The Details

The Husband and I have always enjoyed going to Grounded on Jane Street.  It reminds us of the old days before the Village was overrun by Starbucks and other chains.  It's a very good place to meet someone for coffee or tea.

Today, as I was making my way to my favourite magazine shop on 8th Avenue, I came across this sign and made the turn into the place:

I just HAD to find out what iced cardamon coffee was.  There's a very delicious caffeine free chicory coffee at Smith Canteen in Brooklyn and I was rather hoping for something like that.

There was a bit of a line and I hemmed and hawed about waiting to get a coffee.  Then I noticed this:

And this:

I had to really study the menu:

Interesting drinks aside, I loved how appealingly the menu chalkboards had been done.

The extensive tea menu:

The variety!  Truly, a place after my own heart.  The colours were so cheerful.

Suddenly, I felt some sort of light fabric against my calf.  A woman with a very light blonde pixie cut, oversized, grey tee-shirt and white, floor-length tulle skirt with one tier at the calf was standing next to the fellow ahead of me in line.  They had a quick conversation before she left him with a paper bag and swept out of the place as quickly as she had swept in.  I turned to her friend and said, "I love your friend's outfit."

"She doesn't do casual," He replied.

The cardamon coffee turned out to be a caffeinated coffee - essentially, a coffee flavoured with cardamon.  It sounded enticing, but it was a little too late in the day for a coffee.  So I opted to have the black tea rose latte - Assam tea with steamed milk and rose syrup - with soy milk.

On the way out, I noticed the tea canisters:

I have always had a thing for Chinoiserie.

The black rose tea latte was pretty divine.  It was a proper cup of milky tea with a subtle hint of rose.  I can see myself swinging by for more of that whenever I am within a 5-block radius.

Grounded

28 Jane Street

(btw Greenwich & 8th Avenues)

(212) 647 0943

groundedcoffee.com