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| - I, too, have been very much anticipating the opening of the trifecta on East Wash (A-OK Coffee, Barolo, and Julep). On Day 2 of operations, I stopped in to check out A-OK and was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the business is running in it's infancy. Granted, it is helpful for the owner(s) of this coffee shop to already have a success like Johnson Public House in the portfolio!
What we tasted: Double espresso, 24 oz Chemex of KinKin Burundi, and a Cherry Cola.
All three were exceptional, how can that be! The staff behind the bar meticulously weighed out the coffee and espresso - both pre-grind and upon adding water. The double espresso was served with a glass of soda water to cleanse the palate - this was a welcome yet unexpected feature.
The Burundi is a Ugandan sourced coffee which is described on the Kin Kin website as having "cane sugar sweetness, crisp, citric acidity." It was a pleasant, middle of the road coffee as far as roast goes - one that I could certainly drink cup after cup.
Last to taste, the Cherry Cola was a delicious non-coffee drink straight from the bar's soda fountain which is a fantastic option for those who want something other than coffee.
Also spotted behind the bar but not sampled: liquor drinks, craft beer taps, and milkshakes!
For atmosphere, A-OK strikes me as a place that I would enjoy meeting up with friends though may not be the right place for an all-day work session. There are a variety of high top and standard height tables to pick from for seating.
The coffee aficionado in my group had a worthy one sentence review which I will end on: "They're trying hard without appearing to try too hard."
Excellent work, A-OK, cannot wait to return!
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