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My first coffee stop on day five was Peregrine Espresso over on 14th Street. There are other locations in Eastern Market and Union Market, so you can say this is a chain, but one exclusive to DC.
Ambiance
The coffee house is very small with limited seating. In fact, they really only had benches along the wall and two small tables outside on the sidewalk. This is definitely more of a to go location. The other coffee houses are larger and more conducive to an in house coffee experience. That being said, I did find a spot to sit and do a little work while I waited on my coffee. The inside is pretty well lit and cozy. Small pictures adorned the walls, but nothing to really make note of. The look and feel of the inside was very plain. Bricks on one side with white paneling above and around the coffee bar. The barista was very friendly and when asked what favorite hot beverage she would recommend, she answered the pour over. She did warn me that they only source medium roast beans, so this would not be as rocket fuel-like as I would prefer, especially since it was 9 AM and I was past the need for coffee time. There was some very interesting discourse between the other two baristas about a fashion show for drag queens, so that made for a nice morning news update. DC sure has some conversation flava!
Ambiance Rating: 3
Coffee
The coffee was pretty good from a taste perspective. I really wanted something with some oomph. I was still feeling the effects of my night out with J-Bird at Brew at the Zoo and frankly what I was served just didn't knock the fuzz off the old brain box. However, it was a solid pour over, served nice and hot and as an afternoon pick me up coffee, it would serve its purpose well. Peregrine sources Counter Culture beans for espresso drinks, origin filter drip and pour over coffees. The Counter Culture beans were very similar in flavor profile to the americano I sampled at Tryst.
Peregrine Espresso has less options from a brewing type perspective then The Wydown or Compass, but they hit all the high notes you would find in most coffee establishments. The prices are comparable to the other coffee houses I have plunked down my hard earned money at this week. I paid $3.50 for my pour over, which is comparable in size to a Starbucks tall. I did not get a chance to sample or really see any food options . That does not mean they don't offer anything, but I can't include it in my review since I did not even see anything to purchase.
Coffee Rating: 3
As I stated earlier, this location is much more of drop in, grab a cup a Joe and move on down the road type of place. That does not mean that the interior space is devoid of character or that you can't drink your coffee in house. You just might have trouble finding a spot when its busy and there really isn't anything to write home about. Frankly, there wasn't much appealing about even the outside seating as all you see is the busy street traffic on 14th Street during rush hour. The day I happened to visit there were a lot of police happening. That might raise the excitement factor for some, but did not impact my rating.
Overall Rating: 3
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My next stop on the Coffee Express for day five was Maketto. The shop is located on H Street down the way from Atlas and Rock N' Roll Hotel. From a location perspective, its a pretty cool spot. H Street features a ton of cool bars and restaurants, but did not seem to have many dedicated coffee houses. Perhaps I just missed them while walking, but anyways I did notice a fair number of people going in and out of Maketto.
Ambiance
There is only one way to describe the experience of Maketto. Ultra hip. Maketto coffee house is part of a larger retail space featuring clothing, shoes, a Japanese restaurant and the coffee house. The entrance to Maketto opens up in the retail space where clothing and shoes are sold. The clothes are very hip and stylish with a city tinge. The interior space is equally modern feeling with a cool city vibe. You have to go upstairs to find the coffee house. The space is slightly smaller, but open. The seating set up is bench style facing the windows out onto H Street and communal tables with some smaller table spots for up to 4 people. The walls are painted brick - white with black framing for offset. There is a distinct asian flair to the decor and they even display some of the shoe options for purchase in the coffee house. Very subtle art work adorns the walls, but I hesitate to call it sparse. Most of the visual displays were various empty glass containers for coffee/iced home brew as well as some take home product offerings. There also is an area out back for outside seating, but it is small. The outside area looks like a town house deck. The place is well lit with natural sunlight, but sets up nicely for conversation and working. Wi-Fi is a yes if you are willing to provide them your email.
The baristas were very pleasant. They both seemed interested when I told them about what I had been doing that week. We talked for about 15 minutes while one of them made my drink and I left that experience feeling welcome. Pleasant workers generally indicates a well run business and will usually drive revenue up in the long run. I wish more retail spaces would follow this rule.
The music was very hip hop oriented for the relatively short window of time I was sipping coffee. Interestingly it fit the vibe of the place, so no complaints. It was pumped into the coffee house and retail space. Not sure if the dining area for eating also featured the same music.
I really enjoyed the experience of Maketto. If you sat facing H Street you could get some really good people watching into the mix. The place did not feel cramped even though it was reasonably crowded. I got a sense of some good conversation being had around me and I was able to get some work done while sipping my coffee. Overall, very pleasant.
Ambiance Rating: 5
Coffee
Coffee selection features pretty much everything you could want from your coffee house experience. Drips, pour overs, tower drips, espresso, americano, flat whites all could be had. The price is comparatively reasonable to that of the other coffee shops I visited earlier in the week. The one distinctive difference was the siphon bar. This apparently is the first coffee shop on the east coast that features a siphon bar. I had never even heard of a siphon bar, but basically it is a process invented in the 1800's that involves brewing and filtering coffee through vacuum chambers and pressure variation. The result is richer coffee. A lot richer. Vigilante coffee roasters, one of DC's premier coffee roasters, acts like a mad scientist creating a special concoction. Its a very cool experience that you are not going to find anywhere else in DC or even the east coast. I don't think the coffee is going to be for everyone, but if you enjoy really rich and robust coffee flavor this is for you. I tried a small sample of it and it was very good. It is not something that you will want to necessarily drink a lot of unless you are coming off of a week long heroin fueled bender.
To offset the siphon bar experience, I ordered a flat white. I had not really tried anything with milk in it up to this point in my Coffee Express journey. I think this ended up being a good call. I had consumed a fair amount of caffeine already on day five and more than usual over the course the full week. The flat white offered a nice gentle beverage to treat on and was very tasty. It had a creamy flavor profile with caramel overtones. It set me back $3.75.
8/18 UPDATE - So I have returned to Maketto and went all in on a Siphon. I tried the Indonesian blend as recommended by the barista. It has a slightly more bold flavor profile then the Kenyan. The brewing process takes a little longer, more along the lines of a pour over. The coffee is really good. Very smooth and balanced. While it has a bolder flavor profile compared to the Kenyan, it is not a particularly dark or intense flavor. The cost was $4.75.
Food wise, Maketto offers pastries from Frenchies Bakery. I am not familiar with the bakery, but they do have muffins, scones, cookies and other pastries to purchase. I did not try any of the food fare so I cannot speak to its quality.
8/18 UPDATE: Upon my return I tried the Ham and Cheese Roll. The barista heated it up for me and it was good. It featured some jalapeno flavor that gave it some kick. I don't know if pairs well with your morning coffee, but certainly not a bad alternative to the typical sweet pastries you see at most coffee houses. The cost was $4.00 which seems a little high, but hey it is DC.
Coffee rating: 5
Maketto is a cool experience. The city seems to run right through this place. The open, naturally lit space makes for an enjoyable coffee drinking experience. Perhaps next time I will sample some of the food as it seems to get good reviews. The coffee is pretty darn good and that doesn't even include the siphon bar, which is one of a kind. Price wise, this isn't going to set you back more than any other coffee house establishment, but I bet you would be willing to pay a little more for the experience.
Overall Rating: 5
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