Lost Sock Roasters Open Their First Shop for Fruity Coffees and South American Snacks | Eater DC

"The founders of Lost Sock Roasters want to treat their first retail cafe like a showroom for their wholesale coffee business, so new customers in the Takoma neighborhood can try everything the small-batch roaster supplies to local favorites such as Call Your Mother and Baked & Wired. I watched co-owner Jeff Yerxa hover over a Hario V60 pour-over using beans commonly found in Kenya but grown in volcanic soil in Ecuador’s Pichincha province; he said those Finca Maputo beans develop an offbeat flavor that reminds him of tomato jam. Co-founder Nico Cabrera says they favor fruity, juicy, sweet coffees but also offer an espresso blend of Brazilian and Guatemalan beans with notes of dark chocolate and dried fruit, and a Paraiso roast from Huehuetenango that lists golden raisin, prune, and caramel. All coffees are available as house blends or slightly pricier single-origins, and Cabrera is even tinkering with cereal milk to make a Cinnamon Toast Crunch latte. The small menu includes pastries, toasts, sandwiches, flaky Argentine-style empanadas (fillings like bacon, egg, and cheese; pulled pork; or spinach and feta), stretchy cheesy pan de yuca, and sandwiches such as melted gruyere with roasted peppers in a vinegary, chimichurri-like dressing on marble rye or focaccia, Serrano ham with manchego, or tomatoes and mozzarella. Located inside the historic Takoma Theater (6833 Fourth Street NW) but with a separate entrance and no indoor dining planned yet, the cafe opens 7 a.m.–2 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.–3 p.m. weekends; the owners, who have been roasting for nearly six years, say they can supply beans, equipment, and training to clients, have partnered with local groups for decor (flora from Lovers Plant Studio and rotating pieces selected by the University of Maryland Gallery of Art), and are donating all coffee proceeds on opening day to DC Central Kitchen." - Gabe Hiatt