25 - From the Ground Up, Denver

Not fancy, but fun place.

Coffee Shop:
From the Ground Up
http://fromthegroundupcoffee.com
2418 S Colorado blvd
Denver, CO 80212

Date Visited:
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
About 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Purchased:
Small (12 oz) Cold Brew: $2.25

I asked about the cappuccino here and it is the same size as a latte, but varying amounts of foam.  They don't have anything stronger espresso-wise, but were happy to add more espresso (no...haha) or put in less milk if I wanted.  I ended up just getting a cold brew.  I don't particularly want to customize stuff, just see what places call a cappuccino and try them.  But I didn't want a lot of milk in a drink today.

So this is not a place to go to get really good coffee drinks or crafted espresso.  When I asked about the cappuccino the barista had no idea what I was talking about.  I was thinking that she was maybe just the cashier and got drip or pre-made stuff to the extent that she didn't know, but I think I saw her operate the espresso machine later.  I was just asking about what the espresso/milk ratio was and stuff.  She had a guess, but went and asked for me.  (That's when I got the answer.)  I think possibly she was training.

HOWEVER it was not an unpleasant experience at all.  She was super nice and not dismissive about the question or anything remotely like that.  It was great.  So I am not complaining at all!

I was also not reveling in an amazing espresso experience or something.  It's a different niche.

My cold brew was not very good, but it wasn't bad.  I drank a bit black but it wasn't anything special. I added some almond milk and sugar and liked it okay like that.  It was one of those situations where I had a coffee.  It wasn't great, but no complaints.  It was also only $2.25.
Interesting anecdote - instead of the normal ice one would expect in a coffee shop iced drink, there were two giant ice cubes like they came out of a layperson's ice cube tray.  They stuck together so there was basically a big glob of ice.  Again, not complaining, it just struck me.

The shop is really cute and comfy.  It seemed like a little local community-based coffee shop.  I thought the art was nice, the coffee bar place was set up in an appealing way (like, obviously it's a coffee shop, but it just struck me that is particularly made this place seem homey or something), and they have a nice style.  The music was Frank Sinatra and relaxing, chill stuff.  There majority of people there were hanging out and talking, as opposed to working.  And people just seemed happy.  It was a nice place to be!

So decent coffee in a place with a really pleasant, inviting atmosphere.

The tables and chairs were all matching (which probably helped with the style more than I consciously realized).  Just simple, dark wood.  There were also a few comfy chairs in the corner by the window.  There was even a rocking chair!  On the walls there were prints of coffee-related things and those old-fashioned style prints with funny quotes about caffeine and sleeping when dead and stuff.  I am just trying to explain all of the nice, little touches.

When I went up to get my coffee I had taken out my computer and she asked if I needed the wi-fi password before I had even remembered to ask.  (See, little things like that, they were awesome even though I didn't get an immediate answer to my cappuccino question.)  And I had no wi-fi issues.

There is a parking lot shared with adjacent restaurants and businesses.