History
The M.E. Swing Co. was established in Washington, D.C. by M.E. Swing and his son, Edward Swing, in 1916. Father and son found a ready market for the premium Arabica beans which were imported from Africa, Latin America, and the Far East. In 1920, the company opened its now historic Mesco Coffee Roasters building at 1013 E Street. The E Street retail store, with its hand-crafted, gleaming mahogany interior and bright-red, wooden coffee bins occupied the first floor of the Mesco Building. On the second floor, M.E. Swing made hand-dipped chocolates, and on the third floor, a huge German roaster turned out hundreds of pounds of expertly roasted coffee every day. The smell of roasted coffee beans became part of the downtown experience for the next 70 years.
Specialties
At Swing's Coffee, Washington DC's oldest coffee roaster, we roast coffee daily with artisan hands and technological precision. Our roasting methods include using old-world German Probat roasters together with tools like moisture meters, spectrophotometers and refractometers. Our custom beverages are drawn from the cutting edge of culinary inspiration and rotate seasonally. Our customer service is above and beyond. We also maintain a robust wholesale division and distribute our products daily throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Try some of our coffees in one of our cafes, or grab a bag online.