La Colombe Coffee Workshop — Restaurant in Washington

• Speed - 5/5 Very quick. Ordering a vanilla matcha latte and a chocolate croissant, the wait-time was under three minutes.

• Quality - 4/5 High quality chocolate in a flaky croissant, which suffered lightly from having sat in a display case with no heating element or toaster. The latte was hot, fluffy, and mellow. However, the matcha, while of good quality, was overpowered almost entirely by vanilla and the whole-milk itself due to its minimal presence (edit: still very mild matcha, but remember to stir! They offer you spoons!) It was still a delight. I enjoy that they do not pump their drinks full of sweetener as in other coffee places.

• Atmosphere - 4/5 Busy, small, but warm. Overlooks a large store from an isolated nook that stands right by the entrance. Clean and tidy. No electronics beeping, or shouting about orders. Minimal staff interaction. Still noisy.

Great for a quick stop and idle conversation when in need of coffee and pastry, but not particularly memorable as a unique location of creative menu design or aesthetic. This is a convenient and...

First world problem……..BUT

The one star is for THIS location. I ordered a cappuccino, whole milk, with one sugar. My one small request was to have one sugar added to the espresso portion. So as to melt the sugar. The barista explained to me it was at the discretion of the barista. The guy who took my order said it wasn’t company policy, then he proceeded to say, “if we’re busy we can’t take customer requests.” I turn around and there was no line. The barista then proceeded to ask the guy to be quiet and she would handle it.

I requested a refund, she handed me my receipt, and promptly said “If there’s nothing else, we’re done here.”

I could care less about her dismissive posture. The only thing that gets you is a les than stellar review.

This coffee shop just lost a loyal customer, over a single packet of sugar.

I’m beginning to think, I should really lower the bar……naaaaaah this coffee shop is not the only...

I've been on the La Colombe train since 2012 and I haven't looked back. It's so exciting to see so many La Colombes popping up in D.C., with one of the latest having a prime spot in the new REI flagship store. Although this space is smaller than many of the other D.C. La Colombe locations, patrons do have the benefit of getting Wi-Fi from REI!

I love all La Colombe drinks, whether it's one of their popular roasts like the Ethiopia YirgZ or Fishtown, their draft lattes (MUST TRY), or lattes. They even have a line of teas. All in all, I can never say no to a cup of La Colombe. And with REI right there, it's a two-in-one trip for my caffeine intake and all my sporting and outdoor needs.

All hail La Colombe as it takes over...