1726 20th St NW
Washington, DC 20009

Holy Smokes – Aussies in D.C. rejoice – the ristretto and flat white (and even the babycino if you ask!) have hit the nation’s capital.   Filter is brand new, as in days old, in DC’s Dupont Circle neighbourhood, and with the glut of mediocre coffee joints in this section of town, Filter becomes THE place for your caffeine hit on the way to work or after dinner.  The mini explosion of specialty coffee continues in Washington, and Filter raises the bar yet another notch.  I chatted briefly with the owner Rasheed who is a real champ and totally passionate about his coffee.  When you ask ristretto in this part of the world and the response is “of course” you can be assured you’re speaking with someone who knows their coffee. We managed to get in there a few days before the place was officially opened and he pulled me a mean double ristretto – lush thick crema with beautiful viscosity, very smooth going down and a hell of a kick on the back. Just perfect. Naturally I had to go back and try the flat white, and what can I say?  Rich, creamy and beautifully balanced between the base and the milk.  I’m not mucking around when I say this place jumps to the head of the class in the city – not just for their ability to masterfully craft great coffee, but because their differing approach will contribute mightily to the education of Washington’s coffee consumers.

3 big beans.

2101 L St NW
Washington, DC 20037

Yet another new joint in DC puts the “front double-biceps” pose back into coffee. Bourbon Coffee is a peculiar name, conjuring up images of a liquid-breakfast that usually lands one with a varicose-laced liver. Yet despite the name, and being a new addition to the seriously coffee place-d out DC downtown, Bourbon holds the distinction of actually being worth an out of the way visit for. A little background can be found here and admirably, Bourbon’s mission is an applaud-worthy helping hand to Rwandan coffee farmers.  The first thing that hits you is the lime green hotrod coloured Simonelli on the counter which colour-wise, branzenly contrasts everything else in the store. I’ve gotten used to the idea of never getting a ristretto in Washington so usually the coffee options on the menu are nothing new. Bourbon threw out something I had never had before – a “Caffe Cubano”. This option is a not your typical espresso shot as it has brown sugar added into the grinds before the shot is pulled – something I am told is more common in both Cuba and Puerto Rico.  The result was a sightly sweet, nicely balanced shot with dense crema and some yummy chocolately flavours. Of course I had to chase the shot with a Caffe Latte (which can also be done with a Cubano but I went with a regular espresso base this time) that was magnificent.  It was anchored with another great pull underlying some velvety textured milk, not bubble filled, frothy or flat as many DC coffee drinkers accept as a fact of life. Bourbon is set to blow many DC coffee places out of the water if this quality is anything to go by.

3 beans

Beans: Rwandan Farmers

1451 P St NW
Washington, DC

Holy Schmokes, DC has a new contender for the coffee crown.  Sadly, you’ll never be able to get one to wake you up in the morning.  Pitango Gelato is a new-ish addition to the DC specialty coffee scene and to be honest, their emphasis is not even coffee.  Their gelato rivals some of the best stuff I’ve had in Australia and Italy and they’ll tell you that one serving of the coffee flavoured stuff has the equivalent caffeine of two espresso shots!  However while buying a recent gelato with the missus and boy, I spotted a shiny single group handle on the rear counter and asked bluntly “who can make a good coffee here?”. As soon as I could say doppio, the young bloke behind the counter was tamping a shot and I watch a couple of beautiful mousetails flow out of the head.  The espresso was devine – thick, smooth, no bitterness and with heavy chocolate on the palate. As you can imagine after the equivalent of four espresso shots (two in the ice cream, two in the doppio) I was ready to walk a few kilometres to cool off.  Only downside of this place is, they’re open nights only, here’s hoping word spreads and the demand  for morning services leads to increased operating hours.

Three beans.

Coffee:

Zen’s Pitango blend.