Blue Bottle Coffee - An Oakland, California Chain of Coffee Boutiques Owned by Nestlé - Expanded to Georgetown

[aspgirl99]

Found this neat little coffee shop in Georgetown.  Very small and almost hidden.  No parking.  Very modern feel to the shop - very light and airy.  I didn't have the coffee.  I had the iced tea and it was fresh brewed to order.  People in the shop said the coffee is fantastic, that it has almost a cult following.

Blue Bottle Coffee

[jondagle]

Thanks for staring this thread. It's excellent (the coffee and espresso); among the best in the DC area. The vibe is a tiny bit "over-wrought" IMHO, but BB is amazing. I've been to many of their SF locations (most notably the Mint St location) and Oakland roasters (when that was the only roastery, perhaps 7 years ago?). They're also in NYC and have a roastery in Brooklyn, I believe. BB  was founded by James Freeman (when his hair wasn't all grey). He has a great book on coffee, the name of which escapes me. I

I recently went to the new-ish "Grace Street Coffee" south of the canal. I had a cortado which was among the worst I've ever had. Terribly bright, with no sweetness. They seem to be serious about coffee but I couldn't recommend it based on my visit. Baked n Wired or BB would be a much better choice. 

BTW, hidden in that it's not on M or Wisconsin? It's next to (to the right and behind) Dean and Deluca. I think it's been open since November or December. 

I should note that BB was acquired by Nestle at the end of 2017. Still excellent. 

[porcupine]

9 hours ago, jondagle said:

I recently went to the new-ish "Grace Street Coffee" south of the canal. I had a cortado which was among the worst I've ever had. Terribly bright, with no sweetness. They seem to be serious about coffee but I couldn't recommend it based on my visit. Baked n Wired or BB would be a much better choice. 

Interesting. I don't doubt what you say, but Grace Street is my favorite coffee shop, largely because it's one of only three I know of that consistently produces an excellent cortado (my espresso beverage of choice, and one easily messed up). The other two are Filter (Dupont location) and The Wydown. There are so many variables involved in producing an espresso drink that even a great shop bombs once in awhile.

[funkyfood]

Not to derail the thread, but I had a pretty underwhelming experience at Grace Street Coffee too.

[porcupine]

20 hours ago, funkyfood said:

Not to derail the thread, but I had a pretty underwhelming experience at Grace Street Coffee too.

Bummer. 

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, porcupine said:

Bummer. 

Well, I think what this means is that there are new barristas, and management needs to exert tighter and more consistent quality control on complex drinks such as Cortados.

I think Grace Street is one of the more interesting streets in DC - plus, they have the best fast-casual restaurant in DC with Chaia.

(Though it's imperative to remember that Blue Bottle Coffee is on Potomac Avenue, and is separate and distinct from Grace Street Coffee (any coffee house good enough for Joel Finkelstein is good enough for me.)) In theory, I should split some of these posts off into the Grace Street Coffee thread, but this is making for an interesting and logical conversation - just make sure you realize that nobody has reported having any bad Cortados at Blue Bottle Coffee yet!

[porcupine]

Yeah... apologies, Don, the last four posts should be moved to the Grace Street Coffee thread. And then this one should be deleted.

[DonRocks]

2 minutes ago, porcupine said:

Yeah... apologies, Don, the last four posts should be moved to the Grace Street Coffee thread. And then this one should be deleted.

No apologies - it's a good conversation that has been missing for too long. (I'll move things once they die down - people can write whatever they want, wherever they want; it's my responsibility to organize things properly.)

[jondagle]

Yeah, not to extend the discussion in wrong thread, but....

Grace St seems like it should be better. Looks like they have all the right kit — pricey kit! My cortado looked good but was sour.  This is coming from someone who is not impressed with the recent trend of lighter espresso roasts. Still, I think this was an example of a lighter espresso roast done wrong.

Now, on the other hand, I have never had any coffee beverage at Blue Bottle (any location) that I did not think it was exceptional. (I do find their “Bella Donovan” a bit too dark for my taste.)

[porcupine]

^Interesting. Last time I had a cortado at Grace Street (about 2 weeks ago), the barista actively sought my feedback; he was aiming for a particular taste profile. I thought he nailed it, with a slight sweetness on a pleasantly bitter brew. Possibly he hadn't gotten it right when you were there. Or you had a different barista. Or we have different tastes (I find BB very good but not exceptional). There are so many variables that go into an espresso drink, it's easy to go wrong.

FWIW I was texting a friend a few days ago about cortados. The only places I've tried that make good ones correctly, consistently, are GS, Filter (Dupont location only), and The Wydown. If you try those or know of other places, report back, please! 

[DaveO]

On 1/31/2018 at 5:36 AM, porcupine said:

^Interesting. Last time I had a cortado at Grace Street (about 2 weeks ago), the barista actively sought my feedback; he was aiming for a particular taste profile. I thought he nailed it, with a slight sweetness on a pleasantly bitter brew. Possibly he hadn't gotten it right when you were there. Or you had a different barista. Or we have different tastes (I find BB very good but not exceptional). There are so many variables that go into an espresso drink, it's easy to go wrong.

FWIW I was texting a friend a few days ago about cortados. The only places I've tried that make good ones correctly, consistently, are GS, Filter (Dupont location only), and The Wydown. If you try those or know of other places, report back, please! 

I had my first cortado the other day.  At its most elemental level what is so special about it and what should I be looking for?? (or did you describe that taste element above?)

[porcupine]

^https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2013/8/28/whats-the-difference-between-a-flat-white-and-cortado-august-2013

[DaveO]

2 hours ago, porcupine said:

^https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2013/8/28/whats-the-difference-between-a-flat-white-and-cortado-august-2013

Well I should have and could have researched it.  Thanks for the link. 

[jondagle]

I find that places are not entirely consistent with what they make as cortado, flat white, etc. I would describe a cortado as a very similar to a cappuccino, with milk at a little lower temp and less froth, almost always in a glass of some kind (like a kamakazi glass). This is a good approximation. 

On 2/9/2018 at 11:51 AM, DaveO said:

I had my first cortado the other day.  At its most elemental level what is so special about it and what should I be looking for?? (or did you describe that taste element above?)

 

[jondagle]

On 1/31/2018 at 5:36 AM, porcupine said:

The only places I've tried that make good ones correctly, consistently, are GS, Filter (Dupont location only), and The Wydown. If you try those or know of other places, report back, please! 

I agree that Filter and the Wydown are great—not just for cortados. And I think Eye St Filter is fine too. Perhaps I’m not as demanding? Though I would not have thought it possible...  😬

So I tried Grace St again. The problem’s not so much the preparation, but the roast. They are solidly on the light-roast bandwagon. I contend that trend has jumped the shark. Or should never have been a thing. Light roasts tend to be sour. I once was quite an expert on espresso, but I’ve never pulled, nor indeed “had” a lightly roasted espresso that’s not sour. Maybe that works for an espresso (solo) or latte, but I find it awful as a macchiato or cortado. That’s just my taste, sorry to say. Even Blue Bottle has gone lighter, but I’ve never had a sour pull there. 

Besides, since I am mainly in Alex-Arl I’m generally pleased with the coffee in DC. The better places are a step above what I find west of the river.  

[funkyfood]

In the same vein as the above, it boggles my mind that there is not, to my knowledge, a single third wave coffee shop in all of downtown Bethesda. First place to open there will print money.

[jondagle]

On 2/21/2018 at 3:57 PM, funkyfood said:

In the same vein as the above, it boggles my mind that there is not, to my knowledge, a single third wave coffee shop in all of downtown Bethesda. First place to open there will print money.

First, I hope that's true... Sadly, based on my casual observations, I suspect the economics of a third wave cafe make business rather challenging. Requires (1) ability to get staff that cares about quality coffee, (2) clientele that is discerning in taste and wiling to pay more for coffee (or simply wants to patronize a place like a third wave cafe), (3) sufficient volume of such customers to cover rent and wages (etc). 

Second, did you eliminate Quartermaine as not "third wave" or not "down town." (Not that I'd rave about them; have only a passing awareness of them)

(I'm obliged to note the sad state of quality coffee in Old Town as well)

PS: posted to the Java Shack thread too based on recent visit. 

[Marty L.]

On 1/29/2018 at 7:14 AM, porcupine said:

Interesting. I don't doubt what you say, but Grace Street is my favorite coffee shop, largely because it's one of only three I know of that consistently produces an excellent cortado (my espresso beverage of choice, and one easily messed up). The other two are Filter (Dupont location) and The Wydown. There are so many variables involved in producing an espresso drink that even a great shop bombs once in awhile.

If you like a cortado, try the Gibraltar at Blue Bottle--my favorite coffee drink.