We tend to develop deep and abiding bonds with our favorite coffee and tea houses. Especially those neighborhood haunts where we call ourselves regulars and know the folks behind the counter by name. Familiarity is a constant, even if our orders seasonally shift from hot to iced versions of java and tea. Seeing as it’s summer, here are some of our favorite places to sip a cool one. And who knows? You might even branch out from ordering “the usual” when you see what some of these fine local establishments are brewing now.
Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters & The Java Shack
Commonwealth Joe’s Pentagon City location (housed inside The Bartlett apartment building) is known for its single-origin nitro cold brews and pour-over coffees, made from beans roasted in Culpeper. But its most unique summer drink is the Cascara Fizz, a low-caffeine, soda-like drink featuring a syrup made from coffee cherries (the fruit whose pit is otherwise known as a coffee “bean”). In 2015, Commonwealth purchased Clarendon’s Java Shack, the neighborhood gathering place known as “Arlington’s original coffee house.” The tiny shop offers a full coffee menu, plus medium and dark nitro cold brew roasts.
520 12th St. South, Suite 150, Arlington; commonwealthjoe.com
2507 Franklin Road, Arlington; commonwealthjoe.com/pages/the-java-shack