

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mylar Bono

Dear PoPville,

I was refused service at Chinatown Coffee Co. in DC, a neighborhood establishment that I frequent quite often. Why? I ordered three shots of espresso over ice. What I didn’t realize is that espresso and ice is a huge controversy among coffee critics. Where there is no disagreement, however, is that customers are still king – even in an indie/hipster coffee shop. It was disappointing, to say the least, the barista, refused my business and then insulted me on the way out the door. A similar encounter is offered in this blog post about Murky Coffee in Arlington.

Here is the play-by-play in my Yelp review:

Here’s the play-by-play for anyone who’s interested (including the management):

Him: “Hi. What can I get for you?”

Me: “I’d like 3 shots of espresso over a cup of ice to go.”

Him: “I can’t do that. I could make you an americano instead. I has water in it.”

Me: “No thanks. I’d like a cup with ice with 3 shots of espresso poured over it.”

Him: “We don’t do that because it will ruin it. We make the best espresso in the city and putting it over ice will shock it.”

Me: [long pause] “Really?”

Him: “Aww… did I just ruin your day?”

Me: “So you can’t make this drink?”

Him: “No.”

Before I had even said another word, he had already walked away.