Santa Hates Sanka
Rather than bringing a bottle of a nameless, never-tried bottle of Pinot Noir to your holiday parties, bring something the hosts will actually remember that it was you who brought it. Bring something that they'll be thankful for the morning after two too many egg nogs or a night of putting up with the relatives in town for Hanukkah. Bring them Joe.
Two pounds of coffee is the new bottle of wine.
Don't be an ass, though, and fly into Starbucks for bag-o-bitter, or chintz on something you just ground up at the Safeway. No, no. Get high-quality stuff, from high-quality roasters, who get beans from reliable and talented growers. Such coffee says "I like you and I want you to be happy when you get to work." Chock-full-o'-nuts, on the other hand, says "I hope you get threatened on the Metro."
It's a good thing, then, that there will be several opportunities coming up in the next few weeks that will allow you to drink full from the hot cup of coffee knowledge so you know what you're doing when you go searching for gifts. Take as an example an "Evening of Coffee Tasting and Exploration" at 7 p.m. on December 1st from the folks at Counter Culture's regional training center in Adams Morgan. Their Coffee Director, Peter Giuliano, will hold an interactive slide show about his recent buying trip to coffee farms around the world. Since Counter Culture partners directly with coffee growers who are dedicated to worker protection, sustainable land use, and organic farming, you're bound to learn about more than just coffee. The tasting and slideshow are free, go to their website for more information.
Local purveyor of Counter Culture's end product, Murky Coffee has a training coming up as well which will be especially handy if you plan on getting a new espresso machine as a gift. Murky's home barista training is scheduled for tomorrow, November 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. At $150 for the class, it may be a little steep, but Murky also offers coffee "cuppings" twice every Friday at their Clarendon location. They also have the best espresso I've ever had, but I'll accept that that's less-than-objective on my part. But, try them anyway.
Photo from kristeya
If you want to get back to coffee's roots, swing by Sidamo on 4th and H St. NE for their traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, held every Sunday at 2 p.m. The ceremony includes the roasting, grinding, and brewing of a small batch of coffee for those in attendance, and it's cool to see such an event from the home (or one of them, at least) of coffee. Sidamo roasts its own coffee beans everyday—the only place in D.C. to do so. The difference between fresh roasted coffee and old coffee is the same as using fresh parsley and dried flakes; in other words, huge. Sidamo sells organic, shade-grown, and fair trade coffee as well.
The other coffee great in the area is Misha's in Old Town, Alexandria. Misha's also roasts their own coffee, though it's not necessarily organic or fair-trade. Misha's supplies you with full information on their coffee so you can make your own decisions, however, so that's a plus. Also a plus, you can order your own roast from the coffeehouse for a truly personal gift. You can also find some good stuff at Mayorga or even Mocha Hut. Where are your favorite coffee spots around town? Let us know in the comments.
So, if you're getting bored of wine, branch out to coffee—which is just as capable of having the taste and aroma distinctions as any wine—and make your mark on the holiday gift giving landscape.
We'll leave you with something a little different. This is an art video featuring a recently-relocated Ryan Goodrow, Murky Coffee's ex-assistant manager at the Capitol Hill location. Ryan recently made the move to Manhattan, and is now at Ninth Street Espresso's new counter in Chelsea Market. DCist has it on good authority that he's rocking the show up there. Well, we're not surprised.