DC Coffee Express - La Colombe

Haha! I am back and totally caffeinated to the brain box. I ventured back into our nation's capital to find more coffee goodness yesterday and this time I chose La Colombe as my watering hole of the week. Programming note: I plan to reduce my coffee house visits to once per week. With school starting back for my son, I likely won't be making it into the city quite as often. Boooo. I am sad about this, but the facts are the facts.

Alright back to our regularly scheduled programming. La Colombe has a couple of locations in DC and I chose the 6th Street location as it was close to a scheduled lunch date in the City Center. For whatever reason, traffic that day was not just bad, but epicly bad. No seeming reason other than the usual people suck at driving and there are hundreds of cars on the same roads going to the same place at the same time. From a location stand point though, La Colombe is just down the street from the Verizon Center and Chinatown. It is walking distance to City Center and Gallery Place. So there are lots of options for fun nearby once you get your caffeine fix.

Ambiance

See! Bricks!

The facility is brick. Lots of brick. I kind of liked it. I went to a university that had brick court yards, buildings, fountain and walk ways so for me it felt a little like college (what I remember of it anyways). However, if you prefer more modern design to the more rustic brick structures then by all means go somewhere else. It has a clean and simple design that was visually appealing for me. The space is open when you walk in with the coffee bar directly in front. I was greeted warmly and quickly by the barista. The seating inside is nothing to shout about, but certainly serviceable for sitting down to get some work or reading in.
There was a very small upstairs, but it only fits a couple of people at the same table. Its kind of a cool area if you find it available. My one complaint was how cold it was inside. I mean they keep the temperature inside like a meat locker. Very refreshing when you first walk in from the heat, but after about 20 minutes you need a parka or to be a penguin. Perhaps that was just an anomaly. Note to restaurants: Temperature control is very important. The music was very upbeat featuring all kinds of rock n' roll. This was the first coffee place that played primarily this genre of music and it I LOVED it. The music was a little loud however, and at one point when it was more crowded the noise factor definitely inhibited being able to work. Fortunately this was the case only for about 30 minutes or so, and before and after this point the noise levels were fine. In all, there is a comfort factor that works. I spent two very enjoyable hours inside and enjoyed the experience.

Rating: 4.5 (only because of noise level and the AC being on permafrost)

Coffee

La Colombe features many of the same options you will find in other coffee spots in DC. They have pour overs, red eyes, cold brew to include draft lattes! I had not seen that before, but I am not much of a latte drinker so I skipped it. I noticed that many customers were ordering the drink on a hot day, so it must have some redeeming value. I decided to order a Kenyan pour over.  I am a sucker for a good pour over evidently. It featured a smooth finish with fruity overtones. There was no bitterness. It came served in a ceramic mug with interesting art work befitting of the African origin of the roast. For $6 it was a little over priced, but I am not going to deny the deliciousness. I also tried a cortado for $3. It had nice presentation in a clear glass cup, as it should be. It was not as sweet as other cortados (i.e. The Royal), but it featured a smooth and balanced flavor profile with a hint of creaminess.

Rating: 5

Kenyan Pour Over

Cortado

Food

I did not try any food, but what I saw was pretty standard pastry fare. Again, not sure why more coffee houses do not focus more on the food side of things. I won't beat that dead horse again.

Rating: NA

Overall

I thoroughly enjoyed La Colombe. From the location to the architecture and set up and definitely the coffee it is a winner. Only a couple of minor complaints about noise levels and the AC being a bit too cranked up put a blemish on the experience. To me this is primarily a coffee joint. I didn't see many folks eating and there really is nothing but carbohydrate bombs to be bought anyhow. The coffee is really good though. If you like lattes you will have to try the draft latte and let me know how it is in the comments. It would be wasted money for me to even try it. I would put this up against most coffee houses I have visited so far in terms of overall quality. Do check it out, won't you?

Final Rating: 4