Filter Out the Noise

Filter Coffeehouse & Espresso Bar is not the coffee shop you want to hit when you’re in a hurry. Not when you only have four and a half minutes to spare before your bus passes you by. I’m a perpetually late person. I leave late, I walk slow and then I panic. I don’t go to Filter on my way to work. I don’t go when I don’t feel like smiling or chatting or trying something new. It’s not that kind of place.

First of all, the pour overs are worth waiting for; and second, the baristas are pleasant, knowledgeable and amendable to conversation.

Located in D.C.’s Foggy Bottom, the café lacks frills. And Wi-Fi. In fact, laptops, devices and screens are highly discouraged. Filter is a place for face-to-face interaction. It’s a spot for talking, staring, reading, thinking.

Filter’s selection of single origin coffees come from local roaster Ceremony Coffee Roasters, which is based in Annapolis, MD. Ceremony’s offerings are complex and flavorful. One blend boasts notes of cantaloupe, honeycomb and raisin bread. Another roast compares to the experience of eating a Snickers bar. Hints of lime, apricot, lemon meringue pie, zests and peels, walnuts and almonds, all make their way into Ceremony’s elegant blends.

Since I prefer to drink my coffee unadulterated, I appreciate these exquisite flavors. I enjoy the partnership between Filter and Ceremony because I know that while the quality of the coffee will be predictable, its taste will not.

That’s why I never rush. I read the tasting notes listed on the menu. I pick the conversation up where we left off. I laugh at some anecdote another customer is sharing. And, I’m reminded to do something important: slow down and smell the coffee.

Filter Coffeehouse & Espresso Bar: http://www.filtercoffeehouse.com
Ceremony Coffee Roasters: http://ceremonycoffee.com