Whenever I travel somewhere, I always google best coffee in <city name>. That and word of mouth are how I’ve found a lot of these places.
Here’s a list of Matty-approved coffee shops. I’ll keep this list pinned to the top of the blog and update it as I visit new places (or remember places I may have forgotten).
If I learn a shop closes I will remove it from the list. But please check ahead before you visit to ensure your destination still exists, given the vagaries of a low-margin business.
Julien’s Auctions (“the auction house to the stars”) has opened on-line bidding for effects from the estate of director David Lynch, offered together with Turner Classic Movies as part of their Hollywood Legends auction series. There’s a lot of fascinating personal stuff to be found in the 447 lots, particularly if you share Lynch’s interest in woodworking.
Lot 148, Festool Table Router image: juliensauctions.com
As cool as it would be to give one of David Lynch’s personal effects a place of honor in your home, keep in mind that you’ll likely pay a significant premium due to the provenance of the items. The auction doesn’t take place until June 18, but as of this writing the bidding has already taken much of the catalog to ridiculous levels.
Bidding on this artifact currently stands at $400 image: juliensauctions.com
As you may or may not know, coffee was one of Lynch’s many passions. That’s reflected in the auction inventory, which includes three La Marzocco GS/3 home espresso machines, three Mazzer Mini commercial grinders, a Mister Coffee drip coffee maker, a Keurig machine, and various coffee cups.
I’ll take this one, thanks. Log Lady mug, lot 1 image: juliensauctions.com
The GS/3s currently carry bids of $7,000, $4,500, and $4,000, respectively. I assume the disparity comes from people being too lazy to scroll through the entire catalog, as the first machine is lot 3 and the last is lot 420. The good news is that new units go for $8,000, but the site is silent about the age and condition of the machines and by the time the hammer falls all three should be well north of that price.
I had some free time this morning when I stopped by Takoma Bev Co, so I stayed to enjoy my beverage. I’m always delighted when an espresso drink is served on a tray with a glass of soda water, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a coffee in this type of glass before.
The only differences I found to a usual coffee drink were getting a bit more of the aroma while drinking it due to the slightly narrower top portion of the glass, and the visual cue that I was having a stout or chocolate milk. Overall? A nice touch, and it helped prove they made the drink to the correct temperature because the glass wasn’t hot to the touch.
Coffee (including coffee products) imports for fiscal year 2024 $9,001,262,447 source: US Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Servicedata
Rank of coffee (including coffee products) among agricultural products imported to the US for fiscal year 2024 4th source: US Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service data
Top countries supplying coffee to the US in 2023/24 Brazil (32 percent) Colombia (20 percent) Vietnam (8 percent) Honduras (7 percent) source: US Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service data
Newly enacted US “reciprocal” tariffs Brazil, 10 percent Colombia, 10 percent Vietnam, 46 percent Honduras, 10 percent source: Executive Order of US President, dated April 2, 2025
A few weeks ago I stopped for coffee in a small Pennsylvania town and was greeted by this beautiful Victoria Arduino machine with old school pull down levers. Hammered tin finish really was spectacular. We just won’t talk about the coffee made with it.
Not long ago I was on a long drive and Kate Bush’s best-known song came on the radio and yadda yadda yadda I was hoarse from singing along as I played this clip on a loop for over an hour.
Apologies to anyone triggered or otherwise harmed from watching this.
After seeing the aggressive, chilling, disturbing, and racist rant inside the DC business towards a Latino Uber Eats employee, my journalistic instinct told me something wasn’t right so I spent the day… pic.twitter.com/MOYFMDLnld
I’m not much for Irish coffee and its derivatives (especially those buried in whipped cream), but I do love me a well-made espresso martini. Not too long ago I discovered an even better way to enjoy coffee in an adult beverage.
Behold, the frozen coffee drink:
This delight can be found at Snappy’s Small Bar, in DC’s Petworth neighborhood. Terrific owners and staff, friendly as all get out, timeless decor. It’s the go-to place if you’re a fan of Underberg, as they always have a ton of it available.
