Drink This Now: Caramel top, Banana bottom at Grounded Coffee
Grounded Coffee // Photo by Sarah Sipple
Suffice it to say, I went bananas at Grounded Coffee in Lawrence.
It was one of those ridiculously cold December days before we were gifted the week of sunny 50s. I was making my way to a family event in Ottawa and used the outing as an excuse to pick up some gifts in Lawrence. But I can’t divulge where I purchased goodies and gift cards–some of my most dedicated readers are on my gift list. Hi, mom.
Grounded Coffee was conveniently right next to my parking spot, and in .03 seconds I mentally justified many reasons for a visit.
I selected the “Caramel top, Banana bottom” latte ($7) from the seasonal menu, then went to peruse the baked goods case. It was late in the day, so much was sold out, but I could choose between a brownie, a pumpkin loaf, protein bites, or a banana bread coffee cake. The baked goods come from Painted Lady Bakery.
Grounded Coffee // Photo by Sarah Sipple
As my intro implies, I went for the banana bread coffee cake ($5) to complement, nay, support my caramel banana latte. The coffee cake was more moist than many recipes, which I appreciate. It was a fair portion for the cost.
I adored the latte. The generous sprinkling of cinnamon on top did a lot of the heavy lifting of the sensory experience. I did order it with an extra shot, and now I wouldn’t recommend it any other way. It still tasted like coffee, with gentle reminders of caramel and banana. But no syrupiness… because there was no banana syrup. A banana-flavored latte with no Monin or Torani in sight? Gasp.
The drink’s flavor comes from banana milk, house-made caramel sauce, and cinnamon. That subtly was just my style. No bananas are milked in this process. Instead, Grounded keeps a banana milkshake powder on hand that can be mixed with each customer’s milk of choice.
Grounded Coffee’s Cody Murray created this naughty list-inspired menu, and it’s only available through the month of December. Other features include an eggnog latte called Egg Me On Daddy, a Basic White B**ch Spice chai latte, and more. Murray was so casually friendly and welcoming that he sealed the deal for me before I even sat down with my order.
Grounded Coffee is at 11 E 8th St, Lawrence, KS 66044.
