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| My Costa Rican Friend Drip Drip Dripping Away |
3917 Georgia Avenue, NW
Petworth
Washington, D.C. 20011
(202) 248-6423
I had the good fortune to wake up very early on Saturday and this led to a chance encounter with the owner of a really great little pour-over coffee shop here in Washington D.C. that has been in operation it turns out for over three years.They have been an assuming little “BLUE BOTTLE“-styled shop and they produce the best brew in town.
In the midst of a terrible recession, Joel Finkelstein has been roasting coffee beans from all over the world in his terrific shop in Petworth to a medium, golden hue. The in-house roasting and the weekend sales are the source of his limited income. There’s a story about why it has some natural challenges built into its business model that make it virtually impossible to make this a going concern given it’s current location.
The money in coffee is in making the Starbuck’s-styled milkshakes (lattes, iced coffee slushies, and the like) that sell for $5.00+ a pop all over the country. But with Joel’s model, he’s trying to make a living teaching bean culture one person at a time. Joel refuses to make a “French Roast” coffee, for example, “It roasts out all the flavor in the bean. You can really only produce a medium roast, if you have any intention of actually tasting the coffee.”
The medium roast is probably higher in caffeine (DARK ROASTS ARE Generally LOWER IN CAFFEINE, oddly); however, the cup they give is smaller and the brew is seriously flavorful. If I could come here during the workday everyday, I would. It’s the perfect alunchboxblog brew, so I recommend you drop by or order by mail and make it at the office.
I drank the Costa Rican blend (see pic above), and as their blog says:
“This coffee is from the Santa Anita Estate located in Naranjo County in the West Valley Region of Tarrazu, where much of Costa Rica’s highest quality coffees are cultivated. The trees grow in volcanic soil on this family owned farm, which is also Rainforest Alliance Certified.” Tasting Notes: bright, balanced, raisin, caramel
Price: $12/12oz
And Qualia makes the best cup of decaf in the city, and for me, that’s really important (stop your snickering!)
This seasonal blend of beans combines the best of harvests from Central American’s countries including Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mexico. The beans have been decaffeinated using a method that best preserves the natural flavors of the coffee.Tasting Notes: earthy, cocoa, hint of walnut
Their “Mayan Decaf” tastes exactly like the caffeinated coffee, but left me feeling sated, not dehydrated. With the advent of Peregrine, Filter, The Wydown, and several other cool coffeehouses in DC, I felt lucky to have my friend Pedro recommending Qualia as the best in show.
So for my first installment of ALunchBoxBlog’s Best of DC, I introduce you to Joel Finkelstein’s Qualia Coffeehouse.
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The staff behind the bar seem to know everyone, and if they don’t, they seem to find a social way to make the place feel like it’s a folksy, homey nest. Joel is clearly “all business,” but his staff of 8-10 folks are much more Portland/Omaha than DC/NY. It clearly helps to have a Joel at the helm; otherwise, these guys wouldn’t get to customers at all. |
| Cool Beans: Joel Cooling His Beans |
The service is seriously conversational in a really good way. I think it sort of makes the place. And you will wait for your simple pour over coffee for quite some time. They say three minutes, but it’s much more like 7-15 when there’s a crowd. This is no Starbucks. Sit a spell.
In the end you don’t particularly care because the flavors are so distinct and the atmosphere is so indie chic.
I hope that Qualia can expand to other locations. The challenge that Joel finds is that his roast makes it nearly impossible to hold his coffee very long, even as beans. The beans off-gas their roast and become insipid if stored for a long time, so end up having to drink the coffee you purchase as beans in short order. Joel didn’t even give it two months. He recommended consuming his beans as coffee immediately.
I—for one—am willing to give it a try, at my desk, in the workplace, getting pumped up on the kicks Qualia brings.
Tips for a successful visit:
- Avoid putting in too much milk in, as it can make your coffee tepid fast.
- You don’t want to leave it sitting out on a cool morning without slugging it, because the nice ceramic mugs do get cold fast.
- Outside seating in the front is super nice and good for people watching, but Georgia Ave is a busy place, so be prepared for noise.
- The location is just blocks south of Yes! Gourmet’s superstore, and you can make a shopping run of it. Yes! can be a brutally overpriced organic store, but a trip to the back of the store on Sunday late afternoons can land you in a pile of mark-downs in the meat section. (Plan ahead. I found EXCELLENT SIRLOIN STEAK CUTS that were super cheap and terrific.)
