Overhyped — good but not worth the obsession

There's a lot of enthusiasm around Espresso that I find slightly excessive. It's a good drink — prepared hot it's genuinely pleasant and the sustained focus is real. But the ratio of ingredients that enthusiasts obsess over makes less difference to the final result than they suggest.

I enjoy it regularly but don't feel the need to turn it into a hobby. Some drinks reward deep investment; for most people, a solid everyday approach to Espresso delivers 90% of the benefit for 10% of the effort.