Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice
As the crisp autumn air settles in, there's no better way to embrace the season than with a cozy, seasonal drink. Christian girl fall, anyone? To celebrate October, I embarked on a coffee-tasting journey, exploring locally owned cafes along VRE’s corridors.
My first stop was Turkish Coffee Lady in Old Town, Alexandria. Greeted by beautiful paintings of coffee and the incredibly amicable owner of the Cafe, Gizem. I got to sit down for a moment and just breathe in the warm aromas as I listened to the faint documentary that played above an unused fireplace. The documentary was about the art of making Turkish coffee and after watching for a few minutes I quickly realized the documentary followed the actual owners of the shop! Check out their trailer on YouTube: Turkish Coffee Tales.
I ordered the Cinnamon Bun Coffee with Oat milk, an alternative seasonal drink of theirs as they had just run out of their pumpkin latte. As I waited for my coffee, I got to explore the town home turned coffee shop, wandering down the stairs that descended to an art gallery just a few steps away from the cash register. About a dozen frames lined the walls, each one containing detailed miniature paintings on a variety of everyday items: peanut shells, a tea bag, a hard drive, bottle caps, coffee beans, and even an Oreo! Beautiful sunsets, cities, and scenic views of DC were painted on to each item in a way that felt destined. Like, yes, of course that's Mount Rushmore on my tea bag and the Washington Monument on my Oreo frosting. Was it ever meant to be another way?
The love, creativity, and detail poured into Alexandria’s Turkish Coffee Lady makes it so much more than a coffee shop but a testament to Alexandria’s diverse talent and uniqueness. While my Cinnamon Bun coffee was a tad too sweet for my taste, the walnut baklava was wonderfully flaky and sweet. I so look forward to returning and trying some traditional Turkish coffee and visiting my new friend Gizem.
My next stop was Jirani Coffee in Old Town, Manassas. When I saw that this coffeehouse was right across from our Manassas station, I knew I had to make the hike from our Alexandria headquarters to get my hands on whatever seasonal drinks they have (I might be using this blog as an excuse to feed a coffee addiction) ... And it was worth it! Being honest, I have never been big on anything pumpkin flavored, so I never understood the craze that was seasonal pumpkin drinks. Riders, I get it now. Honestly, it’s not what I imagined. It’s a light flavor with notes of notes of pumpkin, cinnamon and brown sugar. I prefer a good, iced drink but I imagine that if I had ordered the pumpkin spice latte hot it would have tasted like sitting by a crackling fire, overhearing your mother hum as she bakes pumpkin cinnamon cookies with a heavy frosting in the next room. If that description isn’t convincing enough for all my Manassas readers to break out of a solidified, routine commute then maybe the ambiance will be! With lots of open space and natural light upon entering I immediately noticed many people taking zoom calls and studying: A hybrid workers oasis. As I explored further into the back of the coffeehouse, I stumbled upon a sweet library room and some more private booths nestled in the very back where groups of friends studied and chatted. I’ve hunkered down in the library room to write this, suddenly wishing I didn’t live an hour away from Manassas.
Last, but not least, I visited Brij coffee right outside of our Crystal City Station. Brij is a part of the new Crystal City Waterpark, and we were lucky enough to work with them directly last year! Skyller’s community focused cafe is a great addition to the park. I ordered a pumpkin spice latte from Brij, one of two seasonal drinks offered. The Latte was a bit heavy, more on an acidic side than sweet one. While it wasn’t my preference, the coffee beans were strong enough for me to consider purchasing a bag to take home. Since Brij is a part of the park, there wasn’t a traditional shop that I could sit down and take in, but I was able to stroll around a very lively park with plenty of seating and food options.
On your next coffee run, consider doing some official coffee tasting techniques. Here’s some of the questions I asked myself: [insert pdf]. See you next month with some exciting community outreach events coming.
