Am I the only one who remembers when a 'good' coffee shop just meant they had a drive-thru?

Now my local spot in Austin has a $4,500 Slayer machine and the barista explained the difference between washed and natural process beans for 5 minutes. What caused this shift in the last decade?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_simon17d ago

Remember when the hardest part of getting coffee was not spilling it in your car? Now I need a map to figure out the menu. I was nodding along with @stella_lane about just wanting a simple cup, but last week I accidentally bought a bag of beans that cost more than my electric bill because the barista made me feel bad for liking cream.

charles44218d ago

Man, I feel this so hard. I just wanted a quick cup, and now I have to pick a bean from a single hillside in Ethiopia. I miss when the biggest choice was regular or decaf. Now my local place has tasting notes on the menu like "stone fruit" and "honeyed finish," and I'm just standing there like, "Can I get some cream and sugar?" It's a whole different world.

stella_lane18d ago

My old spot in Portland had a simple drip pot and those little paper cups... you just pointed and paid. I get what @charles442 is saying about just wanting a quick cup. Now it feels like you need a class before you order. I don't mind good coffee, but sometimes the whole show just makes me tired. It's like they forgot some people just want a hot drink without a story.