Black Lion Coffee & Café — Restaurant in North Potomac

TL;DR—Great service, freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee beans, and a relaxing atmosphere to work, meet friends, or simply waste time!

I have been coming here since they opened—humble brag. Tbh, it is hard to find a local coffee shop that isn’t trying so hard to mimic Starbucks. When I find one, I become a loyal customer. I don’t just LOVE the taste of coffee, I am OBSESSED with it. What does that mean? It means that I’m into coffee for the entire experience. The type of coffee bean, how it’s roasted, whole vs ground (btw I always buy whole beans), region, method of preparation, smell and finally the taste. Never mind if it wakes me up—caffeine seems to have zero effect on me these days, but that’s a conversation for another business.

Three (3) things keep me coming back: Great Service, High-Quality Coffee, and the Coffee Origin Story displayed through the decor!

HIGH-QUALITY COFFEE. Black Lion has high quality coffee beans that are roasted IN HOUSE! If you’re lucky, you’ll visit while the in-house roaster is running. The whole places smells like delicious coffee! You even get to see the beans transition from green to brown.

COFFEE ORIGIN STORY. The coffee bean origin story is displayed on the wall on a gorgeous mural! It is such a beautiful addition to the African-themed cafe. I love the gold, browns and natural tones used to decorate the space. It creates such a peaceful, yet vibrant mood.

GREAT SERVICE. Emmanuel, the owner & mastermind behind Black Lion Cafe, and his family are the icing on top of this delicious cake! He is knowledgeable about all things coffee! I pick his brain from time to time because he’s so willing to engage with people on such a personal level. If you’re a regular, they even remember your order and start making it the second you walk in the door!! Take...

Nestled in some quiet tiny Rockville suburb no-name shopping area sits a surprise diamond in the rough coffee café. I am truly at a loss for words in this review right now. My unplanned visit for emergency caffiene at Black Lion Coffee Café was utterly and overwhelmingly one of the best things I've done in my opinion. In fact, I'm actually puzzled why Black Lion Coffee does not have more locations. While not a major coffee connoiseur, the aroma that envelopes you as you walk into the café feels so much different in a good way compared to walking into Starbucks or Peet's.

Drinking Black Lion coffee almost feels like I'm drinking coffee for the first time. The Ethiopian coffee here is astonishing, and to be specific, the premium coffee made from Ethiopian coffee beans curated through Black Lion is incomparable in my book. I've tried Ethiopian coffee from many cafés and from many bean brands and they all seem like a sham now. With the exception of Blue Bottle Coffee, I cannot recall any brand or Café that comes close to the deep richness, earthiness, and depth of the cappucino, macchiato, and regular coffee ordered here. Truly hope Black Lion can expand and educate consumers on what good Ethiopian coffee...

I had a very bizarre experience this morning. If I'm at a coffee place at 7:00 a.m. I'm usually in a hurry to get some caffeine into my system because I'm an addict, and most coffee places understand this dynamic and slinging coffee quickly and cheerily.

At this place, this poor lady seemed like she was all on her own trying to manage the counter, some coffee roasting that was going on, and I guess having a conversation with somebody on her iPods or something?

I ordered a medium roast and she said it would take a few minutes, so we are already on the back foot here. When the coffee came out, I asked what was in the creamer container and it was difficult to communicate that I wanted milk but cream is what was in the container.

Finally, when I got the coffee, it didn't taste like a medium roast at all. It has to be one of the darker roasts I've ever had.

I've met the owner before and he is a very good host and very knowledgeable about coffee, but if I cannot get a consistent experience, especially first thing in the morning when I'm fiending for my coffee, I won't...