Many years ago, perhaps around 2017, I was sitting in the production office of our roastery. It was early in my coffee career, and specialty coffee nerdom was fully taking shape. I was excitedly talking to my boss at the time about some kind of new pour-over device that had hit the market, as many, many were at the time. I remember him saying to me, “You’re definitely in the honeymoon phase [with coffee brewing]".
I remember thinking to myself: “I don’t know that I am…”. There was something that felt long-lasting and permanent about my relatively newfound passion for coffee that seemed like it would forever be my hobby and, if I was lucky enough, my profession.
Over 10,000 pour-overs, two dozen brewing devices, and eight grinders later, I could say I'm still in my honeymoon phase with coffee. Today, on National Coffee Day 2026, I want to reflect on why that is. How is it that this very ubiquitous drink can have such a hold on people, including myself? How can something so routine, with billions of cups brewed daily, still feel so fresh and new every time I take out my V60?
To make it simple, it’s the people behind it and the simply remarkable nature of the coffee bean itself.
First, the people. Coffee is made with human hands. It’s true from the planting of seeds, to the picking of ripe cherries, to the careful dialing in of a roast, and to the handoff of your favorite latte from your friendly barista. Every cup I make feels like a story that takes years — sometimes generations — to play out. It started with the first seedlings planted on a farm in a place very, very far away from me. Then it went from a passionate roaster and into my hands. Coffee connects people across distance and time in a way that still transfixes me.
Then, it’s the incredible complexity of this amazing plant. Brewing coffees from dozens of different growing regions never gets old. Tasting the wonderful differences in terroir, processing methods, and varieties that coffee has to offer is a daily does of fascination and excitement. Once the bag arrives on my brew bar, I have a plethora of ways to explore the nuances of all of this, from the high clarity of a V60 to the acidity-forward punch of an espresso shot made on my Cafelat Robot. Every brew feels like a chance for a new revelation—a new way to coax the most out of a plant that has so much potential and so much to give if you treat it right.
This is really only the start of the deep, deep rabbit hole that coffee can pull you into. While the rabbit hole is deep and the coffee geeks can get very, very geeky, I have yet to encounter anyone in it who has really lost that glimmer of passion that struck them so strongly in their early days. And maybe that’s the most incredible thing about coffee of all: something so “common” in people’s lives is actually deeply complex, kind of miraculous, and sparks so much passion. I never lose appreciation for that, even as I start the bloom on my third pour-over of the day.
- Rob Wilhelm, Kaldi's Coffee Head of Marketing
