Swings Coffee: Cuppings for the Ultra-Cool

Swings Coffee used to be closed on Sundays. Going here after church in Del Ray was therefore never an option. But hallelujah, one day it was revealed that Swings had decided to open on Sundays, thus allowing many Alexandria residents access to fabulous coffee on their day of rest. Because in the Washington area, “rest” does not preclude caffeination.

Located in an Art Deco-styled storefront on East Monroe Avenue in Alexandria, which was actually designed in the 1950s, Swings Coffee is everything that a new coffee shop should be: amazing pour-overs, repurposed wood communal tables, vintage light fixtures and a stark industrial feel.

I’m not sure which pour-over I ordered that day, but whatever it was, it had adjectives attached to it that would impress a wine connoisseur. I feel certain that “bright” and “chocolate” were among them. A cup of coffee here is truly an experience for the palate, and I savored it over an issue of Ranger Rick magazine that was on the communal table.

I wish I could give the same praise to the baked goods, but there was a small selection, and the items did not seem to have been baked on site, or even recently. If you need carbs to accompany your caffeine, they are serviceable, but nothing beyond that.

The free cupping is a great reason to go to this establishment. At 10 a.m. on Fridays, Swings shares its process in choosing single-origin coffees and invites visitors to take part in the ritual. You can swirl, smell and taste a series of roasting contenders and try to guess which one made the cut for Swings sales to the public.

Coffee: ★★★★ A pour-over here is a guaranteed experience of subtlety and color.

Food: ★ The baked goods did not seem fresh, and their presence was perfunctory.

Ambience: ★★★ The dream coffee shop for an adaptive-reuse enthusiast or reclaimed-wood-loving hipster.

Service: ★★ Baristas are a bit snooty here.