robert's corner

For those of you who are not a "fan" of of groundwork on Facebook, here's Todd Carmichael's "Eat Like A Man" blog that's rather indignant of the "coffee hipsters."

At groundwork we like to consider ourselves "old school" not so much hipsters.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/worst-coffee-trends-060210

Please consider becoming a "fan" of groundwork on Facebook (and sharing our page with yur "friends" and customers).  There is a lot of information on there that I post for the benefit of all, including new items and coffee-related articles and the like.

Enjoy the read!

The El Salvadoran coffee in our stores is from the Altimira estate.

This Cup of Excellence winner comes from the estate of Altamira I, owned by farmer Marco Batres. His estates are all organic and Rainforest Alliance certified, and the high quality of his coffee is demonstrated by four of his lots taking top honors in thi...s year’s El Salvador Cup of Excellence competition. We were able to secure the best of the group, a small lot from Altamira I. Beyond its stellar certifications, this coffee is unique in two ways: it is made up of the unusual Pacamara varietal, and it was washed in the geothermal hot springs at Sr. Batres' award-winning mill. The Pacamara beans give it a brilliant balance of sparkling acidity and creamy body, while the crystal clear mineral water brings out unique flavors of honey, caramel, grapefruit, and banana.

Jerry Clarke: Current Exhibition groundwork hollywood 1501 No. Cahuenga Blvd.

 

"The voodoo priest and all his powders were as nothing compared to espresso, cappuccino, and mocha, which are stronger than all the religions of the world combined, and perhaps stronger than the human soul itself."
- Mark Helprin, Memoir from Antproof Case

In all groundwork stores today..... a fresh roast of organic single origin coffees: New Guinea, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Bolivia, Peru...... and, of course, our famous blends; Black Gold, Bitches Brew, Angel City, and Lucky Jack!

"Tea and books - mmmmmm, two of life's exquisite pleasures that together bring near-bliss."
- Christine Hanrahan

Venice: Where Art Meets Crime...... a limited edition tee-shirt, white lettering on black, available exclusively in our Rose Avenue store.

famous-paintings-reproduced-in-coffee

Sure this reproduction of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam is a lil' bit perverted by the inclusion of a coffee cup, but look closer. The entire masterpiece was painted using only coffee. Coffee art is a truly unique art form that requires a thoughtful and delicate touch. Capturing the depth of these classic works is possible through a slow and sophisticated process, building layers upon layers of espresso. ...

Turn Your Head and Coffee

A pretentious college hipster barista torments a Yuppie over proper pronunciation - thus ending the age old debate of "expresso" versus "espresso." Check out the ridiculousness here.

Favorite Cooking with Coffee Recipes at Epicurious.com

Read Cooking with Coffee: Our Favorite Recipes - 14 top-rated coffee-based recipes include Tiramisu, Jamaican Coffee Brownies, and Jalapeño Cheeseburgers and other How To Cook articles about Favorite Dishes at Epicurious.com

At groundwork we strive to give our customers the very best alternatives..... we offer all traditional milk products but also offer soy milk.... we were the first LA-based coffee shops to offer a Rice Milk alternative. Our baristas have been experimenting with Hemp Milk and find that it froths far better for your lattes. Which do you prefer?

!! it's fall. cool weather. harvest time. 100% organic apple cider from vermont is available in all groundwork stores. ask for it plain, or with a dash of cinnamon, or, if you're adventurous, add caramel syrup!!

"I do much of my creative thinking while golfing. If people know you're working at home they think nothing of walking in for a cup of coffee, but wouldn't dream of interrupting on the golf course."
- Harper Lee

Individual Pecan Pies and Pumpkin Pies available in all groundwork stores.... try them with whipped cream or Fosselman's Vanilla Ice Cream.... Heaven on Earth!!!

On these chilly, damp mornings, there's nothing like a warm Apple Cider with cinnamon stick and maybe even whip cream! 100% organic Vermont apple cider. Available in all groundwork stores.

By the middle of the 16th century, coffee drinking had spread to Egypt, Syria and Turkey. Here it became known as the “Wine of Arabia”. This was because Muslims, who were forbidden to drink wine, used coffee with it’s special powers of stimulation as a substitute.

The first commercial cultivation of coffee was reported in Yemen, a district of Arabia in the fifteenth century. The Arabs jealously guarded their precious beans and would not allow them out of the country, unless they had been dried or cooked in boi...ling water to kill the seed-germ. However, eventually some seed beans or cuttings were smuggled out of the country by pilgrims on their annual travel to Mecca.

At groundwork we like to spotlight local artists in our stores. We have recently changed artwork in our Hollywood store. The artist's name is Jerry Clarke. Here is a link to his website and also an image of one of the art pieces entitled "torn fabric".

How cool is this pumpkin carving???????

We are starting to stock our stores with great coffee accessories (travel mugs, drip cones, filters, Chemex drip brewers, etc) and much more to come! Start your holiday shopping early!

"Coffee is the common man's gold, and like gold, it brings
to every person the feeling of luxury and nobility."
- Sheik Abd-al-Kadir

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
- C.S. Lewis

"Coffee is real good when you drink it, it gives you time to think. It's a lot more than just a drink; it's something happening. Not as in hip, but like an event, a place to be, but not like a location, but like somewhere within yourse...lf. It gives you time, but not actual hours or minutes, but a chance to be, like be yourself, and have a second cup."
- Gertrude Stein

Today is National Coffee Day...... so we're passing this on from The Huffington Post.....10 weird coffees you can purchase and brew. If none of these rock your boat (or fill your mug) you can always head to groundwork and stick with the conventional.

In 1675 Charles II, King of England, issued a proclamation banning Coffee Houses. He said they were places where people met to plot against him.

House of HEW yogurt; 100% organic, greek-style, fruit flavored frozen yogurt available at groundwork hollywood!

"Good coffee may come from Arabia or India, from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, or via France with an admixture of chicory; but its flavor and excellance will be derived from daily careful roasting and grinding, a truism universally admitted and... habitually disregarded."
- Lady Jekyll, D.B.E.

"Coffee has... expanded humanity's working-day from twelve to a potential twenty four hours. The tempo, the complexity, the tension of modern life, call for something that can perform the miracle of stimulating brain activity, without evil,... habit-forming after-effects."
- Margaret Meagher, "To Think of Coffee," 1942.

Panama Kotowa Estate. The ripened coffee cherries are picked by Ngobe Indians, the indigenous people of Panama, up to five times a year. (Kotowa means “mountain” in the Ngobe Indian language.) The plantation sits at 4,500 feet so the soil and cold climate help develop the kind of coffee that’s rich with a chocolate aroma.

Ethiopian coffee is the original coffee bean which hooked the world, discovered growing among goats more than a thousand years ago in what's now Ethiopia. The indigenous Ethiopian coffee trees (which some experts say, are the only native coffee trees in the world) first grew in ancient "Abyssinia," which is now present day Ethiopia. These trees blossomed in an area called "Kaffa" and the trees were called "Kafa," which may as well be the root word for coffee. Centuries later, the
Ethiopian coffee beans were smuggled out of the African continent by the Dutch to ensure a fine coffee future in the newly discovered East Indies.

"As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move.... similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle."
- Honore de Balzac

"I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee"
- Carly Simon

"I don't have a problem with caffeine. I have a problem without caffeine!"
- author unknown

Earl Grey is traditionally made from Black Tea flavored with Oil of Bergamot. Citrus Bergamot, the size of an orange with a yellow color similar to a lemon, is indigenous to Southeast Asia but is now grown commercially in Calabria, Italy. At groundwork, our Earl Grey tea is 100% organic!