Tuesday, June 28, 2011

DC: Filter Coffee House

Filter Coffee House
Address: 1726 20th Street NW
Neighbourhood: Adams Morgan

City: Washington, D.C.
website, @twitter, (202) 234-5837


Opening their (cellular) doors in March 2010 in fairly hip-n-happening neighbourhood of Washington called Adams Morgan. Located on the northwestern front of Washington, D.C. its' become a hub for bars, trendy shops, and amazing cafes. 
Case in point: Filter Coffee House.

The owner of Filter had a passion for coffee, and developed a great relationship with their roaster: Caffe Pronto. As the coffee industry changed, and his knowledge expanded he made the leap and invested his time and money into this thriving location. I guess we're quite spoiled in Toronto, with the boom of indie shop.

Filter is located on a half-basement, where the mood suddenly changes upon entering, as this cool, hip vibe of warm orange and dark stained wooden fruniture appeals to your senses. The long narrow shop gives customers a greater sense of calm. You'll noticed that they have a special bar menu of limited engagement roasts, along with their staples of Pronto's finest. Sweet Cheeks.

What impressed me the most was the Pour-over bar setup.3 steel rods, supporting up to 7 Hario V60s.
with a vented splash bottom. Loved how it was integrated into the bar, between the Cash and the machine.

The workhorse of the cafe - LM FB80 painted the warm orange and wrapped in Filter logo. It's quite attractive, and you'll definitely notice it's presence. 

On this afternoon, we decided to try 2 different types of Espresso, seeing how this was the first official stop on the DC Espresso Adventure, had to start LARGE.
The Basics
Machine: 3 Group La Marzocco FB80
Grinder: Mazzar Robur
Beans: Sweet Cheeks
             2 Brazils, 1 Panama
Roasters: Caffe Pronto
Located: Annapolis, MD
Verdict: Super chocolately, balanced acidity, rich pleasant finish - gives a refreshing taste.
Shot #2
Beans: SO El Salvador Apaneca Shangr-La
Roasters: Caffe Pronto
Verdict: much brighter (but a pleasent lightness)
A Great start to the DC tour: Leave you with this lovely artwork, which screams my lifestyle.
People, Bikes, Coffees....=good times!


Tune in next Tuesday for more

3 comments:

  1. Don't ever book a trip to PDX or SFO... Even one day will make you realize you are far from SPOILED in YYZ (coffee-wise)... Although the indie cafe scene has vastly improved over the last 5 years, the local YYZ roaster scene is not on the map (IMO).

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  2. agree Admas Morgan has always been the highlight of Washington...

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  3. Thanks espressosnob.. there goes my trip to LAX/SFO/PDX/SEA ... Have a taste of SFO last summer, I've been itching to go back and spend more time exploring the coast....

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