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Showing results for tags 'Independent Coffee Shop'.
Found 6 results
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The new Kaldi's Coffee in Silver Spring is one of the more significant new shops to open in the DC area in at least a year. I knew this shop was coming and expected it to be smaller scale; maybe something like the much-loved and quirky Kefa Cafe, which has always been my go-to in Silver Spring. Wow! I was pretty floored when I made it to Kaldi's, which opened about a month ago, today. It's huge with generous seating for about 30 in heavy, interesting, dark wood chairs and comfy modern sofas. It's bright, airy and spacious. And, one of the first things that catches your interest right upon entering is the display case with many different kinds of baked goods which"¦sit down for this"¦look like they were made by someone in-house who actually knows how to bake! You almost never see that in a better coffee shop. So, where to begin? The shop's owner, Tsega Hailemariam, is Ethiopian and a very nice guy. I wasn't able to talk with him much today but did meet him. His passion for creating a great coffee shop experience is pretty evident. The baked goods are made by another gentleman who was pointed out to me but whom I didn't meet. I was told by the woman operating the register that he was the baker and "trained in France." The various cakes, cinnamon buns, croissants, danishes, tarts, muffins, pastries and cookies sure seemed reflective of professional training. I tried some banana bread offered in samples and then just got a blueberry muffin. Both excellent. The banana bread had virtually nothing in common with the awful sugar loaf posing as the same product on offer in Starbucks. The Coffee. Tim Carman beat me to Kaldi's by two days and devoted most of his writeup to the very novel brewing system (called a "SteamPunk") used here for fresh brewing. When Tim was in, the system wasn't yet operating but today it was so I ordered my Bolivian that way. The system uses filters as part of an automated and pressurized pourover system cum vacuum siphon but they didn't yet have the filters in stock this morning. Still, encouraged by the barista that it would produce a cup bascially like a "clean french press" I took a chance on it. To be honest, it was a bit disappointingly weak but I didn't have time to request a re-do as I normally would. We also got an espresso shot which was excellent. I expect that the fresh-brewed SteamPunk coffee here will be excellent once it's fully equipped and all staff fully trained. I have seen higher-tech systems like this on the west coast in Portland (OR) and SFO but Tsega may be right that it's the only shop with it on the east coast. I love new brewing technology as much as the next coffee hound but it's secondary to the coffee's taste, body and aroma. I'd like to see Kaldi's deploy a couple of hario/chemex or traditional hand pour units until the steampunk is producing drinks worthy of the shop. Kaldi's uses CounterCulture though I'm not sure whether this is the usual exclusive deal since I wasn't able to talk with Tsega for long. I always prefer a mix of roasters in a higher end shop (same as valuing different winemakers/vineyards on the wine list in a restaurant imho) but I also understand the attractive economics that drive some better shops to strike exclusive deals and CounterCulture is a quality roaster. And, of course, shops that roast themselves (like Qualia and Caffe Amouri in Vienna) are an exception to that rule since you don't expect them to bring in directly competing beans. Finally, for those that care most about the venue (and for Cheezepowder's list ), there is free wifi, the seating as already mentioned and soft background music making conversation easy. It's not on the main drag in Silver Spring but I suspect this shop will become a bit of a destination for coffee lovers and great shop lovers and do fine. Very cool and impressive shop that looks promising. I'll be back soon and try to fill in a few more blanks about Kaldi's and to more properly test drive that steampunk system since, for me, it is mostly about the coffee. Maybe some others will add their views here. Welcome to the growing great DC coffee scene, Kaldi's! It's great you're here.- 7 replies
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- Independent coffee shop
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Oddly enough I guess I never added this place to DR's - if you are at the WooBoi Chicken place Weird Brothers is to the left if facing Dunkin' Donuts or coffee or whatever they are calling it now. Weird Brothers is small, only a few tables to sit at, but the coffee is great. If you want something a lot more small-town than most of the coffee shops it is a great place. They roast their coffee in plain site, and the brother who runs the place (the other is deceased) is there quite a bit. The staff friendly, and they have an assortment of pastries and sandwiches they stock from local shops. They have a NitroBrew tap as well. For the small size, the staff is pretty efficient, so if you encounter a line, it usually moves quickly. NOTE: they also sell 1lb & 5lb bags of beans or ground coffee - I buy beans and go through a lot of coffee on a weekly basis. Embrace the Dark Side is their espresso bean, and strong. The nice thing is since they roast daily, the stuff is about as fresh as you will get.- 8 replies
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- Herndon
- Coffee Roaster
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I had a fantastic blondie from DogTag Bakery this afternoon. It was dense and buttery and full of butterscotch chips. Perfect treat for a movie (shhh). I've gone there a few times and generally been happy with my treats; the pumpkin mini-loaf is wonderful when they have it. They're a nut-free bakery, which I love as a person with several nut allergies. DogTag Bakery is the work experience part of a job training program operated by DogTag Inc., a non-profit, in conjunction with Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies. It's staffed by veterans with disabilities participating in the program and employees of DogTag Inc., who are training them. -
Drove past Tangysweet last night and this morning Daily Candy had an email about it. I'm excited to try it as I've enjoyed Pinkberry and Red Mango when I've been up in NY. -
New heights of absurdity here. The end is truly near. "Cat Cafe 'Crumbs and Whiskers' May Open In Georgetown" by Sharon Reed on patch.com
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So this place is probably overdue for its own thread since it: - has been around for 2.5 years - is in Adams Morgan - has reasonably good offerings - has been mentioned only in passing in a couple of other, not-so-recent, topics - is just a few steps from the now-shuttered Hans Pedr' Kaffe, which had been serving good coffee Online here: http://www.pleasantpops.com Hopefully, someone else who knows this place well can report a bit, as I only "discovered" it this week. Evidently, this biz is the brainstorm of a pair of college buddies who set out to "reinvent" the childhood ice pop with a local/farm spin, realized that probably wasn't lucrative enough to be sustainable, worked farmers markets, a truck and a food incubator, before finally expanding the concept some but still with the goofy name that probably masks what they actually are to some degree. It's a coffee shop since they use Ceremony coffee and espresso, have a Marzocco espresso maker, offer free and fast wifi and have an assortment of decent baked goods like a coffee shop might. But, this can be fairly debated since they also have a fairly developed lunch business with sandwiches and salads, refrigerated cases with local/farm grocery type items and, of course, many varieties of the namesake "pops" (yes, wood sticks suitable for fort-building are included with each "pop"). No fresh brewed coffee (minus a point there to be sure) but definitely a nice, comfortable space, nice people, good food and respectable espresso drinks. If you're not a Tryst fan and need a decent coffee, in Adams Morgan, and without enough time to amble four blocks west to 14th, this is your best bet.
