I’ll be candid; after all, it’s 2017 and the following information shouldn’t be too shocking. 

I was playing on Bumble some time ago (I know, how could I be single? I ask myself the same thing daily.), when I began exchanging messages with a recent transplant to the DC area. The conversation went a little something like this:

Stranger: I just moved to Dupont a few months ago. I mainly just work from home. Do you know any cool places around here to do work during the day?

Me: Fur sure. Filter is awesome for coffee.

Stranger: That place is literally across the street from me! I can see it from my window right now.

Me: Wow. I’m jealous. 

Stranger: Yea, but I’ve never actually been there. I just go to Starbucks.

WHAT??? Are you serious??? That’s literally a crime. End of conversation. You, sir, are not someone I wish to associate further with. 

      When it comes to established DC coffee shops, Filter takes the cake. The original location is a little shop on 20th. Besides one period of time when I was convinced that the doorway smelled like urine (it was a couple years back and only for about one week), this place has never let me down. Normally the scent of fresh brewed coffee hits you like a deer on a country road in Upstate New York. This alone is enough of a draw for me.

      Stopping by for an Americano before work (note: I probably should have selected one of their rotating drip coffees since that is their specialty, but sometimes I have decision paralysis), I decided to jot down some notes for this review. I noticed quite a few things I had taken for granted in the past. And by a few things, I really just mean the unusual Asian duck and bird pictures. Not sure about that decision. I was also a bit peeved to realize that the front three bar stools, which face a brick wall and said duck portraits, do not have any hooks beneath the bar. Hooks here would be especially conducive to keeping one’s purse clean, as mine fell off the rounded chair back within moments of sitting, at which point I stared down for a moment and then left it lying on the floor. 

            Visitors can also squeeze into one of the 5 small tables that line the left side of the shop. I’ve been known to ask to share one, given the tight space, which can be all the more fun if you’re an extrovert.

        Filter is a small space and does a bustling business (for good reason). The orange and coffee-colored (I’m being generous and trying to make “brown” sound nicer) shop has an ever-changing list of drip coffees, as well as housemade chai and espresso drinks made perfectly. I admit, their decision to offer soymilk as the sole dairy free alternative is a bit 2007, but I love this place too much to grumble. Heck, give me that cup of frothy estrogen! I can take it for love of Filter.

            One other strange thing they’ve decided on is a tip machine, allowing customers to dip their cards to give a $1tip. I’m not a fan. Awkward people who aren’t good at technology don’t want to be trying this out with a line behind them and a cashier watching us a fumble. You might be thinking I’m overreacting to an easy system. Just think back to how hard it was to transfer to the chip on your credit card rather than swiping. Exactly.

            Staff wise, they seem to be an eclectic bunch of changing hipsters, other than the bedroom-eyed chain smoker who used to live in an apartment building next to mine. He has been there for years. Quite a nice smile.

            I digress.

            Overall, Filter is the place for true coffee lovers in DC who are more into good coffee than instagraming their most recent visit to Tryst.

STATS

Price of a 12oz coffee: $2.75

Adult beverages: No.

Vibe: Intellectual and slightly brooding.

Music: Negligible

Work/Study Spot?: Yes, though it’s small so you may feel rude for squatting after a while.

Wifi: No.

Food: Pastries only.

Punch Card: No.

Other Location: Yes, two others (Brookland and Foggy Bottom)

Coffee Sourcing: Ceremony Coffee

Milk Options: Soy Milk 

Website: www.filtercoffeehouse.com

Hours: Mon – Fri (7AM-7PM)

              Sat – Sun (8AM-7PM)

Location:

1726 20th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20009