Yoga Shopping Coffee

Yesterday I started my day off right – yoga, shopping in West Hartford Center, and a coffee date with the lovely Amanda (and then more shopping)! We met up at It’s A Grind in Blue Back Square in West Hartford, CT.  We got a mocha for me and a tea for her in cups the size of our heads. Here is what I thought of their mocha latte:

Taste: 3

At first taste I thought they had mistakenly made me a vanilla latte instead of a mocha latte! Why does this taste so sweet? This ‘mocha’ was basically 90% milk and 10% coffee. I would have liked to taste more chocolate and more coffee, especially because this small cup of milk mocha latte set me back a whopping $3.40.

Appearance: 3

I am a sucker for BIG coffee cups. 1 point. I also appreciate it when a barista makes the extra effort to make my mocha look pretty – notice how the pretty steamed milk takes center stage. 1 point. And lastly, the simplicity  in the white cups plus the rich mocha colors compliment each other so well. 1 point. 🙂

Store Ambiance: 5

This place was busy. There was a great mix of people – students, parents, young adults – and a great mix of seating options – comfy couches, tables with chairs, and some sneaky tables in the way back. There was upbeat music playing softly in the background and there was lots of laughter to be heard. By the counter there was about a half dozen choices of flavored coffee that you can pump yourself. Basically, this is a place where I would have come to study if I went to school around here; however, I would probably have just ordered a regular coffee instead of a mocha.