Washington, D.C. - July 27, 2009

Bean Town

Chinatown Coffee Company Opens

Drip, drip, drip.

Sounds to be a case of Chinese water torture.

The beans, captured and drained for their intelligentsia, are in the hands of Chinatown Coffee Company.

The masters show no mercy, extracting every bit of flavor through hand-poured techniques and a plastic filter to achieve drip coffee brewed to the perfect potency before draining into each cup. The ace baristas (trained by Nick Cho, late of Murky Coffee) are also masters at techniques like the mighty French press (for one or two) and urns of pre-brewed coffee to go.

Take a respite in the long, exposed-brick space for espresso drinks, tea, and single-origin hot chocolate from Ghana.

Sustenance comes in the form of Hawthorne Fine Breakfast Pastry and Patisserie Poupon snacks. Wi-Fi keeps you plugged in.

Just be sure to leave any apprehensions behind.

Chinatown Coffee Company, 475 H Street NW, between 4th and 5th Streets (202-559-7656).