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La Colombe, A Growing Philadephia-Based Chain with Several DC Outposts


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La Colombe (LC) is definitely an interesting shop. This DC outpost is the first (but not the last--see below) flag planted here by the 20-year-old roaster/retailer. LC in DC is especially interesting for coffee "hounds"* for one annoying reason and then a basket full of good reasons.

Let's get the annoying reason out of the way first. As a minority of shops are wont to do, no WiFi here. This usually reflects the strong bias of an owner who wants his or her shop to be a bastion of calm and conversation. The kind of place where the next Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein might debate the latest great book of the day, in French, with animated gesturing. Great goal!

But, alas, that goal is a silly one since, now it's 2015 and we all have ready access to tethering, cell networks, downloaded documents/work and traditional, paper reading materials which all tend to push genial coffee house chatter to the sidelines. Like any no-WiFi shop, come here virtually anytime and you'll see a majority of those seated clicking away on laptops, tablets, phones or maybe reading a book/magazine/newspaper. Sigh, can't fight modernity indefinitely, I guess?

Suffice to say, the space is very hip, thoughtfully appointed and equipped by a French co-owner (Jean Philippe ("JP") Iberti). And, as a roaster/retailer, LC does a good job roasting in Philly supplying its shops there, here, Chicago and in NYC.

Always interesting choices of coffees here for fresh brew along with a couple of espresso options. LC has one of the city's better mocha lattes if you're the type who can't stand the cloyingly sweet drink of the same name at Starbucks. This Blagden Alley shop, aka Chef RJ Cooper's neighbor, also has a nice selection of better-than-average baked goods.

The main and final thing I'll mention here is LC's unique-in-this-market brew method. For hounds like me who find coffee growing, processing, roasting and drink preparation all pretty fascinating, brew methods are a big deal. Any better shop now brews fresh to order whether with Hario, Chemex, or French Press, arguably the three most common methods relative to others like the Clever or vacuum siphon. All of those methods are great with attendant strengths and drawbacks.

One of the main drawbacks of the method I usually favor (pourover) is the challenge of mastering technique. More specifically, it's very easy for an untrained or unmotivated barista to mess up the best coffee through any number of mistakes ranging from grinding to timing. Shops across the country struggle with this mightily.

LC uses a Yama "Silverton" system. The Silverton is a pourover-like system designed for cold brewing. A funnel cone suspended above a flask is both metal and a cleanable, reusable filter. LC basically uses this system with their own adaptations for fresh brewing of hot coffee. There are two main differences from a traditional pourover approach like Chemex or Hario. First, the coffee grounds are doubly filtered since LC's technique is to layer a paper filter in the metal cone. Second, unlike typical pourovers, there is no pour through. The full amount of hot water is poured over the ground coffee and allowed to steep a prescribed amount of time. Then, by turning a valve, the full amount of coffee drips out into the cup.

I give LC's use of the Silverton points for ingenuity in tackling the variable-quality challenge which all shops doing pourovers face. The method reduces variability across users. Nearby Compass Coffee is another example of a local shop that has their own, more automated system for doing pourovers. For me, these systems yield good cups. Coffee I enjoy and would even recommend. Coffee better than many pourovers made by a barista who lacked sufficient knowledge or patience. But, I don't think automated or semi-automated systems, like the Silverton, equal, let alone improve upon, a pourover executed by a skilled barista who understands timing, patience, pre-infusion, bloom and other factors.

Still, LA Colombe is a cool, comfortable and fine shop where one can absolutely get a fine espresso drink, fresh-brewed coffee, take-home bagged beans and a cool (and hip) experience.

Oh, and as promised above, expect more LC shops here soon as the company raised nearly $30 million from private investors last summer and has stated plans for 100 more shops in the years to come.

* As an aside, I like the term "hound" better than "purist," "snob," "connoisseur," or even "aficionado." This is because, to me, "hound" lacks pretension, implies fun and some genuine, non-judgmental, intellectual curiosity. On one hand, it's just coffee for chrissakes! Don't have to analyze it. Just enjoy it! On the other hand, like wine or any food, there is a ton one can learn if interested. If not, totally fine! If so, great too!

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I love, and frequent, both la columbe and compass (average 4 cups at each a week). And, I'm glad La Columbe doesn't have wifi. Of course people can still get on the Internet, but it discourages long-term campers. It is just too small for wifi. It is already tough enough to get a table, and a table is needed for those awesome pastries. On the other hand, I adore spending long periods working at Compass, as it is perfectly set up for it.

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If previous information was correct and La Colombe is opening across the street from the historic synagogue at sixth and I, then it looks pretty close to opening.  One is obviously the front door and the other looking towards Mass Ave.  Sorry if the attached pics aren't great.  My phone is old and I had a few adult beverages prior to noticing the progress and taking the pics on my walk home.

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On 11/2/2015 at 8:42 AM, MichaelBDC said:

If previous information was correct and La Colombe is opening across the street from the historic synagogue at sixth and I, then it looks pretty close to opening.  One is obviously the front door and the other looking towards Mass Ave.  Sorry if the attached pics aren't great.  My phone is old and I had a few adult beverages prior to noticing the progress and taking the pics on my walk home.

The information is more important than the quality of the photo shoot. :)

The Dabney is serving La Colombe coffee, btw.

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I've been to the La Colombe by Farragut West a couple of times and have been impressed with their coffee.  The shop itself is fairly small and pretty much bare bones, it's really setup for the delivery of coffee to nearby office workers, rather than a sit and linger coffee shop.

The pour over Ethiopian was very nice, although fairly expensive for a cup at $5.

The drip coffee from Rwandan is really quite excellent.  Especially for $2.50. 

The drip Corsica was pretty solid.  I probably would have rated it higher, if not for the Rwandan coffee.   

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On 6/16/2017 at 0:59 PM, yeah said:

I find the both the body and flavor of the iced coffee here superior to most alternatives, including Compass. 

I agree. Much better than compass, which I find to have a bitter taste.  Vigilante's is the only one I prefer.  Only thing with LC is rarely, but sometimes you'll get a sour cup of the cold brew.

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We stopped by La Colombe after our visit to Seylou Bakery. Its been a couple of years since the last time I was there, even much longer since the old days when visiting Philly was more of norm and going to Rittenhouse Square was a requirement for the drive home.

They had an oatmeal coffee. Super smooth and tasty. Wow!

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