself is designed to be user-serviceable with easy-to-obtain replacement parts.
- Actually, if I remember correctly, Robinson's Stonebender said that the inventor was named Joe Coffee (or Coffey).