Misha's is located off of King Street on South Patrick Street in Old Town. It has a charming folk-artish feel to it with vintage appliances adding to the atmosphere. The tables are large and it looks like a great place to study. There are large glass jars on the counter with roasted beans from around the world. Their website is: http://www.mishascoffee.com
I figured, being the coffee fanatic that I am, that I should bring some beans back home to try out. The selection is pretty abundant. They tout six blends and eighteen varietals. Followers will recall that I love peaberries so my first selection was a bag of Tanzanian Peaberry and a French Roasted Ethiopian Harrar Longberry. Today we will be looking at the Harrar.
The store clerk told me that the beans had been roasted 24 hours prior to my visit so I'm trying these babies when they are pretty fresh. The beans are small to small/medium in size and a little bit more elongated in shape than African beans I'm used to. The french roasted beans clearly drip oil from the dark roast. Opening the bag, the caramel earthy scent is prominent. The beans are unwashed and dry processed according to Misha's. Dry processing involves the green coffee beans being turned and air dried in the sun after picking. The goal of this process is to remove pulpy fruit material from the coffee cherries. In dry processing, some of this material remains with the cherries and enhances the overall body of the brewed beverage.
The coffee was brewed in a french press. The water was heated to 190 degrees and when mixed in the press, was allowed to steep for four minutes. The coffee produced a dark succulent crema. There was a slight hint of a wine flavor note emanating from the brew.
The coffee has a unique dry taste with lesser acidity. The earthy tones are very strong almost to a point of overpowering the more subtle flavor notes. There is a bitter aspect to the coffee in my opinion but not in the negative sense. It appears toward the end of a sip. Definitely unique and most definitely guaranteed to keep you awake for many hours. If you are looking for a truly different coffee experience and happen to be in Alexandria, VA, give Misha's and their Harrar (or any of their other large selection) a try. My next Misha's review will feature their Peaberry.
