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My New Favorite Cold Brew Has Saved My Mornings — And Helps a Doggone Good Cause

published about 1 hour ago

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Credit: Joe Lingeman

Like a lot of you, probably, I started making my cold brew at home back when the pandemic cut my commute to work. Though prepping my own beverage every day wasn’t exactly difficult, finding the perfect beans was. I tried storebought Starbucks blends as well as local favorites, like Bluestone Lane , Stumptown , and Goldrick’s, and all were good, but I still felt like I hadn’t found THE ONE. That is, until I discovered Grounds & Hounds .

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I actually had never heard of Grounds & Hounds before, but there it was, appearing in an ad as I racked up screen time scrolling Instagram (because what else was there to do at that time?). The ad was for the Sunny Spot Cold Brew Blend , which definitely peaked my interest, but I’ll be honest when I say that what really caught my attention was the glass that the iced coffee was served in. It had little blue and aqua figures of people and dogs doing fun water activities like surfing and tubing — both things that I hate. But I loved that glass and had to have it! I knew it would make any of my iced coffee beverages so much better, so I ordered it and figured, what the hell, I’ll throw in a 12-ounce bag of Sunny Spot too. And I’m so glad I did, because it turned out to be so delicious that it’s now my go-to morning brew.

Credit: Mark Marino

When I opened the bag, the ground coffee smelled… well, just like coffee. Not really unique. But once I prepped it in my French press (you can also use a cold brew maker or your preferred coffee-making method), let it chill, poured it in my new favorite glass, and added ice and milk, I realized just how special it was. While Sunny Spot is a strong, dark roast coffee, it’s also very mellow. It wasn’t bitter or acidic, like a lot of the brands I had experimented with pre-Grounds & Hounds, and it was really easy on the stomach in the early a.m. The blend has notes of dark chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker, hazelnut, and vanilla bean, making it perfect for sipping. In fact, I found the drink so enjoyable that I no longer missed my venti cold brew and didn’t feel like I had to rush back to the coffee shops when they reopened.

Here’s what’s also great about Grounds & Hounds : All of their beans are 100 percent Arabica and organic certified, and they’re sourced from some of the top growing regions worldwide, including Peru, Colombia, and Ethiopia. But more importantly, as the brand notes, every cup helps a pup. Twenty-percent of all profits go toward funding animal rescue programs across the country, which means I’m supporting a doggone good cause with every drink.

I now keep a constant supply of Sunny Spot in my kitchen, and it’s been part of my morning routine for more than a year. Yes, I still pop into coffee shops occasionally for that venti cup, but these days, there’s nothing better than drinking a mellow iced coffee out of my favorite Grounds & Hounds glass.

Buy: Sunny Spot Cold Brew Blend , $14.99 for 12-ounce bag of ground or whole bean coffee

Source : food