REMINDER: keep your valuables close.

Please don't leave your things, whether big or small, unattended or out of your sight (especially purses! Don't hang them on the back of your chair; keep them on the floor in front of you). This includes walking away to grab a napkin, setting your stuff down to save a seat, ducking into the area by the bathrooms to take a phone call (yes, we all do it). Several folks, including employees, have had items stolen within a matter of 30 seconds of turning around.  These guys are experts and only by being personally responsible for your items, vigilant and talking to each other will we be able to stop them.  
Most of you come here enough to recognize a strange person hanging around.  If you see something, report it to anybody behind the counter; they'll be sure to call the police.  

Suspicious behavior to watch out for:
- hats or sunglasses indoors
- large bags or bulky jackets
- pacing/scanning
- people not purchasing/consuming anything
- hanging out by the Remainder section by the bathrooms (perfect spot to scan the entire coffeehouse and Remainder room)
- hanging out by the publications table by the door to parking lot 

Any other tips you might have about this or other incidents let us know in the comments or email javier(at)moderntimescoffeehouse.com 

Theft and Pickpocket Prevention Tips from MPDC

Price Increase in October

Starting October 1st, we have chosen to add a slight increase to some of our drinks and food selections. We held off as long as we could, but we can no longer continue to absorb the increased cost of our wholesale ingredients, especially produce, dairy and bread - which, when you think about it, comprise fifty percent of our menu. On average, prices will go up four percent, but you will see the highest increase reflected in the price of some pastries that come from smaller vendors and sodas.  We will continue purchasing the best quality ingredients, sourcing from as many local vendors as possible, and preparing our food in-house.
We feel that our new price structure is comparable to similar businesses in the area. Plus, we have incorporated ways for you to save money:  aside from offering a fifty cent discount every time you use a Modern Times Coffeehouse Travel Mug, we have added a customer rewards punch card.  We offer a free drink after the purchase of thirteen beverages over the price of $2.50.  This means that beverages that were previously ineligible are now eligible. 
As always, we value your business and thank you for supporting your local independent coffeehouse.

Piracy (not the eye-patch, wooden leg kind)

We got a notice from our ISP warning us of possible legal action due to someone using our IP address to download copyrighted material ("Alphas" - Season 2, Episode 2 to be exact). Hey, if you're going to download movies or TV shows illegally, do it at home. Even better:  find some friends with cable or TiVo and watch "Alphas" at home, comfortably sitting on a couch. 

Please don't make us start blocking websites or posting spoilers. k-thanks

It's official: we're having a baby.

Modern Times Coffeehouse will soon have a sister store to be exact.  Many of you have known about this, but I didn't want to make an announcement until things were official:  well, last week, we secured a lease for a space in the Takoma neighborhood of DC.  For this venture, I have partnered with Anna Petrillo, who has been with MTC almost since its inception.
It has been quite a journey already.  However, we know we've found the perfect space, filling a gap left by the closing of the Mayorga Coffee location earlier this year.
We want to open our doors by this winter, knowing that it will take a considerable build-out for that space to be ready; once it is done,  it will offer a different experience than Modern Times - a function of its size and location - while maintaining our attention to quality and connection to the surrounding community. In the meantime, we're considering holding some events at MTC specifically to raise some start-up funds.  We'd appreciate any suggestions for fund-raising events.
This does not mean Modern Times is going anywhere.  I'm proud to say that during the search (and beyond) James Bress has been doing a great job taking care of the daily operations at the shop.  We want to continue being an essential part of the neighborhood and the Politics and Prose family.    
I'll keep you posted on the progress.  Wish us luck - these are exciting times!

Wondering what Adam has been up to?

Philip Auerswald , friend and regular, forwarded me this article (in which he is also mentioned!): the cover story to Fast Company magazine, featuring Adam Hasler, one of three founding partners of Modern Times Coffeehouse. Many of you knew Adam, and, often, ask about him and his whereabouts since his departure in 2009.
The article starts with his tenure at MTC and follows him, and his restless intellect, into today's world of work and the "four-year career." I'm delighted to see him recognized for his striving for innovation in the field of social media and technology, never losing his idealism, or compromising his ultimate goal to help people.

Hello Ceremony Coffee!

Our local coffee provider has changed their name. Caffe Pronto is now called Ceremony Coffee Roasters. They will continue to supply us (and you) fresh every week with espresso, coffee blends, and a fine selection of single origin varietals from around the world, craft roasted right down the road in Annapolis, Maryland. We love their coffee and are pleased to support a local, independent business that uses fair trade, direct trade, Rainforest Alliance, and certified organic products.

Price changes

Due to increasing global food, gas, and coffee prices, we have chosen to add a slight increase to some of our drinks and food selections. We held off as long as we could, but we can no longer continue to absorb the increased cost of our wholesale ingredients, especially dairy, bread, and coffee - which, when you think about it, comprise ninety percent of our menu. We will continue purchasing the best quality ingredients, sourcing from as many local vendors as possible, and preparing our food in-house.
We feel that our new price structure is comparable to similar businesses in the area. Plus, we have incorporated ways for you to save money (and produce less waste): if you purchase a travel mug from us, you will receive a 50 cent discount every time you buy a drink at the shop. You can also choose to bring your own mug and receive a 15 cent discount.
As always, we value your business and thank you for supporting your local independent coffeehouse.

The Only Constant is Change

The one thing I can say about the people whom with we choose to work is that they are strong-willed, dedicated, quality-oriented, over-worked, small-business owners, artisans, delivery people - sometimes all of these things at the same time.
So, we gave Cacao a try, or, really, they gave it a try. Their products made our collective mouth water and impressed us with their creations. However, Cacao could not find a way to keep up, grow, with our demand. A lifetime of baking skills can't be taught overnight, and they were more willing to lose daily revenue than to deliver sub-par pastries! For the moment they are eliminating the wholesale portion of their business and focusing on their retail stores. Good while it lasted.
Heller's Bakery also reached the end of its tenure here. Another example of people eager to please but, realistically, dragged down by the pressures of owning and running an already successful business without a good support staff. They had been with us from the beginning; I remember they were the only people willing to deliver pastries during one of the severe blizzards a couple of years ago. However, inconsistency in their delivery times and products forced us to make the decision to no longer carry their donuts and muffins. As disappointing for me as it is for you, believe me.
That brings us to this week, when we approached Patisserie Poupon. You might know them from their retail store in Georgetown. We're still getting to know them but what we've tried so far has impressed us. I've gotten the most raves about the almond croissants. My personal favorite has been the glazed apple turnover and, for late in the day, a mini chocolate eclair coupled with a macchiato can erase the chill from the air.
As always, let us know what you think! We want to continue providing the best in quality and service and sourcing pastries from only the best local bakers!

Welcome, CACAO

The free samples have been, well... sampled; the crumbs wiped off our shirts and the votes have been cast. The pastries baked by Jacques Poulain of CACAO were an immediate hit with our expert panel of tasters. The croissant and pain au chocolat share that flakey exterior and airey buttery-ness found in expertly baked patisserie. The peach danish was so delicious that I forgot how to share; I'm looking forward to the other seasonal fruits they will be locally sourcing. The biggest surprise and staff favorite was the beignet - fried dough coated in sugar - a perfect accompaniment to our upcoming single origin coffee, the Brazil Cerrado Gold. If you're looking for something smaller, look for a selection of their macarons on the counter; we're expecting mango, chocolate, and raspberry tomorrow.

I'm so happy to have found passionate individuals like Jacques and Vili, welcome them, and introduce you to their work - that is, if you haven't had it already: Jacques bakes out of the Cleveland Park location just a few block south on Connecticut Ave.

Hope you appreciate the hard work that is sampling pastries; we'll do anything for you!

desperately seeking pastries

We're sorry to say that we will no longer be getting croissants, danishes, or focaccia from Farid Fellag for reasons beyond our control. We are currently searching for an adequate replacement and would appreciate your suggestions and recommendations.

send us an email:
coffeehouse (at) moderntimescoffeehouse.com
javier (at) moderntimescoffeehouse.com

or leave your comments below.

(Again, we're really sorry. We're pretty bummed here at the shop as well, but have gotten some good leads thanks to some of you.)

New Ownership Announced for Politics & Prose *UPDATE*

The owners of the Politics & Prose Bookstore, Barbara Meade and David Cohen, have announced plans to sell the company to two Washington journalism and public policy veterans, Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine, who will become the store’s new owners later on this spring. Read the official announcement on the P&P website.

For more info:

Read The Washington Post story.

Listen to the WAMU story.

Read Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine's op-ed in The Washington Post.

Read the Washington CityPaper cover story from last October.

* It's official! Bradley Graham and Lissa Muscatine have assumed full ownership of Politics and Prose Bookstore. Read their welcome message on P&P's website.

I am looking forward to sharing a long and prosperous relationship with them, and want to express my never-ending love, gratitude, and admiration for Barbara Meade and David Cohen - true mentors and good friends. - Javier Rivas *

it's our 5th birthday!

Ring in another year for us! Many thanks and much love!



I'm so proud of our little shop and so thankful that you've been here to experience our evolution. What's next? New coffees, great new art and events and the best staff, always!

What do you wish to see happen in Modern Times in the upcoming years?

Beans of Change

I am happy to announce that, starting this week, we have decided to start carrying coffee roasted by the fine people of Caffe Pronto. With a roasting facility in Annapolis, they can provide fresh and delicious tasting coffees sourced from the best current crops in over 15 countries worldwide. I can't tell you how exciting this is for us; I've been consistently blown away by their Vincente espresso blend - overflowing with sweetness and chocolate tones - and look forward to sampling all of their varietals (currently stocking a Sigri Estate Papua New Guinea). Try it! Tell us what you think. Thanks for being with us as we take another step in Modern Times evolution.

T-shirts-- back in stock!

It's always been easy to look good inside the Coffeehouse, now the Coffeehouse can help you look good wherever you go.

After much anticipation, we are proud to release our new, limited-edition, hand-screen-printed Modern Times Coffeehouse shirts. Screen-printing is no small task, so before making the t's available, we wanted to let everyone know a bit more about the process and all the love that went into making these shirts a reality.

Late this summer, while stumbling upon what seemed to be just another ordinary yard sale in Mount Pleasant, former Modern Times barista Matthew Davis discovered an old, empty screen printing frame, alongside a bag of inks and a swatch of silk-screen fabric. Not sure it would all work, he decided to haul it home anyways. Many of you have experienced Matthew's fine artistry served up warm in a cup. You may not have realized, however, that his artistic expression extends far beyond a delicious espresso. Now employed as a full-time illustrator and graphic designer, for years, Matthew had talked with Modern Times owner Javier Rivas about designing a custom t-shirt for the Coffeehouse. Now armed with (at least some of) the necessary screen printing tools, Matthew decided to take action.

Step one: creating two prints and a design prototype. Step two: boss' approval. Step three: lots of pizza. Step four: calling lots of friends to provide free labor in exchange for pizza.

With a full, rag-tag screen printing crew mobilized, we began work on an initial batch of 20 limited edition shirts. A near fatal accident with an excited cat, spilled ink and flying kitty litter, caused a temporary detour in the production process. But Matthew's determination to complete the job meant that three days later, the beautiful new t-shirts were ready for their introduction to the world.

First batch is just 20 strong. Each t-shirt is designed by Matthew, hand-printed and individually numbered.

That means for now, until we print more, only 19 people in DC can look as good as you (if you buy one).

$25 buys you one.

For more information on Matthew's work, check out davisionary.tumblr.com or follow his tweets @davisionarybros.

Carla F. Cohen 1936-2010

A message from Barbara Meade:

With deep sorrow, I am writing to inform our friends and neighbors that my beloved store co-owner Carla Cohen died this morning. For all of us here at Politics & Prose, it is difficult to believe that someone larger than life is gone, and I will deeply miss my friend and partner.

A funeral will be held at Tifereth Israel, 7701 16th Street, N.W. , at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13th.

The store will be closed from 12-4 p.m. on that day. We will have a memorial service in the store at a date to follow in November.

(Apart from this closing, all other events will proceed as scheduled.)

Please read the obituary post from the Washington Post here.

We welcome and encourage your condolences, tributes, and memories here.

wire-free coffeehouse

Starting 10/10/10, we will make the move to an almost wire-free coffeehouse. This means that, if you are planning on bringing your laptop, fully charge its battery prior to joining us. Internet access through our wireless router will continue to be free of charge for paying customers, and some power outlets will be available to customers sitting at the bar. We hope that this is no great inconvenience: modern laptop batteries, if taken care of properly, should last from three to eight hours (depending on the individual computer). Thank you, and, as always, we welcome your comments.

Kreider Farms milk is here!

We had been seriously unhappy and frustrated with the quality of the milk coming in from Shenandoah's Pride. Unexpectedly, we began having trouble steaming our milk to the perfect velvety texture we had been used to. After much frustration and experimentation, we determined that our milk supply was the issue.
We're happy to introduce to you the happy cows at Kreider Farms in Lancaster County, PA. We can now say our milk is local and sustainably produced in an environmentally responsible facility, farm fresh and better tasting.

SIZE of our drinks

Recently, an "Anonymous" commenter had this to say regarding our decision to eliminate the larger cup sizes:

"I, too, do not understand how an "efficient supply and consumption of both materials and space" affect getting a large regular coffee. Non-espresso coffees do not require more time to prepare, and only marginally more materials. I regularly buy a large coffee, drink some on site, and take the rest with me. Taking away the ability to do this for the reasons stated not only seems ridiculous, but may drive me to other places. Very user-unfriendly."

I understand how our decision, originally-presented, can be confusing and disconcerting for some people. For the sake of brevity in my original blog post, I did only mention the quality of espresso drinks as the impetus behind this change. Questions arose, and, subsequently, Anna added that efficiency of materials and space, and streamlining the flow of our movements and those of the traffic within the shop, also influenced our decision. She also stressed our ability to adjust specific orders - i.e. adding extra shots or even filling larger sized non-disposable travel mugs.

If that does not make our decision clearer, let me add a few more reasons that were not explicitly stated. Our menu is now easier to read. Our storage space is very limited and, as a small business, our margins thin: inventory is now much easier to manage and maintain in order. Furthermore, keeping larger cups behind the counter and not using them for espresso drinks would only lead to confusion, misunderstandings, subsequent lengthy clarifications interrupting our otherwise efficient workflow, and would, perhaps, add conflict to our otherwise peaceful coffeehouse. We still offer coffee refills, unlimited quantities of them, even! Sit a while, enjoy what you are drinking.

Also, remember how the coffeehouse used to serve 20 oz hot drinks and people's reaction to eliminating that size drink?

I didn't think you would.

Spring renewal

The season for rebirth is here. We are preparing some refreshing additions to the menu and major remodeling in the upcoming weeks.
First of all, we will be eliminating the 16oz size for warm beverages and the 20oz size for cold. We believe that, by making this change, we will best be able to focus on serving quality, well-balanced drinks. We will continue offering our 8oz and 12oz sizes as well as the 6oz classic cappuccino size. Once we run through our supply of large cups, we will institute the changes.
By the end of this week, we will be adding two new sandwiches and a new salad to the menu. The prototypes have caused much excitement and anticipation among our staff. I'll say no more. Just keep watching the menu board.

Local filmmaker series in the Coffeehouse begins Jan. 27

On Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 8 pm, we will screen the new environmental documentary “Hope in a Changing Climate,” as the first film in our new local filmmakers’ series. Produced by the Environmental Education Media Project (EEMP) in Friendship Heights, the documentary was just aired on BBC World, shown in Copenhagen during the COP15 Summit and was the subject of a recent op-ed in The New York Times.

“Hope in a Changing Climate” tells the story of how large-scale ecosystem restoration projects in China, Ethiopia and Rwanda have rehabilitated damaged ecosystems, lifted local people out of endemic poverty and simultaneously sequestered carbon naturally. Following the film, join EEMP executive director Jonathan J. Halperin and the Politics & Prose Climate Action Project for a discussion on ecosystem restoration and the outcome of December’s COP15 summit.

This event is free and open to the public. Please note there will be no wireless internet available in the coffeehouse during the event.

The new Modern Times Coffeehouse Screening & Discussion series will offer an opportunity for local filmmakers young and old, professional and amateur, to show and share their work in a creative, supportive and engaging atmosphere. Click here for more information on the series or for information on how to submit, please contact Lance Kramer at Kramer.Lance [at] gmail.com.