i love you a latte

This post is espressily for all you coffee lovers out there (and provides a handy list and map of many of Washington, D.C.’s coffee shops!). I’ve always preferred tea to coffee, but I have gained a new level of respect and admiration for coffee after discovering Chemex. And lately, it seems that I’ve been drinking a lot more coffee than tea. With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of Washington, D.C.’s best coffee shops.

Chemex Coffee

First, I want to talk about Chemex because I think it deserves more love. Chemex has been around since the 1940s, and it’s actually so well-designed that it’s included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. It’s visually distinctive and appealing, making any kitchen counter look put together. Chemex is also popular because its filters remove cafestol, a cholesterol-filled compound found in coffee oils; thus, the taste you get from brewing Chemex coffee is different from other brewing methods. If you’re a coffee lover, I highly recommend trying Chemex coffee. Hey, if it’s good enough for President Obama…

After tasting and learning about Chemex, I had to get my own Chemex Coffeemaker. You can purchase these at a lot of stores, including Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, Dean & Deluca, World Market, Crate and Barrel, and local coffee shops. They’re available in 3/5/6/8/10/13-cup sizes. You should also purchase the Chemex coffee filters, which as I mentioned above, help to remove the undesirable oils and fats.

When brewing, I typically follow the Stumptown Chemex brewing guide.

My Chemex-related items:

• 10-cup Chemex Classic Series Drip Coffee Glass Coffeemaker 
• Chemex Pre-folded Coffee Filters
• Hario “Canister” Ceramic Coffee Mill
• Hario Coffee Drip Scaler/Timer
• Hario Buono Pouring Kettle, 1.2 L

Washington, D.C. Coffee

As coffee lovers know, we’re in the third wave of coffee/specialty coffee movement. First wave was what put Folgers on the kitchen table, and second wave was the Starbucks phenomenon. Third wave focuses on higher quality, fresher sourced roasting, and a deeper appreciation of brewing. The “Big Three” of the third wave coffee are Intelligentsia of Chicago, Stumptown of Portland, and Counter Culture of Durham.

Unfortunately, D.C. does not have any of the Big Three Third Wave Coffee standalone shops (with the exception of a Counter Culture Training Center in D.C.), but many of local shops do carry the Big Three coffee beans.

Coffee Shops in Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area

• La Colombe Coffee Roasters*
  • Two locations in D.C. (6th and I Street and Blagden Alley)
  • HQ: Philly, PA
  • Recommend their draft latte, developed by their founder Todd Carmichael
• Peregrine Espresso*
  • Three locations in D.C. (Eastern Market, Logan Circle, and Union Market)
  • Serves Counter Culture
  • Their baristas have taken 1st place at multiple regional barista competitions
• Philz Coffee*
  • Two locations in D.C. (Adams Morgan and the Yards Park)
  • HQ: San Francisco, CA
  • Recommend their mint mojito iced coffee and mocha tesora
• Chinatown Coffee Company*
  • One location in D.C. (aptly in Chinatown)
  • Roast their own beans
  • Chemex, pour over, and syphon options
  • Also serves absinthe and beer in the evenings
• Dolcezza Gelato Factory and Coffee Lab*
  • Multiple locations in DMV (Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, CityCenter, Georgetown, Bethesda, Mosaic District, Mosaic District)
    • Note: There are two Dolcezzas in Mosaic District. The first listed is Dolcezza proper, while the second listed is called Mom & Pop.
  • Serves Stumptown
  • Chemex and Fetco brewing options
  • Also has fantastic gelato and sorbetto (personally love lemon opal basil, roasted strawberry, Thai coconut milk, pistachio, black sesame, strawberry tarragon)
• Grace Street Coffee*
  • One location in D.C. (Georgetown)
  • Chemex, coffee tonics, coffee shrubs, cold brew
• Compass Coffee
  • Three locations in D.C. (7th Street in Shaw, 8th Street in Shaw, and Chinatown)
  • Roast their own beans (9 blends)
• The Coffee Bar
  • Two locations in D.C. (Dupont Circle and Shaw)
  • Serves Ceremony, Handsome, and Verve coffee roasters
• Colony Club
  • One location in D.C. (Park View)
  • Serves Ceremony Coffee
  • Chemex, AeroPress, and Kalita brewing options
• Filter Coffeehouse & Espresso Bar
  • Three locations in D.C. (Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, and Brookland)
  • Serves Ceremony Coffee
  • Pour over and French Press options
• Tryst
  • One location in D.C. (Adams Morgan)
  • Serves Counter Culture
• Qualia Coffee
  • One location in D.C., with a second location to open by year’s end (Petworth)
  • Roasts their own beans in-house
• Slipstream
  • One location in D.C. (Logan Circle)
  • Serves Madcap Coffee
• The Wydown
  • One location in D.C., with a second location to open this fall (U Street Corridor)
  • Serves Intelligentsia, PT’s Coffee Roasting Co., and Kaldi’s Coffee
• Caffé Aficionado*
  • One location in Arlington (Rosslyn)
  • Serves Supersonic Coffee, Drop Coffee Roasters, the Coffee Collective, Koppi Fine Coffee Roasters
• Baked and Wired*
  • One location in D.C. (Georgetown)
  • Serves Stumptown, Intelligentsia, PT’s, and Elixir
  • Also serves delicious cakecups (aka cupcakes)
• Northside Social*
  • One location in Arlington (Clarendon)
  • Serves Counter Culture coffee
• M.E. Swing Coffee Roasters*
  • Two locations; one in D.C. (G Street) but undergoing renovations until March 2017, and one in Alexandria
  • Do public coffee cuppings on Friday at 10am
• Big Bear Cafe
  • One location in D.C. (Bloomingdale)
  • Serves Counter Culture
• Zeke’s Coffee
  • One location in D.C. (Woodridge)
  • Roasts their own beans
• Caffe Amouri*
  • One location in Fairfax (Vienna)
  • Roast all coffee in-house
• Killer E.S.P.*
  • One location in Old Town Alexandria
  • Serves Stumptown
• Misha’s
  • One location in Old Town Alexandria
  • Roasts their own on-site
• Maketto*
  • One location in D.C. (H Street)
  • Serves Vigilante
• Ebenezers Coffeehouse*
  • One location in D.C. (Union Station)
  • Serves One Village Coffee
• Vigilante Coffee
  • One location in Maryland (Hyattsville)
  • Roasts their own beans

* = personal favorites

M.E. Swing in Alexandria

Dolcezza in Bethesda

Mom & Pop in Fairfax

Philz at the Yards Park

Caffé Aficionado in Arlington

Dolcezza in CityCenter

La Colombe in Chinatown

La Colombe in Chinatown

La Colombe in Chinatown

This list is not a comprehensive one of all the coffee shops in the D.C. metropolitan area, but it does include a lot of them. I’ve also taken the time to make a Google map (also see below) of the coffee shops I mentioned above for everyone. This is definitely an ongoing project for me, as I continue my quest to find the best coffee in the D.C. area.

It’s a brewtiful day.