The Coffee Crawl Sipping my way through New York City…one coffee shop at a time.

So I’ve lived in the West Village for over a year now and tried out many different coffee shops and bakeries in the immediate area. Actually, I’ve almost tapped out every coffee shop and bakery in the area. I knew that I wanted to go on a crawl today, but since the weather decided to lightly rain and turn somewhat chilly I didn’t want to venture out too far from the safety of my warm and dry apartment. Then I got to thinking, “Grounded! How could I have forgotten about Grounded?!” This hidden gem in the West Village, very close to home, is what I like to call the ‘neighborhood java joint.’ Located at 28 Jane Street near Greenwich Avenue, Grounded provides the perfect tucked away goodness that I tend to really enjoy in a coffee shop. Today proved no different as I ducked in out of the rain.

Doesn’t the picture just make the shop look so inviting? I also love the organic nature of the coffee and tea as well, as dictated by the full name ‘Grounded Organic Coffee & Tea House.” It almost reminds me of my favorite place in DC, Teaism. Walking into the shop, an instant calm is brought over you: the music playing is usually classical or a light reggae-style (which I find very conducive to studying and reading), the people working behind the counter are incredibly laid back and give off that calm and relaxed vibe, and the patrons are actually nice. I know it’s hard to find calm, nice NY coffee drinkers sometimes, but come to Grounded and you will. It seems to be an unheard precedent that all of the customers adhere to: please don’t be rude or loud or we’ll kick you out. One downside (for the customer, not the store) is that it’s always difficult to find an open table or couch to plant at and enjoy your beverage and snack of choice. Like I said, everyone in the neighborhood loves it here. I do love, however, choosing from the eclectic array of seating options. It looks like the owners (or whomever the decorator is) decided to walk into a thrift store and pick out whatever they saw first. I absolutely love that style of coffee shop decorating. As you can see from the picture, I wanted to sit on the red couch…my fave…however it was taken by someone else loving it a little earlier than I did. Sigh.

Once I made my way to the counter to order my coffee and food, I had time enough to make a selection. One aside I must mention here. Fall + NYC + Coffee Shops have to be the absolute best combination of anything ever created. Starbucks brings out its beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte – the number one way that New Yorkers know that Fall has hit the City. For me, today, despite the glorious rainy and chilly weather, I knew that Fall was upon me from the menu of items with which I had to choose. I instantly picked out their pumpkin latte (made with skimmed milk, of course, because the pumpkin syrup was probably sugar-free and fortified with protein…kidding) and pumpkin bread. Let me just say, and commend loudly, that the latte was probably the best I have ever tasted. And I’m not just saying that, either. It was actually the right combination between espresso, yummy pumpkin syrup and milk. While I savored every last drop, it didn’t last more than 10 minutes. Delish. The pumpkin bread came next to tickle my taste buds. Freshly baked, moist and pumpkin-y goodness, the bread lasted even shorter than the latte did!

So definitely take my word for it and try Grounded out if you haven’t already. And do so before the Fall season for coffee and treats leave us. If you miss out on the pumpkin latte or pumpkin bread, you will be very upset with yourself!