SHWEET!: “Serious” Iced White Mocha at Grinders

By Steve Jansen

This place rocks

It’s no secret that it’s bloody hot out there. But instead of whining about the inevitable (after all, we do live in a desert), I’m going to celebrate the arrival of nuclear temperatures by switching from hot to iced coffee in the mornings.

This past Saturday, I made my first (and definitely not my last) visit to Grinders Coffee Co. The unassuming-from-the-outside shop is just off Dunlap Avenue east of Central Avenue in a Sunnyslope strip mall.

The shopping center is pretty typical for Phoenix. However, look closely and you’ll see all of these weird river rock columns outside of businesses such as Food City and a Chicago-style hot dog eatery. (No worries. I shoved one of the rocks outside of Grinders and the joint didn’t collapse.)

The place is adorable inside, with comfortable seating, a friendly wait staff, and a big old-fashioned coffee grinding machine on display. Hot drinks come in three sizes: short, tall, and serious (hell, yeah!) while iced caffeine is served in tall and serious.

I ordered these babies, a “serious” iced white mocha with whipped cream and a blueberry scone. Once the swirly white topping melted into the coffee, the drink was pure bliss.

After drinking half of my seriousness in a plastic cup, I peered into the remaining contents and swore that the ice cubes turned into chocolate chips, either because I’m crazy or due to the consciousness-altering sugar blast (I suspect the former). And the perfectly-baked scone was good, too, which is saying something because I’m not really into these morning snacks.

And, in case you were wondering, there’s free wi-fi at this spot, another reason to come back often. I know I’ll be visiting very soon with laptop in tow.

BTW, if you happen to visit Grinders while I’m there, be sure to say hi. Just look for the guy with whipped cream on his face.