Iced Mocha
DECEMBER 2017 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM 33
K gift shop now offers a variety of
unique consumable and utilitarian gifts
and greeting cards for all occasions.
The interior of Well Grounded
Tea & Coffee Bar is divided into the
entry area where orders are placed and
food and beverages are prepared, and
a separate dining/sitting area that has a
long wooden bench along the wall, 3
small round tables, and one 2-person
booth. The décor is simple and the
ambience is comfortable, casual and
friendly. Colorful framed photographs,
taken by members of the El Cerrito
High School Photography Club, adorn
the earth-tone painted walls, and are
available for purchase. A wooden table
serves as a coffee/tea bar, stocked with
honey, sugar, cream, straws, napkins,
etc. A large bulletin board hangs in the
entry area boasting local postings and
advertisements.
Customers waiting to place their
orders can salivate over the fresh daily
Alameda-based Semifreddi’s handcrafted
pastries, which are individually wrapped,
and prominently displayed on glass
shelves behind the counter. These
include such favorites as apple turnovers,
blueberry Danish, assorted muffins,
croissants, and scones, as well as large,
freshly-baked cookies. Fresh assorted
bagels from Albany-based Boogie
Woogie Bagel Boy, are also stacked
in the glass counters to tempt hungry
patrons. Newcomers to Well Grounded
will likely need at least several minutes
to peruse the extensive menu boards
suspended behind the counter, listing all
of the various coffees, beverages, bagels,
specialty sandwiches, and other offerings
available at this small café.
Everything at Well Grounded is
made to order, including individual
cups of coffee. The coffee served here is
procured from Lappert’s Coffee, located
in Richmond. It is an organic blend
of ten different medium and dark roast
coffee beans, including Kona coffee
beans from Hawaii. (Decaffeinated
coffee at Well-Grounded is made from
Kona coffee beans only.) They use a
Swiss brewing method which extracts
the oils from the coffee beans, removing
the bitterness and
creating a “crema”
(lightly colored foam)
on top of the cup
of each individually
brewed cup of coffee.
Jen demonstrated
the brewing method
for me and my guest
during our visit, and
we found it to be quite
interesting. She said
that crema on top is
considered the hallmark
of a good cup of
coffee by the Swiss and
Italians. I added organic
milk/cream to the
sample cup of coffee
Jen had brewed, and
found it to be a very
smooth and delicious
cup of coffee!
All bagel creations,
sandwiches, bocadillos,
and salads are prepared
when ordered, which
is why sometimes
service at Well Grounded may seem
a bit slow. The smallish area behind
the counter fits two to three workers
comfortably, and sometimes is occupied
by up to five workers on the busiest
of days. Most creations include only
four or five ingredients, which allows
them to be prepared and delivered to
customers as quickly as possible. My
guest and I visited Well Grounded
Tea & Coffee Bar early on a Saturday
afternoon. Jen graciously spent time
with us, mentioning that Saturday
mornings are their busiest time of the
week, and so the crew was in recovery
mode. In spite of this, the workers
still wore smiles and extended friendly
greetings to each and every customer.
To kick off our tasting experience, Jen
offered us a choice of beverages from
the menu. My guest noticed a poster
advertising a seasonal beverage offering,
and decided to try the hot Pumpkin
Pie Spiced Latte. This was served in a
large round cup, and was topped with a
mound of luscious whipped cream and
caramel drizzle. I chose an iced Mocha,
which also was topped with whipped
cream with powdered cocoa sprinkled
on top. There were so many food items
to choose from that we yielded to Jen’s
recommendations for a couple of their
best-selling sandwiches that we could
sample.
We managed to secure an open
table in the seating area, where we
enjoyed our beverages while awaiting
our sandwiches. Pleasant music played
in the background and we observed a
customer who was taking advantage of
Well Grounded’s free Wi-Fi. My iced
mocha had a dark, rich chocolaty flavor,
and thankfully was not overly sweet.
Across the table, my guest savored her
Pumpkin Pie Spiced Latte down to the
last drop! Jen later informed us that they
make their own Pumpkin Pie additive
for the special fall beverages—it is made
just like pumpkin pie but without the
eggs. The whipped cream used for the
coffee drinks is also made in-house by
the staff.
Hours: Monday – Friday 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Saturday – Sunday 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM