Don't be afraid of shifting yourself. It's a natural action. I think I'd rather have a 'manual' than an 'automatic', since you have to help it either way by easing up, better to know exactly when. I've been riding an old Schwinn roadster with a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub. Looks just like the new Schwinn Coffee. I like it. It's better with the 22 tooth cog on the rear ( 46 chainwheel up front) instead of the original 18. I think the Coffee has a 22 cog standard.

I also have a derailleur bike with 6x2=12 speeds. I think at least 5 wide-range speeds is really the minimum number of speeds for a good long-distance bike. More is better to a point. If I only could have one bike, I'd want a '10+ speed' touring road bike or something similar. Don't fear derailleurs -- need a little adjustment now & then, messy to clean, but mostly trouble-free and worth it.

Hth -- good luck -- Rich