Mia's Coffeehouse - Capitol Hill

Delighted to stumble across a new coffeehouse in Washington, DC's Capitol Hill neighborhood!

Mia's Coffeehouse is located at 15th and A Streets SE, a tree-lined corner across from the historic old East Capitol Street Car Barn.  This place opened up last Summer and is a very welcome addition to Washington, DC's coffee culture.  For many reasons including it's welcoming vibe, some first-rate tacos (more on that later) but most of all its choice in roaster.

To my knowledge Mia's is the only place in DC using coffee from New York's estimable Irving Farm Coffee Roasters.  A lot of DC's shops use a small handful of the same roasters.  They are all good roasters (at least the ones we vouch for and map), but it is refreshing to come across a coffeehouse highlighting a roaster outside of the regular players. I had a delicious macchiato using Irving Farm's Blackstrap Espresso.

This place is definitely worth checking out.  It's been added to both our DC Area and our Mid-Atlantic Espresso Maps.

Guru@Home: Bespoken Coffee's Bombardier Blend

Had a great time trying out Bespoken Coffee Roasters' Bombardier Blend.  Some of the prettiest packaging is perhaps the first thing that catches your eye, but there's a good espresso blend here too.  Currently the blend is made up of Mexican Chiapas & Ethiopian Yirgachefe Kongo.

A "husband and wife" company out of Corvallis, Oregon, Bespoken prides itself in their exacting detailing and their name references the craftsmanship of tailoring in describing their commitment to good coffee.  We certainly experienced their attention to detail as we pulled a few days worth of shots.  Worked well with milk too.  Making for a tasty flat white.

Bespoken Coffee Roasters | Bombardier Blend / 12 ounces for 17.00

Crema@Home: Dark Matter's Unicorn Blood

Unicorn Blood from Dark Matter Coffee

We recently had a chance to try out Dark Matter Coffee's "Unicorn Blend" espresso.  What can we say, they didn't lie in their description.  Here at Crema Guru we're used to hyperbole and silly clothing catalog-type descriptiveness when it comes to coffee beans: "hint of paprika with Victorian cinnabar, James Dean's sweat and patchouli."  Usually we roll our eyes, ignore, and tip the cup.

But in the case of Dark Matter, when they say their Unicorn Blend has notes of peanut butter, they're not joking.  At all.  We fired up a few macchiatos to put the beans through their paces and were pleasantly surprised.  Every time we opened the bag in our kitchen we were struck with the unmistakable whiff of the legume that made the genius of Tuskegee famous.  In fact it left us imagining Carver enjoying the hell out of this brew.  To be clear, we're not talking cloying artificial PB&J push-button-cup hoo-haw, we're telling you that these folks, (or as we'll now refer to them) the masters of the dark arts in Chicago have managed to pull off a pretty neat trick: a blend that evokes the unmistakable, if fleeting, note of something and then cause your mouth to stop and consider it. It's as magical as it's pretty amazing packaging. We sensed it in the lower cheeks when we sipped it.

It's been a while since we've paused so long with a cup before drinking and with such satisfaction.  There is a lot going on here.  We can't recommend it enough.
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Dark Matter has a few locations in Chicago, including the recently honored Osmium Coffee.  They ship their beans and will grind as well.  We look forward to checking out their other selections.
ALSO LISTED ON OUR MIDWEST and CHICAGO Espresso Maps.

Barista Thoughts

What your barista may be thinking of your order....

Reasons to go Indy

This video, aside from being funny, contains numerous reminders of why independent coffee shops are so much better than large chain outlets.

Dayton's Press Coffee

On a recent drive East we rolled through Dayton, Ohio and enjoyed a splendid macchiato at Press Coffee in Dayton.   Definitely worth a stop. 

They're using "Neon Espresso" blend from Dogwood Coffee in Minneapolis.  Such a great place and a wonderful cup! 

Given the spare pickings in that part of Ohio, this is a literal oasis.  Do not drive by without a visit.



Visit them at http://www.pressdayton.com/

Wydown Kaldi 700

A beautifully made macchiato at Wydown Coffee Bar.  Made with Kaldi's 700 espresso.

 

 

Visit them at Wydown Coffee
1320 U Street NW, Washington, DChttp://thewydown.com/