Photo by Christina Sturdivant
D.C.’s Indie Coffee Passport launched in December giving coffee addicts 17 cups of java for 20 bucks. In the first iteration to hit the District, Stephanie Lunieski says she’s sold over 1,300 passports.
“I had no idea what the sales would be like, so I was very pleasantly surprised,” said Lunieski, a D.C. resident who learned about the promotion on a visit to Chicago and launched the District’s version with the help of the Indie Coffee Passport brand’s creators. There are also independently curated operations in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vermont, and East Bay.
Like all travelers, though, passport holders have to be prepared for things to stray from the original plan. Since launching five months ago in D.C., four coffee shops on the original list have shuttered.
In January, Shaw’s well-regarded Blind Dog Cafe transitioned into “Union Kitchen Presents”—a pop-up space for local restaurants and food start-ups. Instead passport holders can their fix at Union Kitchen Grocery on Capitol Hill.
And in March, Sweet Science Cafe in Adams Morgan closed. Designed as a pop-up shop, owner Sandra Wolter told DCist that “the small size of the space in combination with low foot traffic during the week and a very steep lease rate [made] it too high a risk to enter a long-term lease.” She added that she planned to launch Craft Coffee Breakfast Club, a spinoff that’s like a supper club for coffee.
Also in March, and just weeks before Swing’s Coffee plan to celebrate its 100th anniversary, their downtown spot, M.E. Swing Company, was forced to close unexpectedly for building renovations.
And last week, BakeHouse bid adieu to the 14th Street corridor. Its owner told Borderstan that he will focus on selling the company’s baked goods on a wholesale level.
In response to the closings, Lunieski told DCist that she’s received emails from disappointed passport holders. “I definitely sympathize with them and it is unfortunate to lose these great cafes, but that is the nature of business,” she says. “Independent businesses in particular have a hard time in high rent cities like D.C., so I think that is all the more reason to support them.”
Passport holders get it as well, Lunieski adds. “Even if someone wanted to express their disappointment in a cafe closing, it was always in a very kind and understanding way.” Furthermore, the passport is “an experience, a journey”—and it’s been a positive one for everyone involved, she believes.
Specialty drink at Ebenezers Coffeehouse via Facebook
An avid lover of coffee shops, I’ve made a pastime of visiting D.C. cafes—more than 50 to date. Unsurprisingly, I purchased my ticket to caffeination on day one. The passport experience has allowed me to visit shops that I may not have otherwise including Bump n’ Grind in Silver Spring and Java Shack in Arlington. It enabled me to cross off Flying Fish Coffee and Tea in Mount Pleasant, which had been on my hit list for quite some time. And I was also able to check out the Peregrine Espresso chains in Union Market, Eastern Market, and 14th Street NW, plus stop by a couple old-timers, Chinatown Coffee Co. and Ebenezers Coffeehouse.
While I love supporting indie coffee shops, I’m also admittedly influenced by Starbucks culture. This means that I take my coffee with extra flavoring, whipped cream, candied toppings, and all the trimmings. With the passport, though, that’s not happening. While the deal promises a “unique list of 4-6 drinks” for card holders, shops tend to only offer your traditional lattes, espressos, americanos, cortados, and cappuccinos. Each site also has an obligatory tea offering. And as there are absolutely no substitutions to these lists, simple syrup has become my savior.
The most appealing options by far come by way of Ebenezers, which has a spiced chai, vanilla chai, honey lavender latte, and caramel whip, among more traditional options. Pleasantly surprised when ordering my impeccably crafted honey lavender latte, I told the barista that the Capitol Hill institution made my day as a passport holder, after which she replied that I’m not the only one who has shared that sentiment with her.
But I’ve still got Harrar Coffee and Roaster, Pleasant Pops (downtown and Adams Morgan locations), Qualia Coffee, and Union Kitchen Grocery left to visit.
And if you’re just starting out, the deal now offers 14 coffee shops to get your caffeine fix by June 30. It can be purchased online or at six participating shops.
