Last week L had to go to Washington, D.C., for work, and J and I tagged along. On the recommendation of someone who staffs the siphon bar at Blue Bottle, I went to Murky Coffee in Arlington, VA. (The store in the Capitol Hill area has closed.) I got to sample only two of their coffees, so it might be a mistake to generalize from my impressions.
On the first trip there, in the late afternoon, I bought a bag of New Guinea "Kuta" coffee. The roast appeared to be somewhere between Blue Bottle roasts and Ritual roasts. They ground half for me, which I made in a cheap automatic drip machine in our hotel room. The other half, I froze in a jar during our stay and brought back with me to make in my French press at home. It was excellent, although different, made both ways. In the automatic drip machine, the malty, nutty / woody character stood out clearly and distinctly. (I still haven't figured out how to describe the acid flavor.) In the French press, the same flavors were less distinct, but blended smoothly and ever so evenly across the palate. It is at least as good as the New Guinea I've had from BBCC, probably better. (I haven't seen a New Guinea at Ritual.)
This was the main impression of the French press of delicious Kenyan I had at the cafe: a complexity of flavors balanced "just so". I found their preparation of the Kenyan perhaps slightly weak, but the lack of intensity reinforced my perception of striving for delicateness. It did not have the stunning complexity I've tasted in Kenyans from Ritual, but was probably more "accessible". (I've not seen a Kenyan at BBCC.)
The decor of the cafe itself reinforced the impression I had gotten from web sites prior to my visit, that the owner cares passionately about coffee and people and not as much about the other aspects of running the business. Still, I will eagerly go there again when I am in D.C.
If I'm drinking coffee at the time, that is. :)
