ESPRESSO Vol. 1: Social Media Shifted Espresso from Craft to Content
There was a time when learning espresso was simple in motivation, even if the craft itself was complex. People learned espresso because they loved coffee. They worked behind bars, watched experienced baristas, asked questions, pulled shots, tasted constantly, and improved through repetition. The goal was not perfection—it was consistency, rhythm, and service.
In recent years, social media has dramatically reshaped how espresso is taught, discussed, and perceived. What was once a practical café craft has increasingly become a form of content creation. This shift has changed not only how espresso is presented, but how beginners understand it, approach it, and often struggle with it.
This is not an argument against learning deeply or caring about quality. It is an examination of how espresso education has moved away from context and toward spectacle, and why that shift has left many new baristas overwhelmed before they ever pull their first confident shot.
Espresso as a Craft: How It Was Traditionally Learned
In traditional café training—particularly in Italian-influenced environments—espresso was taught as a system, not a series of isolated rules.
The machine mattered, but so did the grinder. The basket mattered. The coffee mattered. The workflow mattered.
Most importantly, everything was learned together, in context.
Doses were dictated by the portafilter basket, not by internet consensus. Ratios existed, but they were guides, not commandments. Shot times were watched, but taste and flow were prioritized. Adjustments were made quickly, often within one or two pulls, because espresso had to be served all day, every day. There was no room for endless recalibration.
Espresso was not treated as a puzzle to solve repeatedly. It was treated as a process to understand and repeat.
Espresso as Content
Social media did not invent espresso knowledge, but it repackaged it. In doing so, it stripped away context and replaced it with digestible rules designed for short-form consumption.
The result is a version of espresso education that often looks precise but lacks foundation.
Numbers are presented without explanation. Techniques are demonstrated without acknowledging machine differences. Rules are applied universally across equipment that behaves very differently. Aesthetic elements—slow-motion pours, bottomless portafilters, syrupy extractions—are prioritized over practicality.
What performs well on camera is not always what performs well in real kitchens.
This has led to the illusion that espresso is only “correct” if it fits a narrow visual and numerical standard, regardless of whether that standard makes sense for the machine, basket, coffee, or user.
The Problem with Universal Rules
One of the clearest examples of this shift is the fixation on specific doses—most famously the idea that 18 grams is a universal standard.
In reality, dose is constrained first by the basket. Portafilters vary in size. Machines vary in pressure and flow. Home machines behave differently from commercial machines. Even two machines from the same manufacturer may require different approaches depending on age, maintenance, and environment.
Yet social media often presents espresso advice as if:
all portafilters are interchangeable
all machines respond the same way
all beans extract identically
and all users have identical goals
This is how beginners end up confused when coffee does not fit into their portafilter, when shots taste harsh despite following instructions, or when they feel they are “doing everything right” but getting poor results.
The rules were never meant to be universal. They were meant to be contextual.
Why Beginners Feel Overwhelmed Now
Historically, beginners learned espresso incrementally. They were taught enough to get started, then learned more as their understanding grew. Mistakes were expected, but not catastrophized. Progress was measured by improvement, not perfection.
Today, many beginners encounter espresso through a flood of conflicting advice before they ever touch a machine. They are told they need:
exact doses
exact ratios
exact times
exact tools
and constant recalibration
They are also told that frustration, wasted coffee, and endless “dialing in” are normal and unavoidable. This framing creates anxiety rather than curiosity. It turns learning into pressure. It convinces people they are failing when, in reality, they simply lack context. Espresso did not become more difficult. The way it is explained did.
Machines, Tools, and the Loss of Practical Judgment
Another consequence of espresso becoming content is the loss of practical judgment in equipment recommendations.
Machines are often recommended based on trends rather than usability. Highly technical setups are presented as aspirational, even when they are ill-suited for most homes. Little attention is paid to shared households, differing skill levels, or daily convenience.
In professional environments, machines are chosen for reliability and workflow. In homes, machines should be chosen for compatibility with the people using them.
A setup that requires constant adjustment may be satisfying for someone deeply invested in espresso, but frustrating or unusable for a partner who simply wants coffee. Balanced setups—those that sit between fully manual and fully automated—often make far more sense, yet receive less attention because they are less visually impressive.
Good espresso is not about suffering for the craft. It is about building systems that support consistent, repeatable results.
Beans, Not Just Numbers
Social media also tends to flatten conversations about coffee beans into vague claims about “espresso beans” or aesthetic packaging or “local”.
In reality, bean selection has a greater impact on espresso success than many of the rules beginners obsess over. Roast level, freshness, origin, and intended extraction method all matter. A poorly chosen bean will not perform well, no matter how precise the technique.
Traditional café training emphasized knowing your coffee before trying to control it. Modern content often reverses that order.
Returning Espresso to Context
None of this is an argument against learning, precision, or care. It is an argument for sequence and context. Espresso is best learned as a system:
machine, grinder, basket, coffee, environment, and user—all interacting.
When social media removes that context, beginners are left trying to assemble meaning from fragments. The result is confusion, wasted coffee, and unnecessary frustration.
Espresso did not need to be rescued by the internet. It needed to be translated responsibly. For those just starting, the most important lesson is not a ratio or a number. It is understanding that espresso is not a performance—it is a craft built on repetition, observation, and adjustment within context.
When espresso returns to that framework, it becomes enjoyable again. And that is where real learning begins.
