I've always been a cat person. Growing up, the first family pet I remember was an orange tabby and since then my family has always had cats around. They’re compact, soft, and do things on their own terms. A self reflection pet, I suppose. Even now, cats run the house of many of my friends and family. Only after adopting my own cats as an adult from a local city rescue shelter, I noticed I became a big animal lover in general when prior, dogs were just slobbery, high maintenance noise makers and other animals never even made it onto my radar. Around the time I brought home my own first cat, my friend adopted her puppy from a coworker. I fell in love with her, snuggled her, and played with her like she was my own little kitten. The puppy’s littermates were adopted out to other employees at our job but one active pup was taken home by my friend's boyfriend at the time. Fast forward a few years and brother and sister pup are reunited in the happy home of my friend and her now husband. Being smitten with their pups, naturally they want to support all things dog, including coffee.
No matter how I prepare for it, every time I arrive at my friend’s house, Kong, the bigger of the 2 dogs, plows me down with love and excitement when I walk through the front door. After the initial few tackles, he has to show me his ball and wait for me to throw it, but if I wait, he will spit it in the direction of anyone who will catch it, whether they’re expecting it or not. That usually results with a BONK to someone's forehead which he will catch on the rebound. Lily, the smaller, calmer, and quieter of the two, gives kisses when I see her and if Kong gets out of hand, she’s there to tell him to chill out with a little growl. Those endearing personalities got me ready to dive into this dog themed review of Grounds and Hounds Coffee Co..
The Grounds and Hounds Coffee Co. is an online only shop with a strong mission: “AT GROUNDS & HOUNDS COFFEE CO.®, WE BELIEVE THAT GREAT COFFEE CAN FUEL A GREATER PURPOSE. THROUGH THE SALE OF OUR ORGANIC AND ECO-FRIENDLY SPECIALTY COFFEES, WE SUPPORT RESCUE INITIATIVES AND ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING A SECOND CHANCE FOR PUPS IN NEED OF A HELPING HAND. 20% OF ALL GROUNDS & HOUNDS PROFITS ARE DEPLOYED TO OUR RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO MAKE THE SECOND-CHANCE MISSION A REALITY.” This small company started in Santa Monica in 2012 with a man, an unexpected Dalmatian adoption, and a plan to use the coffee you drink in the mornings alongside your pets to help other dogs in need, working to end unnecessary ethuniasia, and assist with other homeless dog struggles. 100% Arabica beans are grown in the top regions of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia, then roasted in small batches. A nice cycling of seasonal flavors means there is always something new to try.
Speaking of seasonal flavors, that was probably the second draw to my friends decision to buy coffee from this site. It was around the end of the year holiday time when buying a few bags of coffee, so she chose the autumn Perfect with Pie medium blend and the winter Snow Day dark blend, both are no longer available, and the popular Paper and Slippers medium blend. She happily brewed a single cup of each coffee for me to try. After sipping, I gave her the dark roast and proceeded to drink enough coffee to fuel myself up for a week. We offered to share with her husband but he was drinking Bullet Coffee, which the idea intrigues me, but I’m not sure I’m ready to try such a blasphemously altered cup of Joe. To cut the caffeine, my friend picked up some fresh pastries from Emil’s Bake House in Agoura Hills, just a couple of doors down from the shelter I adopted both of my cats from. Oh, her husband was all about sharing the pastries with us.
What I enjoyed most about the tasting was how each bag of coffee gave tasting notes right on the front label under the name so I was able to easily dissect them with this guide. I can usually taste ingredients or cooking methods right away but sometimes putting a name to what’s going on can be a challenge.
First up in the dog collar mug was Paper and Slippers. The light nutty, brownie flavor hits first with a fruity aftertaste. By far it was my favorite of the three and the sweetness is enough to be able to drink black. A side note here; This is my first dive into alternative milk with my coffee. The dairy free coconut cream and almond milk was a delightful addition to the brews when I wasn’t sure what to expect. The price is comparable to my usual, half and half, but the ingredient list isn’t as simple so I doubt I’ll be making a change to nut milk. Second, in the red mug, was Perfect with Pie, the first coffee my friend ordered from the website, and probably her favorite. It starts with a vanilla cream flavor followed by brown sugar, reminiscent of crème brûlée. With the name, “With Pie”, I found the flavors are more "Pie Like" rather than wanting to pair it with a pie. Finally, Snow Day (certified organic) in the adorable animation puppy mug carried a dark ginger and vanilla-y graham cracker taste. I love ginger but this blend was just too rich and dark for me. As for the pastries, they were all lovely. Each was flakey, cakey, and sweet. The cranberry apple scone was the table favorite. The chocolate bear claw and apricot almond swiss tart were great but something about the glaze topping really made the scone top dog.
In addition to their wide variety of coffee, G&H offers a subscription box service, clothes, home goods, stickers, dog toys, and dog accessories. Prices are on par with other specialty coffee and gift shops I’ve seen online but they also still give that 20% portion to it’s charities making these excellent prices. My friend told me she had found the website through targeted ads on Facebook. Usually those ads have zero to do with your actual interests but in this case it was spot on.
As much as I enjoy going out to discover new places and all the fun I have interacting with people, this is my preferred way to review coffee. If my friend and I hadn’t already planned a walk, I would have arrived in my pajama bottoms for a slow morning review and quiet chat between friends, fireplace on in the background with dogs at our feet.
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| Had to swap out a mug after tasting. |
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| Kong and Lily. |
