M.E. Swings Coffee ★★★★★

Offering two locations in D.C., their 14th Street cafe allows you to experience the history of Swings Coffee to the fullest! The original cafe was located at 1013 E Street NW in Washington D.C..  Swings now occupies what formally used to be Gold Crust Bakery. Read more of the story on their website Swings Coffee .

The location I visited houses their roasting facility and a cupping room. Coffee cupping events are free and open to the public every Friday morning. (See their website for details) Featuring a full specialty coffee menu and pour over bar, Swings Coffee is a must see for the coffee lover visiting our nations capitol.

Coffee cupping, or coffee tasting, is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It is a professional practice but can be done informally by anyone or by professionals known as “Master Tasters”. A standard coffee cupping procedure involves deeply sniffing the coffee, then loudly slurping the coffee so it spreads to the back of the tongue.

It was a rainy day, perfect for more than one cup of coffee, if you know what I mean! Stepping up to the counter I noticed a coffee menu off to my left and I was in love! I was mesmerized once inside, noticing unique pieces of history all throughout the cafe.

Large garage style doors fill the front of the building and on nice days, the doors are opened so that you can enjoy your coffee and the beautiful weather. It is a very large coffee shop! The staff I met were super friendly and I was delighted to get to know some of them better and share with them my passion for local coffee.

Anytime a coffee shop offers a coffee menu it shows me they elevate their coffee on a pedestal and I know I am in for a treat!

I ordered my usual, a skinny cappuccino along with a pour over. They had an automatic pour over machine on the bar and I find it fascinating to watch. My coffee was better than amazing! THIS place just rocks! I sat there on my bar stool, looking out the huge windows as the rain fell and it was just the perfect moment!

Opportunities to create a perfect moment is why I LOVE coffee shops. It is at the coffee shop you can experience a uninterrupted conversation with a friend. A quiet moment, a deep thought, or just a place to get away from it all. Coffee shops are a place like no other and this is one shop you want to put on your bucket list!

Make sure to pin this article for later and tag me, The Cappuccino Traveler in your pictures once you visit – I would love to see them!

-Crystal