{"id":5236,"date":"2018-11-01T21:39:15","date_gmt":"2018-11-01T21:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/washington-dc-coffee-guide-2018-edition\/"},"modified":"2018-11-01T21:39:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-01T21:39:15","slug":"washington-dc-coffee-guide-2018-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/washington-dc-coffee-guide-2018-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington DC Coffee Guide: 2018 Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the third in my series of guides to speciality coffee shops in Washington, DC. Part 1 (2015) is available here<\/a> and part 2 (2016) here<\/a>, but the map below includes coffee shops featured in all three posts.<\/i>

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<\/a>
After two wintry visits to Washington, DC, in February 2015 and 2016, I was pleased when the opportunity arose for me to attend a conference in the city in the more clement climes of October. Although I had very little free time, I managed to visit seven speciality coffee shops \u2014 six that were new to me, and one that had undergone a major refurbishment since my last trip \u2014 mainly by getting up extra early and going for a coffee run. Most of the coffee shops I visited are part of increasingly expanding mini-chains, like La Colombe and Bluestone Lane \u2014 a big change since my last trip. This time, I was staying near Dupont Circle and working mainly in Foggy Bottom, areas where I’d already frequented most of the independent cafes. Next time I come, I’ll have to find time to explore the coffee scene in the less central neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n

Downtown<\/b>
Compass Coffee<\/a>
I first visited<\/a> the original Compass Coffee roastery and cafe in the Shaw neighbourhood in 2015, and enjoyed both the coffee and the pared-down design and branding, inspired by the founders’ time in the Marines. I wasn’t surprised to hear that they had opened more coffee shops since then, but it’s impressive that the Compass army now numbers eight shops in DC.<\/p>\n

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I popped into the 18th & I location during a lunch break, where I enjoyed a lovely cortado, brewed using one of the Modbar espresso units on the long counter. I’d hoped for a pourover but they weren’t on the menu at this branch. Still, an espresso-based drink was perhaps more appropriate when enjoyed Italian-style at the gorgeous, custom-made walnut high table. They have bites on offer and beans for sale too. On a Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t too busy but I can imagine it’s a different story during the morning rush.<\/p>\n

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Compass Coffee is located at 1776 I Street nr 18 St and various other locations<\/a>. Website<\/a>. Twitter<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

La Colombe<\/a>
If you’ve ever been to the cities of the Northeast megapolis<\/a> and are a fan of fine coffee, you’ll be no stranger to Philadelphia roaster La Colombe. They now have five cafes in DC, so I was glad I had the chance to stop by the I & 17th coffee bar one rainy morning after an early run. The small coffee shop is beautifully decorated with a stunning marble coffee bar and light wooden accents. There were two filter coffees available as a pourover (an Ethiopian and a Costa Rican) when I visited and two batch-brew filter coffees \u2014 the darker-roast Corsica and a medium-roast coffee from Yunnan, China, which I tried at another La Colombe in New York later in the week. Instead, I ordered a cortado with the Nizza espresso blend. Although a little darker than I usually prefer, the coffee had a smooth, well-balanced flavour when brewed as a cortado. There is a large, wooden high table for perching, and a few smaller tables near the door.<\/p>\n

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La Colombe is located at 1710 I Street nr 17 St and various other locations<\/a>. Website<\/a>. Twitter<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.

<\/b> Dupont Circle<\/b>
Emissary<\/a>
When I can, I try to choose my accommodation based on proximity to good coffee shops, but I didn’t have a choice of hotel on this trip. I was particularly pleased, then, to find that Emissary was only a few blocks away. The cosy, rustic cafe serves Counter Culture coffee by day, and then food and wine by night. I didn’t get to visit at night time, but on a sunny Friday morning, it was a lovely place to visit. My cortado, brewed with Counter Culture’s Hologram espresso, was perfectly brewed, and there was a great ambiance in the bustling coffee shop. Emissary have tried to foster a bit of the Swedish fika<\/i> spirit in their cafe, and although I had a busy day of meetings, I did manage to take a few minutes to enjoy my coffee in one of the window seats.<\/p>\n

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Emissary<\/a> is located at 2032 P Street nr 21 St. Website<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Foggy Bottom<\/b>
Swing’s<\/a> (return visit)
Soon after my last visit in 2016<\/a> \u2014 and just shy of its 100th birthday \u2014 iconic DC coffee shop Swing’s Coffee<\/a> closed for two years for a building overhaul. I was glad to discover that the renovated coffee shop in full swing on my return. Located just across the street from the White House, Swing’s had a line of people out the front door when I first arrived on my walk in to my office one morning. I eyed the brew bar with envy but I was running late and needed to go for something quicker. I opted for the single-origin Nicaraguan coffee that was available on batch brew and was impressed with how good it was.<\/p>\n

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Inside, the d\u00e9cor hasn’t changed a great deal \u2014 many of the fixtures features from the coffee shop’s early history still remain \u2014 although it’s a little sleeker. And it’s still a must-do on any speciality coffee tour of DC.<\/p>\n

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Swing’s is located at 1700 G Street nr 17 St and various other locations<\/a>. Website<\/a>. Twitter<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.

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<\/b> Georgetown<\/b>
Blue Bottle Coffee<\/a>
Another of the US speciality coffee mini-chains to have expanded in DC since my last visit, Blue Bottle now has five cafes in the city, including a handy location inside Union Station. I visited the Georgetown branch, which occupies a gorgeous red-brick building down near the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. I picked it partly because it was open at 7 am on a Sunday morning, but mainly because I was in the market for a really good pourover coffee, and Blue Bottle is usually a good bet for hand-brewed filter coffee.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Inside, the cafe is gorgeous, with light wood fixtures, plenty of seating (including some cool mini-booths at the edge) and large windows that let plenty of light stream in once the sun has risen. I was tempted by the avocado toast on the menu, but I wasn’t quite hungry enough yet, so I stuck to a Rwandan Rulindo Bushoki coffee, brewed as a pourover. The coffee was very well brewed and had some delicious fruity flavour notes. There weren’t many other customers that early in the morning, but I enjoyed listening to the baristas \u2014 clearly passionate about coffee and their work \u2014 chat as they prepped the breakfast dishes and dialled in a new decaf.<\/p>\n

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Blue Bottle is located at 1046 Potomac Street and various other locations<\/a>. Website<\/a>. Twitter<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Grace Street Coffee Roasters<\/a>
Located just across the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal from Blue Bottle, Grace Street Coffee Roasters occupies a hip, industrial-chic part of Georgetown where red-brick exteriors house sleek, modern interiors. The coffee shop and roaster is one of several eateries inside 3210 Grace Street, and the open-plan space was bustling when I visited at lunchtime on a Sunday. I particularly liked the plant-centric decor.<\/p>\n

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They weren’t serving any pourovers \u2014 perhaps because it was so busy \u2014 so I decided to try the Ethiopian Ardi espresso, brewed as a cortado. The plum and lemon notes of the espresso came through very nicely, and I enjoyed my coffee while indulging in a touch of DC people-watching, while sitting next to the small roaster at the back.<\/p>\n

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Grace Street Coffee is located at 3210 Grace Street nr Wisconsin St. Website<\/a>. Twitter<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

West End<\/b>
Bluestone Lane<\/a>
I only found out on my penultimate day that there was a branch of the Aussie (by way of NYC) coffee and brunch mini-chain Bluestone Lane just a couple of blocks from my hotel. There’s also one in Georgetown<\/a>. Like every other Bluestone Lane I visited, the West End branch has gorgeous, turquoise-accented interiors, and there’s a lot of seating in the high-ceilinged building on 23rd Street.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
<\/a>
I went for a big breakfast on my last morning, enjoying a piccolo (hooray!), which tasted much nicer than its latte art might suggest. Convincing myself that I needed to up my fruit and vegetable intake while on my trip, I ordered the avocado toast, which was delicious, with great sourdough toast, perfectly smashed avo, heirloom cherry toms and feta. One of the reasons I went to Bluestone Lane was to try a f\u00eated District Doughnuts<\/a> doughnut, which they sell, but distracted my my avo toast, I forgot to pick one up. Next time!<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Bluestone Lane is located at 1100 23rd Street nr L St and various other locations<\/a>. Website<\/a>. Twitter<\/a>. Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more DC coffee recommendations, head over to my 2016<\/a> and 2015 DC coffee guides<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the third in my series of guides to speciality coffee shops in Washington, DC. Part 1 (2015) is available here and part 2 (2016) here, but the map below includes coffee shops featured in all three posts. After … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pizza"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5236\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aussiepizzas.com\/PIZZADELIVERY\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}