For United head coach Ben Olsen, coffee is a must. And when you've been in D.C. as long as he has, the good coffeeshops stick out.
"If you drink enough coffee in this city, you meet people in this business," said Olsen. One of those people is Chris Vigilante, founder and owner of Vigilante Coffee Company, a roastery and coffee house in Hyattsville, Md., and supplier to coffee houses throughout D.C.
The two hit it off, Olsen says, and their friendship has produced a product that uniquely combines their respective passions. Vigilante invited Olsen out to the roastery to taste different coffee flavors, with beans ranging from Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia and more, to create a "Black-and-Red blend." The drink, a limited-quantity cold brew, is available at Vigilante's Eastern Market pop-up and Hyattsville locations while supplies last.
We said that if there were ever an opportunity to do something special for D.C. United, we'd love to, said Vigilante. "Low and behold, we had the chance to craft the Black-and-Red blend."
Olsen was led through the property, smelling different beans, tasting different roasts and evaluating all the options the same way Vigilante professionally evaluates their coffee, from aroma to acidity, flavor to after-taste.
"To be able to bring [Olsen] in and have him be part of the process because he knows our coffee," said Vigilante. "That made it all the much more special."
