What I wish I knew before trying espresso without making it complicated

Context: I am not an expert, just someone trying to make Coffee feel less intimidating. I wrote down what worked, what felt awkward, and what I would do differently next time.

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the playlist for a while.

I tried this in Cairo with a friend and we both noticed the same thing: the social part mattered more than the perfect plan.