What place in southern Teller combines great community vibes with freshly roasted coffee, featuring rare beans from the best java producing regions in the world, along with a humanitarian mission and enticing breakfast and lunch items? The Common Grounds Coffee Shop in the Aspen Mine Center.
Opened since last summer, the Common Grounds has become the latest unique outlet as part of a coffee boom that has swept across Teller County. It is much more, though, than a coffee shop and culminates a desire for some time to bring back one of CC’s favorite community hubs. For years, the Aspen Mine Center coffee shop was a prime place to socialize in the west-end of town. Plans were in the works to reopen this outlet, with a slightly different focus, but the COVID epidemic delayed this effort.
However, the Common Grounds is now unveiling this long-time goal of the Aspen Mine Center one step at a time. The shop is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Ted Borden, executive director of the Aspen Mine Center, said the focus was to provide a spot for great coffee, a few food items and friendly conversations.
The coffee is incredible, featuring rare beans roasted-on-site from such countries as Peru, Rwanda and Guatemala. Moreover, it is grown by women coffee farmers, and the beans are part of the worldwide Café Femenino Program, intended to empower poor, marginalized women around the world. As part of many Aspen Mine efforts, this gives the venture a definite humanitarian, community-oriented touch. In addition, Common Grounds, touted with the theme :Growing Community Roots, One Cup at a Time,” offers a prime way to work with youth and older adults to prepare them for gainful employment in the coffee and hospitality industries. Managed by barista Ben Swanson, Common Grounds is staffed by paid interns who learn barista and food-handling skills.
Borden says the reaction to the shop has been outstanding, as it gives the Aspen Mine Center East (which formerly housed many services) a much-needed hub. More notably, he says local residents and many workers in the area enjoy having this shop reopened again. The business’ special coffee roaster setup is also a big hit with customers.
But more than anything, Common Grounds has revived friendly and lively conversations back to this part of town.
In fact, in earlier years, the Aspen Mine Center’s coffee shop often gained top TMJ Best Of awards as one of the best community hangouts.
Besides the coffee, TMJ has received rave reviews of some of the Common Grounds’ food items, such as the Breakfast Burritos, Quesadillas, Pulled Pork or their amazing freshly baked cinnamon rolls. These treats, combined with a cup of java, originating from Rwanda or Guatemala roasted beans at Common Grounds or maybe a Spiced Chai Latte, offer probably the best way to kick-start your day,
