Kefa Cafe — Restaurant in Maryland

Superb retreat in the very heart of downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. Located at one end (sort of) of Bonifant "Something For Everyone" Street, the Kêfa Café - the "ê" is short - serves Ethiopian coffee that is the best coffee in this quadrant of the galaxy.

And it's a really big galaxy, buckaroo.

Operated by one of two sisters, "Flower" by name, the smallish two room cafe has a dedicated, occasionally fanatic, following that is as genuine as it is rare. Flower absolutely refuses to offer WiFi on the grounds that w/o it, people (strangers) will talk to each other. And the place buzzes with conversation.

Except when it doesn’t which, in general, means a herd of writer/student/book reading "types" have landed, plugged in their hardware, and are enthralled by the latest Top 10, Or TOP 5 in YouTube.

Or homework. (Which by-the-way the place is not far from a small 2 year college.)

The place serves food - not too fancy, not too plain - at reasonable prices.

So drop in and tell Flower D. Sent ya. You'll be...

The best espresso I've ever put in my mouth. I've done coffee tastings around the world, including Italy. I know what I like: Usually it's been a medium roast, Costa Rican bean brewed as espresso with a little sugar to cut some of the acidity (that's me.) When I tried their Three-Continent Blend (medium roast) espresso, I was in heaven! Costa Ric-who? The acidity is just right and gives very pleasant fruity notes. The aroma, taste, texture and finish are all exemplary of what a cup of coffee should be.

The fact that they're a local shop serving locally roasted beans--the beans that I buy every two weeks are one or two days out of the roaster!--is a dollop of steamed milk on top!

Also, the owners are truly wonderful people who make the experience of visiting worth going back as often as you care to. It really is a local place that supports and is supported by the community. And they have satellite locations in the Wheaton Library and Silver Spring Rec Center. (Yes, coffee at...

It can be hard to find good coffee—even at a dedicated coffee shop. I roast my own beans and have tweaked every parameter I know—water temp, pressure, grind, roast, etc.—in the pursuit of the perfect espresso shot. I know the difference, in taste, between beans from Costa Rico and Kenya. And I know that if you roast too dark, any character in the bean is increasingly replaced by the taste of charcoal.

According to the owner, Kefa Cafe has used the same local roaster for 16 years, and I know why. I’ve had some of the best coffee in the Silver Spring area here at Kefa. The beans are definitely freshly roasted and the roast level is not too dark. I can taste that I’m drinking Ethiopian beans. Delicious!

I also love the atmosphere here for its homey feel. (Many expensive coffee shops emphasize what I might call a pretentious decor; you won’t find that here.) Great treats as well.

Kefa Cafe is a gem in downtown...