Our Cup of Coffee Could Be Your Life: A Semi-Irregular Review of Coffee in the District

This post was submitted by "Robert", one of our frequent guest contributors.

The summer of 1997 was memorable for two reasons. First, not counting a dorm, this summer was the first time that I lived on my own. I slept on a floor in the squatter-punk neighborhood of Joe Hammer Square in the South Oakland area of Pittsburgh. It was the summer between my sophomore and junior years in college and the last thing I wanted to do was move home with my parents for three months when I was clearly a burgeoning, responsible young adult (ahem). A couple of close friends went to school in the ‘burgh and made room for me to live with them, on a floor, with no AC, an occasional gunshot in the alley, and bass chords and skateboards rattling every crevice of the structure. Oh, salad days…..

Anyway, the second reason the summer of 1997 was so memorable was coffee. To pay my extravagant $120 a month rent, I found a barista job at Starbucks in the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. While the obvious corporate chain connotations pop into mind, it was different back then – well, sorta. The beast had yet to devour the country and even in areas it had conquered, it was not yet ubiquitous. At the time, Starbucks only sold coffee, espresso, and two kinds of frappuccinos, none of the fancy spice-extra-whip-with-blah-blah crap. As beans were not prepackaged, we had to measure each bag before selling them. We had real espresso machines (without timers) and we had to take a week long coffee 101 course before working in the store. There was a strong emphasis on coffee knowledge and barista precision. I imagine this emphasis has eroded with the expansion of greed, Oprah’s book club, breakfast sandwiches, every contortion of an iced something or other under the sun, and Wilco CDs.

While my short lived career as a corporate barista taught me the mechanics of coffee, what cemented my appreciation were my afternoons spent at 61c, a coffee shop around the corner from where I worked, named after the bus line that ran by. Until then I had been slurping down the exotic flavors of Maxwell House. 61c changed that. Their coffee was perfect in my book – complex, full-bodied, and engaging. Though the coffee was the main attraction, it was the intangibles that made a visit there an experience. The chocolate-sweet smell of espresso when entering, the quirky and personable college students making the coffee, Mike Watt and old Replacement CDs set at a perfect volume, and the large windows that allowed you to mentally escape while staring at the steady pace of Pittsburgh street life. 61c felt lived in, while Starbucks felt like a new condo. Both have their place and value, but for completely different reasons. Being someone who deals best with order and efficiency, I can appreciate the standardization of Starbucks. However, the overall experience of Starbucks doesn’t hold a candle to the grit, personality, and Sunday-like pace of 61c. In sum, 61c is the worn-in wool sweater of coffee shops. My afternoons were spent reading and dreaming while hanging out at 61c, my evenings were spent wearing a green apron and using Italian lingo to size the perfect cappuccino for old Jewish ladies, and my nights were spent hanging out on the front porch in Joe Hammer Square listening to the late night/early morning sounds of the city.

When I moved to DC two summers later, I was surprised that a city of this size and character lacked a high-quality locally owned record store (the old DCCD was a disappointment in my book, sorry), a reputable independent radio station, and a coffee shop that embodied the feel of 61c. The first has since been taken care of (thank you Crooked Beat and Som records). I care less about the second in the age of internet radio. The third has not changed, or at least not that I have noticed. It could be that one still does not exist, or it could be that I have stopped looking. With that orientation, I plan to re-examine the city’s coffee offerings with an open mind. I do not plan on finding another 61c, but I hope that I can find some solid contenders that can restore my faith in DC coffee. I plan to mostly focus on shops and stands rather than restaurants, but there will likely be some diversions along the way. Over the months ahead, I will keep you posted on what I find. Feel free to disagree or comment. Here are my first three:

Murky Coffee hands down gets my vote for best name. I remember Murky when it was an espresso stand in that hole in the wall on Wisconsin in Georgetown. I think it is a purse vendor now(?) Murky seemed to disappear in a flash and I had no idea that it was still thriving in different locations. Situated off Pennsylvania Ave in Eastern Market, it has a simple, almost college town feel without being contrived. I was surprised that upon entering that the aroma of coffee was subdued. The scent of coffee is so much a part of the experience, and unfortunately it seemed lost in the laptop village that filled up the dining room and the momentary customer chaos at the cash register. The storefront of Murky is made of glass, which provides a good deal of light toward the front, but darkens considerably for those who can only secure a spot in the back. The coffee wasn’t a knock-out, but it was solid enough that if I lived on the Hill that I would stop by frequently. It had a slightly-acidic flavor with an unassuming pepper and spice accent. The light to medium body made it slide pretty quickly around your mouth with the taste remaining consistent from the first hot sip to the room temperature swill. I plan on returning to try this place again. I really wanted to like Murky if only for the name and the recommendations of trusted sources. I feel like I caught it on an off day. 660 Pennsylvania Ave, SE; Free WiFi.

Big Bear: Put simply, I want Big Bear to be in Adams Morgan so that I can walk to it everyday. It is easy to fault Adams Morgan for lacking a place like Big Bear, but it is partly because Big Bear is not in Adams Morgan that makes it what it is – understated and calm. On the corner of First and R Street NW at the outposts of Ledroit Park, this shop embodies some of the key elements I miss about 61C. It has neighborhood grit without trying too hard, and just enough places to sit without feeling impersonal (read: Tryst). With large windows, the amount of natural light is ideal. Being in a residential area, there is not much foot traffic (read: little to no eye candy or boy watching). The seats are a bit uncomfortable, but you can easily get lost in the slow hypnotic pace of the cars going by and the music which is set at a comfortable volume. The coffee is almost gold – medium bodied, with a muted complex flavor and hints of berries that linger “just long enough” after you have swallowed. I like my coffee piping hot, and it was served a bit cooler than I would have preferred. The flavor, however, more than made up for the temperature. 1700 1st St., NW; Free WiFi.

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections or ACKC as the sign reads is a new high end chocolate shop in the burgeoning 14th Street shopping district. If Murky gets my vote for the best name, ACKC easily gets my vote for the worst. I was not intending on going there for coffee, but rather to get some chocolate for an upcoming party and to kill some time on a Saturday afternoon. To my surprise, they have a chocolate and coffee bar in addition to the merchandise. The décor is a bit harsh with lots of reds and gaudy floral art. I can forgive it to an extent as it is a chocolate vendor and not a coffee shop in the truest sense. That said, it is still a bit distracting. With the assistance of the very friendly staff, I ordered coffee and a couple of truffles. The coffee was served in air pots, which really kills the flavor and temperature. The first cup was cold, but the staff happily made a fresh batch upon request. Once the temperature was fixed, I found the coffee to be light-bodied and thin, so much so that the flavor evaporated before you can get a good chance to really grasp it. It had a crisp feel with high acidity. I prefer a more complex flavor, so this would be hard to please me. This is the type of coffee that works better for those on the go, rather than those who want to sit and embellish the afternoon. I am not a chocolate connoisseur, but the truffles were tasty. If you go, definitely order something sweet as their coffee is an accent to their chocolate, rather than the other way around. 1529 14th St., NW

-Robert

Photo:

A nearly perfect cup at Big Bear Coffee.