CC: Groundwork

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject: Groundwork
Location visited: Hollywood, CA
(1501 N. Cahuenga Boulevard)
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]


Walking around Hollywood was surprisingly calm, even the week before the Oscars. I guess being an east coaster, I kinda equate large metropolitan areas with raging torrents of focused people. Yet Hollywood showed me a lovely day of easy parking, serendipitous sidewalks and pleasant people.

To stretch my legs and enjoy a (hopefully) good cup of coffee, I stopped at a local Groundworks. The coffee establishment has numerous locations in the greater LA area and has a close to 20 year legacy, so when I got a recommendation to stop in I figured it a good opportunity.

The Hollywood location sits on the corner of N. Cahuenga and Sunset, a light brick building with lovely tan awnings and shiny outside seating. The inner cavity displayed a cafe of decent size with a good amount of seating, including a large viking-size banquet table complete with benches.

They roast their own coffee at Groundwork, and they seem to brew half of their offerings each day as there were 8 pump pots of coffee to choose from. I began pumping their Peru when it ran out after two pumps, but not wanting to just chuck it, I figured I'd give it a sample; it proved bright and very floral, with some hints of berry. Then I had their Brazil, a darker blend that held little distinction; just char and a moderate smooth texture. To note, they also had pour overs towards the back but they didn't seem to be used much. The espresso gave a good showing, as it was pulled short, had decent crema and had a lemony tang up front complimented with a good body and only a small bit of char on the end. The tea is free leaf.

After a good deal of leg stretching and coffee, I moseyed out onto the civil streets of Hollywood a refreshed man. My overall impression of Groundwork was of a decent cafe with a few minor areas to further streamline. If you're in town, treat yourself to some Groundwork.

Go Green Expo

I'm not sure how much coffee-related stuff there will be at each location, but the conference sounds like it would be a good opportunity to peruse the latest in sustainable/eco-friendly efforts.

Check it out here.

CC: La Mill Coffee

*Update for May 27, 2013*

Subject: La Mill Coffee
Location: Baltimore, MD
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Baltimore's inner harbor is a great destination that, for a long time, only seemed to be lacking a great coffee joint. Thankfully, the harbor is now home to the first east coast location to La Mill Coffee, a Los Angeles blockbuster receiving all too many accolades for great coffee and great service. Keeping with their illustrious reputation, LA Mill managed to find a home in the Four Seasons right in downtown.

Swinging by one lovely morning, I found the familiar La Mill sign not far from the hotel entrance. Walking in, I found a gorgeous open shared interior with the hotel tavern that was chock full of various seating, large windows and beautiful design. For my coffee, I ordered a pourover of a Guatemala and an espresso of their Bliss Espresso blend. The Guatemala pourover smacked of sugar cookie, sassafras, wheat, malt and nutmeg, proving sweet with a nice malty finish. The espresso, pulled short with a brown crema, tasted of herbs de Provence, cocoa, salt, milk, lemon rind, grapefruit and a little pepper.

As I had hoped and longed for, this expansion of a westerly gem retained all of its luster. If you're downtown or around the harbor, stop by the Four Seasons for a great cup of coffee at La Mill.

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*original post from February, 2009*
Subject: La Mill Coffee
Locations visited: Los Angeles, CA 
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

There is nothing like a nice warm respite in the warmer parts of the country in the dead of winter. But there is also nothing worse then getting there and finding it cold and rainy. Alas, my fate was somewhere between those two maxims in a recent trip to LA; warmish weather with spells of torrential rain. Fortunately I had some wonderful coffee prospects to keep my spirits soaring.

One particular gem I've had my eye on for some time was a ritzy establishment called La Mill Coffee. It had developed a reputation for taking the coffee experience to new heights, with table service, exquisitely-skilled baristas and higher end products.

Needless to say, I wasted no time in getting there. I arrived on a sunny morning, seeking parking on the crowded streets of Silver Lake. To my surprise, La Mill had it's own parking lot despite being on a crowded thoroughfare. Walking up to the front, the cafe stands out from the rest of the street with it's glaring red store front and beautiful windows. Inside the red continues into a well-decorated interior full of beautiful art, chandeliers and a large array of upscale dining areas.

The coffee is their own, consisting of four coffees that day. I decided to try their Nicaraguan, brewed on their Clover. I usually am not visually affected when I first sip coffee, but this one made my eyes roll into the back of my head and caused me to take a deep breath. This coffee tasted like a smooth light roast and had distinct flavors of toasted nut and chocolate. The espresso was pulled really short and demonstrated similar amazing-ness; smacks of honey, super velvety texture and light acidity. The teas were free leaf and La Mill also offers what looks like a decadent full menu.

On the whole, I left La Mill walking on air. I would say that this place needs to be a detour if you're visiting the area and a common hangout if you live nearby.

CC: Boulder Coffee Company

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What's does "CC" mean?

Subject: Boulder Coffee Company
Location visited: Rochester, NY
(Alexander St location)
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 4+ [see key]


While I am tremendously aware that good interior design is hard to come by, I still find it a bit depressing to find so few good examples of it in coffeehouses. Sure, other things factor in (location, economy, etc) but with so many resources out there for the design-challenged (like IKEA and blogs like Apartment Therapy to start), it just seems so wrong to sit in a boring white wall cafe adorned with Walmart art and coffee puns.

But recently I stumbled upon a swanky coffee pad in Rochester called Boulder Coffee Company. The place sits in the downtown area of Rochester in a rather large brick building. The inside opens up into a beautiful facility with high ceilings, candle-lit tables,vintage furniture, a ceramic-tiled stage for performers and a beautiful collection of eclectic art. And judging by the website and nice stage, it seems that a lot of local talent go through their doors.

They roast their own coffee and seem to have a fair amount of offerings. I had the Boulder Blend, a fair coffee with hints of honey but with strong shades of char, not to mention a little stale; can't say I was thrilled with it. The espresso actually proved slightly unique in a good way; the shots were pulled long and the closest thing I can pin the taste to is like chocolate milk with a nice acidity and only a hint of char. Besides the coffee and tea (the tea I forgot to note), they also serve wine, beer and a full food menu.

While I can skim little from the actual intended coffee practices from the website, I feel that Boulder seems on the right path. I definitely would like to give Boulder another try the next time I'm in town. If you're nearby and looking for decent coffee and a beautiful place to sit, give one of Boulder's locations a try.

Specialty Coffee in Atlanta!

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Ever wanted to network with some of the best in the coffee and tea industry? If you're in the area of Atlanta (or you wish to be) on April 16 - 19, you definitely should stop by The Specialty Coffee Event SCAA 2009 (i.e. the SCAA's 21st Exposition)

Events will include the World Barista Competition (there's still some regional competitions going on if you'd like to get into some local amazing-ness) and some other amazing workshops.