R.I.P. Southern Pecan

Original to the District, Firehook is a bakery and coffee house also serving up sandwiches and light fare. (No, I am not being paid to write this, though if anyone would like to change that – please, by all means!)

Firehook has locations around the city including Metro Center, DuPont, Judiciary Square, Cleveland Park, Capitol Hill, and Farragut Square (I may be missing a few). Everything is freshly made, the breads are baked locally in Alexandria, and the prices are extremely reasonable for quality products. They have it all. Cookies. Cakes. Salads. Pastas. Soups. Hummus. Scones. Muffins. Brownies. Sandwiches. Did I already say cookies? (They are the size of your face and delicious to no end!) And of course, COFFEE.

This morning I was playing hooky from work (which is appropriated since the slogan of coffee house is “hooked”) (and okay, I was actually just going to the dentist) and decided to stop by the Farragut Square location since I was in the area. The Firehook at Farragut Square is my favorite because they display all the breads so nicely on shelves and have cute tables to sit at in the back. I wouldn’t call this a fancy coffee house by any means. It’s simple. And that’s what I like about it.

I walked in, went up to the counter, and ordered a southern pecan iced coffee, YUM! Unfortunately, the lady quickly told me that they didn’t have southern pecan and that the company stopped purchasing it. (I’m not sure if they just stopped purchasing it because we are headed into a new season or if they have done away with the southern pecan altogether.) Those damn Yanks takin’ away our southern coffee obsession. (Disclaimer: I'm from Massachusetts.)

What I like most about Firehook's flavored coffees is that the coffee beans are roasted with pecans to attain the desired flavor. The favor is much truer when the beans are prepared this way compared to just adding a syrup later on – yuck. My suggestion: if you’re going to order a flavored coffee make sure the flavor is brewed in, otherwise it is more caloric and just plain tastes fake.

With my southern pecan somewhere far below the Mason-Dixon line, I went to my usual Firehook choice: iced latte with whole milk.

Yes, whole milk, and don’t even think about giving me skim. (I would get 2% but Firehook only has whole or skim.) Once I was given skim latte at Firehook instead and I asked if he thought I needed to drink fat free milk and replied, “Aww naww! You fine just the way you are. My bad, girl. Let me get you your whooooole milk.” That's right.

Whole milk is not bad. If you get a whole milk latte everyday, alright you might gain a little weight here and there but let's be real, DC guys like a big booty, which I sadly do not carry.

Seriously though. What throws everyone off is that they think almost the entire cup is filled with fatty whole milk and fail to realize that the espresso actually takes up much more room than you think. Two shots of espresso over ice fills up the cup almost all the way, which is why I suggest adding a richer milk for a creamy flavor that is much more satisfying.

I wouldn’t get a whole milk latte every day but it's certainly a nice treat!