A light-filled space on a busy Shaw corner, Cafe Unido promises Panama’s prized export: Geisha coffee beans. The cafe helps the sipper by approaching coffee through various lenses: its producer, terroir, varietals, processes, and brewing methods.  The Panamanian brand’s first states ide location debuted in Union Market district’s Latin food hall La Cosecha in 2019 with its famed “caviar of coffee beans,” but Unido’s newer Shaw digs offer more room for remote working and cozy conversations over lattes and surprisingly pleasant fare (908 W Street NW). What to order An on-brand riff of the Panamanian yuca fritter called carimañola, here stuffed with ground beef, comes topped with a mumbo-style sauce infused with guava and cascara (coffee bean). The Unido burger packs in three types of beef (chuck, short rib, and brisket) in a smash-style patty. The kicker: house-made coffee husk (cascara) ketchup and coffee mayo. This isn’t your everyday breakfast wrap: Unido’s textured version combines scrambled eggs, cheese, spiced beans, avocado, bacon, and, last but not least, concolon, crowd-pleasing crispy rice pulled from the bottom of the pot. What to drink Unido is one of the few places in the region to sell Geisha lattes, and there’s no reason not to try this market-priced specialty at least once. The cup is worth lingering, opening up as it cools, offering notable floral and fruity notes on both the nose and palate. Insider tip While the prix fixe coffee omakase experience is paused for now, when it restarts, go for this patient, barista-led walkthrough of various courses of Geisha coffee expressions, paired with small plates of Panamanian tastes. ...read more read less