As a trained barista I very much disagree… while I don’t work as one professionally, coffee, or rather espresso, has been a core part of my life. The same way a sommelier might find pleasure in life through buying expensive and exotic wines (and by extensions tasting them), there have been periods of my life where I almost exclusively survived by buying expensive espresso roasts and tasting the resulting coffee.

In today’s world many passions and pleasures that can be intrinsic to someone’s being cost money. I couldn’t even tell you how much money I have spent on espresso beans, coffee equipment (machines, grinders, etc), audiophile equipment, synthesizers, and records. These are the things, along with my family and job, that make life worth living for me — and my family is not always available, and my job not always good. If I’m struggling to wake up in the morning, I dial in a new bean. If I had a tough day, I put on a record.