An unexpected pleasure, right in my own backyard. The most fascinating thing about this cafe is that I had never heard of it, despite living less than two miles from it. Granted, it is in an out-of-the-way location; a small plaza on Colonial Road. But the originality of this enterprise is so unique that it really deserves to be more well known. The theme of the cafe is the culture and coffee of the African country of Ethiopia. For those who don’t know, Ethiopia is a mid-sized nation on the eastern coast of the African continent, known in popular media for deep poverty…but known to scholars for its deep history.
The coffee of Cafe D’Afric is exclusively Ethiopian; the woman at the counter who took my order co-owns it, and she told me her husband (the other owner) travels regularly to D.C. in search of new Ethiopian coffees to bring back to the coffee shop. They also serve a wide range of Ethiopian foods, with their menu available online. It should be noted that this transformation into a restaurant only occurs on Saturday afternoons and evenings. In addition, as you can see in the photos below, the entire cafe is set up as a celebration of Ethiopian culture beyond cuisine and coffee. Traditional Ethiopian garb is available for purchase, and lovely artworks cover the walls.
All of their coffee is of the Arabica bean, so that’s what I got. Arabica in general has a high acidity, creating that “winey” taste that almost smacks of tannin. They are also sweet and soft in general, with fruity hints. This was, then, an archetypal Arabica. I was hit with that acidic tang right off the bat, something I usually don’t favor, but the aftertaste was really nice, having that characteristic flavor reminiscent of a kind of tart berry. Maybe it was my imagination; the point is that if you like sweet breakfast-style coffees, this is a really great place to catch a bit of caffeine and a bit of culture!
The inside…
Outfits from Africa…
Artwork…
More artwork…
The Coffeehouse Journey 