Eric, a co-owner of Hyperion, told a group that espresso is a particularly fascist way to have your coffee. And it is! It’s fast, pressurized. You could sit and sip, but you’ll rapidly end up with a cold and tiny cup of coffee.
Eric said despite this, he still usually takes his coffee as espresso. Otherwise he may forget to drink it. He’s busy, he part owns a coffee company, he is married, a father, and probably many other things. His life has not given him the liberty to spend 5 minutes making a pourover or 10 minutes staring at a precariously inverted AeroPress.
I think coffee blends the difference between art and science. In Ali Izetbegovic’s book, “Islam Between East and West,” he says that the idea that architectural teams create great results is a misunderstanding. Coffee is multi-part, just like architecture, but every person in the process is an artist of their own scope. A grower can try new varietals or grow their crop in new place. They can process their beans in a new way. Roasting and brewing is scientific but simultaneously artistic. Latte art is definitely art (in the name).
You can rebel against the machine by wasting your time on your cup of coffee. Instead of dropping by the capitalist cafe and downing your 14 gram morning coffee allocation, feel free to have your drip coffee with a book, or your phone, or by itself. If you are “getting into coffee,” don’t see espresso as the pinnacle of coffee. It’s frustrating and easy to make taste bad. Just focus on what you enjoy.
I personally like AeroPress. I like a pour over, too, despite them needing a few sips to start tasting good. I like espresso, sometimes. Milk drinks are decadent but still tasty.
