Blue Bottle Coffee ★★★★★

I stopped scrolling through my Instagram feed. Instantly. Did I just read what I thought I did? Blue Bottle Coffee was coming to Washington D.C.?! I was thrilled that this well known coffee company and its passion was finally coming to our nations capitol and just a few hours from me!

Blue Bottle Coffee’s history and its beginning is very interesting and takes us to Vienna. In the late 1600’s, the Turkish army swept across much of Europe, arriving in Vienna. A man named Franz George Kolshitsky took on dangerous assignments and when the Turks departed, they left behind a strange bag of beans, (they thought it was camel feed). Kolshitsky, having lived in the Arab world for many years, knew these bags of beans to be coffee. Using money given to him by the mayor of Vienna for his courage, Kolshitsky bought the coffee. He opened Central Europe’s first ever coffee house and named it The Blue Bottle.

During the early 2000’s, a musician and coffee enthusiast from Oakland, California was weary of commercial coffee. He decided to open a roaster for people who desired the taste of fresh coffee. He made a historic vow,

“I will only sell coffee less than 48 hours out of the roaster to my guests, so they may enjoy the coffee at peak flavor. I will only use the finest, most delicious and responsibly sourced beans.”

In honor of Kolshitsky’s heroics, he named his business Blue Bottle and began another chapter in the history of superlative coffee. Now, 15 years later, Blue Bottle has grown to a small network of cafes in California, New York, Tokyo and now Washington D.C..

The grand opening for the Blue Bottle in Washington D.C. was Sunday, July 9th, 2017.  It just worked out so that the hubby and I could drive down for this special occasion! Located in the Georgetown area of Washington D.C., Blue Bottle can be found at the end of Potomac Street in a brick building. A large open window takes up much of the space on the front of the building.

The space is large and airy with high ceilings. You can find fresh Blue Bottle coffee for purchase, along with everything you need to brew. The menu is expansive and the staff was so friendly! Hubby and I ordered and waited while our drinks were made. A few minutes later, a barista brought me a waffle on the house as a thank you for driving two hours, one way to come to the event! This was the icing on the cake and the drinks were a delight. An added bonus was meeting a fellow coffee enthusiast and barista I had only spoken with via Instagram. It was great to meet her in person and chat about coffee and what is really important when it comes to a good coffee shop.

This voyage to the Blue Bottle Coffee opening was more than I could have hoped for! Time with my best friend and husband. Outstanding coffee, service and meeting up with a fellow coffee enthusiast. THIS is what special moments are about and they all happen at the local coffee shop!

Take time for others. Take time for meeting up with friends in person. Leave the virtual world once in a while and soak your soul with friendships and fabulous coffee! What special moments have you shared at a coffee shop?

-Crystal

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