3.5 Globes out of 5

Potomac Station Coffeehouse is located directly next Potomac Station. This makes sense, because it would be weird if Potomac Station Coffeehouse was located directly next to Washington Junction Station. While going here requires a little more effort than getting a cup directly in Downtown, it’s only a short ride on the T away, and I would argue it’s worth the ride.

On one hand, you can enjoy a brief change in scenery and slightly fresher air. You’ll have some time to yourself on the T to gaze out the window at the skyline of the city you call home, and then you can observe the subtleties of suburbia fly by until, before you know it, you’re there.

Their house blend was a rather florally aromatic light roast, which came from the Bench Maji Zone of Ethiopia. Like many Ethiopian roasts, their blend was rather chocolatey, but the flavor also had hints of raspberry, strawberry and other fruits.

While this cup was packed with flavor, it was served a little hotter than I would have preferred. I immediately burnt my tongue, and then my hand. However, to be fair, that is mostly my fault for being impatient. I have noticed a pattern in these reviews where in almost every single one of them, I talk about burning my tongue.

However, unlike Starbucks or Dunkin’, Potomac seems to serve their coffee hot for the people who take their coffee on the T and then to work with them, which seems to make up a majority of their customer base. Because of this, I won’t fault them on the temperature.

Another thing about Potomac is that it doesn’t seem to be a place that prioritizes their black coffee. They seem more focused on lattes and frappuccino esque drinks. They have a full menu for Cold Brew based drinks, so if you’re into Cold Brew I’d recommend Potomac.

Potomac also serves breakfast sandwiches, and while, because this column is for coffee reviews and coffee reviews only, I don’t think that it’s fair or appropriate for me to use this space to critique their cooking, I’m going to do it anyways. The sandwich that I had was, to put it gently, underwhelming. 

Now, I may be a coffee columnist, but I am a bagel sandwich connoisseur. I was excited to see that they offered sandwiches, because I usually will order one alongside my coffee if the place has them. But when it arrived, I was met with one very disappointing element: the bacon was undercooked.

The point of the bacon on a bacon egg and cheese sandwich is that it gives it a crunch. No one eats bacon for its nutritional value, in fact if you made a list of the unhealthiest things in the world, bacon would be third on that list, behind Genoa’s wings and anything CulinArt serves. So when the bacon is not crispy, it throws the momentum of the sandwich off.

Despite my sandwich setbacks, I still enjoyed the cup, and if I’m being honest I would probably order the sandwich again anyways. The cup was certainly a step up from last column’s cup, which I retain is the worst cup of coffee I have ever had in my entire life.