I am back in the office today after a long summer holiday in the United States. The best thing about my annual visit to the States–after spending quality time with my family and friends, of course–is the coffee.
Street 14 Coffee–Astoria, OR.
This summer the coffee was especially good. With this variation on the “what-I-did-this-summer” back-to-school essay, I want to thank the farmers, buyers, roasters and baristas who grew, sourced, roasted and served these extraordinary coffees and made this my best coffee summer yet.
THE COFFEES.
Ceremony
- Muungano DRC–My first taste of the DRC, and now I know what the fuss is all about. Wow. Can’t wait to try more coffees from the origin that seems to have left so many specialty roasters breathless.
Counter Culture
- Ethiopia Idido Special Prep Lot 1–In the running for the best coffee of the summer.
- Honduras El Puente
- Ngurunguru Kenya
Stumptown
- Ethiopia Duromina (hot and cold-brewed)
- Guatemala El Injerto Bourbon
- Honduras El Puente
- Indonesia Biea Penantan
Olympia Coffee Roasters
- Aricha Misty Valley Ethiopia
- El Salvador La Escalera
Coava
- Kilenso Ethiopia Natural
- Kochere Ethiopia microlot–Wow again.
Mudhouse
- Oaklands Estate Kenya
THE COFFEE BARS.
- Artifact
Baltimore–-Set in a rehabbed mill in a seedy section of Baltimore, Artifact features stunning architecture, a great menu, single-origin Counter Culture offerings at the pour-over bar, and the coolest sink in coffee. - Coava Coffee
Portland (Brew Bar)–Artifact may have a great sink, but it can’t top the bathroom at Coava, whose neighbors at Bamboo Revolution did virtually every surface is bamboo. Oh, right, and the coffee is amazing. If there is a more unique café space than the Coava Brew Bar, I haven’t seen it. - Maglianero’s
Burlington, VT–Started by the owners of a design firm and it shows: antique bikes and not much else hanging from the walls in this spare gallery space. - Mudhouse
Charlottesville, VA - Olympia Coffee Roasting Company
Olympia, WA - Johnny’s
Baltimore–Cindy Wolf may be Baltimore’s most celebrated chef, but marble coffee bar hidden away in her upscale diner Johnny’s is one of the city’s better-kept secrets. - Peregrine Espresso
Washington, DC - Street 14 Coffee
Astoria, OR–My first visit to Street 14 Coffee, which was on my radar ever since Sprudge urged its readers to buy the place. ¡Fantástico! - Stumptown
Ace Hotel, Portland; Pine Street, Seattle
Thanks for the great coffee!
3 Comments
Great to see Muungano made the cut! Project Congo at On the Ground (http://www.onthegroundglobal.org) is currently partnering with Twin Trading to bring women’s economic empowerment training and micro-loan programs to their communities. Keep an eye out for the Run Across Congo in May highlighting the resurgence of specialty coffee in the DRC and women’s rights. 4th Wave of coffee is on its way – Sustainability and Quality in every cup!
A stunning roast of Muungano fully washed DRCongo coffee, and a cool cafe in Baltimore! As regular traveller to the eastern Congo coffee lands and as a fan of The Wire, these are good reasons to follow in your footsteps across the USA, Michael! Hope to see you in the Goma region before too long! Richard. http://www.twin.org.uk
Richard!
Good to hear from you. And belated congratulations–I was so pleased to see Twin get recognized for the extraordinary work in DRC last spring. (And even more pleased to taste some of the fruits of those efforts this summer!)
I promise to show you some of the iconic locations from The Wire if we are ever in Baltimore together if you promise to show me around Goma when I come. Perhaps December?
Michael