Every morning I wake up at 5am. I’m at an age now where that happens without an alarm.
I start the day by checking email. Read: I doom scroll for a bit.
After the customary ablutions, I head downstairs to make coffee.
At that hour, my brain isn’t fully operational yet, so I reach for my Moccamaster KBG Select. It does the thinking for me. Besides, it’s a beautiful piece of kit. Mine is finished in a deep blue matte black that turns almost charcoal when it’s overcast outside. I don’t see the colour on their website anymore, which makes me pleased that I bought it when I did.
My coffee of choice is usually a blend of South American origins. Roasted medium to mostly dark.
While the Moccamaster works away, I have a conversation with my favourite of my twin children, my daughter. By the time she’s finished telling me about whatever dream she had that night, the coffee is ready.
I pour it into two KINTO travel tumblers.
I’ve tried almost every tumbler worth trying. So trust that I’m not exaggerating when I say the KINTO performs better than anything else I’ve used. For two simple reasons: it keeps coffee hot and it doesn’t leak. Which are the alpha and omega of what a tumbler should do.
I’ve told this story more times than I can remember.
Because I write about specialty coffee, people often ask how I drink my coffee. How I make it. How much of it I drink in a day.
And there is always one detail that raises an eyebrow:
Roasted medium to mostly dark.
How could that be?
If you’re really into specialty coffee, surely your preference is light roast. Maybe light to medium at most.
That raised eyebrow used to bother me.
I’d explain myself. Defend myself. Sometimes, even apologise.
Why?
How coffee became something people feel they need to get right
People don’t get into coffee because they want to optimise anything. They just want a nicer cup than the one they had yesterday. Something that tastes better at home.
That’s usually where it starts.
Fresh beans. A grinder. A better brewer.
The coffee tastes sweeter. Cleaner. More interesting. Small upgrades feel rewarding because you can actually taste the difference.
Then, somewhere along the way, the rabbit hole opens.
You start hearing about extraction. Water chemistry. Burr geometry. Ratios. Processing methods. Flat burrs versus conical burrs. Agitation. Total dissolved solids.
Some of this genuinely helps. A lot of it can make coffee better.
But it also means that, before long, many people are spending more time learning what makes coffee technically good than asking themselves a simpler question:
What do I actually enjoy drinking?
People slowly absorb an idea of what good coffee is supposed to taste like. Coffee stops feeling personal and starts feeling like something you’re meant to understand properly.
So you find yourself apologizing. “I know this isn’t the best coffee.” “I know this roast is too developed.” “I’m still learning.”
As though enjoying coffee requires permission.
What coffee training is actually for
Good training improves coffee. Undoubtedly. It helps people assess quality, improve consistency, and solve problems. And it creates a common language professionals can use to talk about what’s happening in the cup.
Somewhere along the way though, that language became doctrine. A brewing method became the right way to brew. A roast style started carrying more status.
So people explain their preference for darker roasts before anyone asks. A coffee that feels comforting starts sounding less respectable than one that feels challenging. Slowly, lighter coffee starts sounding more serious. Milk drinks start feeling like something to justify.
People start second-guessing themselves.
Because being accepted matters more than understanding yourself.
Why coffee online feels so certain
And once people start second-guessing themselves, social media adds fuel to the fire.
Spend enough time watching coffee content and everything starts sounding absolute.
“You’re brewing wrong.” “This grinder changes everything.” “Never do this.” “Always do this.”
The problem isn’t people. It’s the algorithm. It rewards confidence, not nuance. “It depends” doesn’t get much reach.
So coffee starts sounding more fixed online than it actually is in real life.
People stop asking:
Do I enjoy this?
And start wondering:
Am I doing this properly?
What expertise should actually do
A good coffee professional should make things clearer. Not harder.
They should be able to explain what’s happening in the cup. Spot issues. Suggest improvements.
But they should also be comfortable saying:
“This might just not be for you.”
Because not every technically excellent coffee will suit every person.
And that’s normal. Or it should be.
Liking darker roast tells you something. Wanting milk tells you something. Wanting coffee that feels familiar and easy to drink before work tells you something too.
Preferences are useful. They tell you what keeps bringing the customer back.
The job of the coffee professional should be helping people understand that better, not talk them out of it.
FAQ
Who decides what good coffee is?
No single person decides what good coffee is. Coffee professionals can assess quality, identify defects, and improve consistency, but taste remains personal. A technically excellent coffee may still not be enjoyable to every person.
Why does specialty coffee sometimes feel intimidating?
Specialty coffee can feel intimidating because there is so much information, strong opinion, and technical language. Over time, some people begin feeling like there is a “right” way to enjoy coffee instead of trusting their own preferences.
Is there a right way to enjoy coffee?
There are brewing methods that improve consistency and quality, but there is no single correct way to enjoy coffee. Preference matters. If you enjoy darker roasts, milk drinks, or simpler flavour profiles, that does not make your taste wrong.
Why does coffee content online feel so certain?
Coffee content online often feels certain because social media rewards confidence more than nuance. Clear, strong opinions tend to spread further than more balanced answers like “it depends.”
Can social media influence what coffee tastes good to me?
Yes. Seeing the same equipment, brewing styles, and flavour preferences repeated often enough can shape perception over time. People sometimes begin second-guessing what they naturally enjoy.
Why do coffee drinkers stop trusting their own taste?
Many people stop trusting their own taste when coffee starts feeling like something to get right. Constant exposure to expert opinions, rankings, and social media advice can make personal preference feel less valid.
How should beginners approach specialty coffee?
Start with what you already enjoy and build from there. Learn enough to improve your experience, but do not lose sight of your own preferences. A simple question helps: Do you want another cup?
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