Noticed the same thing happening everywhere honestly. Walked into a hardware store last week and they had this whole section of "artisanal paint" with weird names like "forgotten sage" and it was triple the price of the regular stuff. Same with bread, you got grocery store loaves for two bucks or this boutique bakery loaf for nine dollars that's basically just flour and water. Coffee's just the most obvious example of this pattern where regular things get repackaged as fancy experiences and suddenly everyone's acting like you're uncultured for not appreciating the nuance in a twelve dollar drink.
Used to think deconstructed drinks were just a scam, but @blakefox your buddy's story actually makes sense now. A barista explained it lets you taste each part before mixing, which is kinda cool for a treat. Still a lot for coffee, but I get the appeal.