The author just finds the process of ordering complicated because they do not know how to. I think there is opportunity here to make selecting the drink of your choice a better experience. There might also be space here for coffee discovery or exploration for the customer.

Yes, but why should everybody have to show the same level of care for everything they do/consume as aficionados?

Just like it can be extremely fulfilling to build a PC from parts, compile your own Linux kernel, get an old car working again etc., it can be nice to have somebody else do all of that for you and focus on the details of life that you enjoy most.

If there’s an increasing number of options, isn’t it by definition becoming more complicated?

I mean, it's seldom that complicated even. They just went from having one choice of espresso to, likely, at most 3. The most fancy coffee shops I've ever been to usually don't have more than a couple espresso options dialed in at any given time. If you don't care, just pick the cheapest or ask for the person's favorite.

I'm sure there is some influencer/performative aspect to this as well that the author is reacting to, but the complaint strikes me mostly as a "I was ok with the status quo, and I dislike that other people prefer things other than that". Having preferences and choices is not by default some sort of pretentious thing!

That's why it works so smooth in Italy, because no one has the patience for all the BS, they just want their shot of espresso, not being "educated" into "coffe culture". And they also drink dark roast, no useless sauer fruity notes crap, you drink cascara tonic if you want that.

I agree with this guy. Teheran is probably a nice place if it weren't for the ayatollahs, hijab police, sponsoring terrorists, embargoes and "friendhip" with Russia. All those details are like coffee marketing made into a religion and used as state policy.