where to find it

last updated 7/22/24

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.


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a few random statistics, for no particular reason whatsoever

Coffee (including coffee products) imports for fiscal year 2024
$9,001,262,447
source: US Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service data

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

one DC coffee shop I won’t be visiting

This is absolutely nuts. Staying far far away, hopefully it will be gone soon.

UPDATE: they’ve been closed down by DC authorities, at least for now

coffee & booze, a beautiful friendship

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.

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why, you cocky little…..

Had a great time recently visiting my hometown in upstate New York for my high school reunion. The area used to be a desert for good coffee, but as the Hudson Valley has become the Hamptons north (that person looks so familiar, are they an actor…… rock star……. someone I went to high school with……. someone whose parents went to school with me….) that is slowly changing. There’s a lot of independent roasters aspiring to greatness, and more and more cafés trying to do things the right way.

The barista at a café in the hamlet of Tivoli (I-lov-it spelled backward) spotted my Onyx Coffee Lab tee and made me out for a coffee guy. He was pretty cocky in a funny kind of way, but damned if he didn’t make me a terrific beverage. Congratulations, my confident friend, you just earned your shop The Coveted Asterisk of Quality.

Tivoli General
54a Broadway
Tivoli, NY

https://www.tivoli-general.com