I Bean Grounded

They are closed!

I was a fan of this place until recently. Over the last month or so they stopped selling food of any kind. No pastry, nothing, this is ludicrous. Even one of the workers says so. I voiced my opinion to the owner, she was completely uninterested. I urge people to be uninterested in this place. It is nothing special. The coffee is okay, nothing special, I would expect decent coffee @ a coffee shop. it is better than Star-​up-​chucks, but so is the perspiration off the bollocks of a dead bullock. I strongly recommend going elsewhere. The only problem is there is no place else downtown to go.
Please stop in, try & order food or pastry, then leave. MAYBE, this will get through to the owner

Very nice employees, cute name and atmosphere but the coffee leaves you wanting more. We ordered a straight up coffee and an americano, both were bitter and untasty.

Very good little coffee shop. The owner, I presume it was her was very nice and very quick. There was a large variety of coffee flavoring. For a quick latte in a non commercial coffees shop. Come here!

Reno, NV Review #4
This was our last stop on our way out of Reno. We love visiting mom & pop coffee shops.
This was recommended to me by a fellow Reno Unilocaler and we decided to check it out when our breakfast place didn’t serve soy milk.
Unfortunately, I left disappointed. The place is very cute, lots of seating. They use Hub Coffee Roasted Beans which to me is a great type of bean. The barista really doesn’t know how to make a latte (atleast with soy milk). It was pretty much like drinking foam. Lattes have a thin layer of foam and the rest is steamed milk. I felt it was more foam then steamed milk.
I know latte art doesn’t make a drink taste better, but it sure does make it look better. You know that saying «if you look good, you feel good». It’s the same concept with coffee. Presentation is as important as quality.
This coffee shop can get better with more experience baristas.

I’be been in three times now and well can’t say I’ve enjoyed it. Great location, cute shop, coffee is so so. The first time I went in I was really excited, thet advertised a brown sugar latte in the window. Great my favorite and never see them in town. Walk in looking forward to my drink and book. Well, they are out of the brown sugar syrup and have been for days… Ok take it off the chalkboard in the window? So I order a cap for «here» ok, and gives me my drink in a paper cup… I despise capuccino in a paper cup, they are impossible to drink! Apparently you can’t get a ceramic cup here (strike one)
A few weeks later I meet a friend there, both of us picky about pastries, if I’m going to indulge it better be good. One former bakery owner and one culinary grad, makes for slightly picky palates. Grabbed a scone and cup of coffee. Picked up the scone and it literally crumbled into sawdust.
After a few months I was walking by and decided ok one last shot (no pun intended) walk in… No one there. Ummm ok I’ll stand here (starving) and look at the empty pastry case (7:30am) guess I won’t be getting anything to eat, oh wait there’s a piece of pumpkin bread, not helpful when you hate pumpkin, and yes one piece that’s it. A few minutes later lady returns to counter, bathroom, backroom no idea where she came from. Can barely hear a word she says, I order coffee and am very specific «very very little room, I put maybe a teaspoon of cream in» she seemss my coffee on the counter and again disappears behind a Door. Ok well at least they have splenda for my medium coffee with extra extra room. Stand there, maybe she will come back and top it off. Stand stand stand. … Ok guess I really wanted a small coffee In a m medium cup, no more time to wait. Won’t be back.
Coffee wasn’t bad, but I’ll keep hitting Hub or Homage where people listen and there is FOOD

Decent cappuccino, decent pastry (although selection wasn’t gigantic). I wasn’t blown away by anything, but I would definitely go back. Convenient downtown location not far from main drag and casinos. Server was very nice the one time I’ve been here.

Alright, first and foremost, you guys gotta be less cheap about those protective sleeves on the to-​go coffee. They’re so thin they accomplish nothing, I almost had to pitch the scalding coffee before making it even 2 blocks to the river.
Would also be helpful to know what the opening hours are … seems randomly anywhere from 7:15 to 7:45 rather than the 7 am listed here.
The coffee brand is listed as «S.F. Bay» … is that the same as S.F. Coffee Company? ‘Cause I just had their stuff not a week and a half ago at the Brioche Bakery in SF and it was a heck of a lot better than this was. The black coffee is just weak and sad.
The weak black coffee and relatively late/​slacksadaisical opening hours could be explained by the target market of concern here being condo owners who want to play «idle rich» and sip sugary latte drinks at noon rather than serious black coffee drinkers who need their good cup early in the morning. That’s my theory anyway. If you want black coffee the Subway around the corner is actually better (Seattle’s Best) and they are open consistently at 7 am sharp.

I came in here on a Sunday afternoon, so props to them for being open. The middle-​aged blond lady behind the counter was nice enough as she poured my coffee and told me about the wi-​fi. As for the coffee itself… It wasn’t spectacular, but pretty decent and reasonably priced. I would have liked to see a wider selection of pastries there, as all they had were brownies and eclairs that day. I might be back to try their iced espresso drinks. And lastly, they had some pretty artwork to look at while inside. :)

The last two times I’ve been here, I’ve had the WORST frappé’s in my life. I don’t think that’s hyperbole or exaggeration. It’s this new employee, an older blonde lady. I haven’t seen the younger, black gentleman who makes some of the best. I can’t keep going back here. What am I going to do, put a few dimes in the parking meter, walk in, see her, walk out, drive to Dreamer’s??? I’m sorry, but I’m just not coming back. I’ve had it. The first frappé, well, it was hot at first. Oh, you mean the cold frappé? Yes, the one with ice that’s cold not hot ice. It tastes horrid. The second, it was all melted with big chunks of ice on the bottom clogging my straw. I’ve just had it.

If you’re a tourist gambling in downtown Reno and have a hankering for a great cup of custom made coffee, you should walk over to IBean Grounded. We were touring Reno from our San Francisco home base on Sunday and did just that. I met Todd, working behind the bar, and watched him grind some nice fresh beans (BTW roasted by Hub coffee roasters) and put the grindings very generously in the espresso maker. The result was a five star cup of coffee. I also found out that Todd is a big community supporter and has some nice local art work hanging in the shop. I’m not a coffee drinker myself, I stick to Unilocaling, but the wife is a fanatic coffee consumer and is very particular about her beans. Todd was very generous in grinding his beans as she downed her 4 shot Latte (this is the usual order for her so she may be among an elite world group of 4 shot Latte experts) and she says it was one of the best around. I like the ambience of the shop, as there’s stuff to look at and there are some seats and pillows in case you want to enjoy the coffee on site. I like the way they are revitalizing downtown Reno. I hadn’t hung around since about 1975 and I notice it has improved greatly, mostly in the recent past. I also rate IBeanGrounded 5stars for comical name and for great value.

«Coffee Houses» are a sort of passion of mine. So, I was excited to see a fairly new place open not so long ago, and not so far from where I live. It’s located at 124 WEST SECOND STREET, a few doors down from a nightclub called the waterfall (or something like that.) I say that because this waterfall bar place has a decent sized sign out front, and this coffee house is just a few doors down from there. That waterfall sign is my ‘landmark.‘
I grew up in Santa Cruz, California — where independent coffee houses have not only been abundant for decades, but — they each did (and still do) serve as their own mini-​coffee-​house-​college where you get to «learn it all» in terms of flavor, aroma, what ‘the owners are all about’, reasonableness of cost, ambiance, and an entire coffee culture. I love it!
I say all that to express that I feel adequately qualified to participate in first exploring what new coffee houses are out there, what they have to offer in all those different aspects, and then share my thoughts here.
After visiting «I Been Grounded» several times over the past few months — I got to know the folks behind the counter, Todd and Cara. I remember meeting Todd for the first time a few months ago upon my first visit — and I recall how friendly and welcoming he was, and how he naturally and immediately shared his positive attitude. I felt at home right away. Another good sign? Again — on my first visit, there was a male/​female couple sitting with their drinks (they were customers) and after I walked up to look over the menu, they took the time to say hello and good morning, etc. I knew right away I was at the right place.
As you walk up to the shop from the outside, the exterior has a hint or flavor of London, something along the lines of ‘as if you’re entering a London coffee shop.” In any case, it is and was inviting — as you look through the large windows and see long window-​boxed seating with a variety of throw pillows calling you in to have some coffee, sit, talk, and remember that our world is really much smaller than we too often make of it. As for why I get that «London» feeling when I walk up to the front entrance, that’s not easy to explain. I think it’s a combination of different décor type concepts going on — but — bottom line is I LIKE IT.
Once inside there is the coffee bar area where all the many drinks are made (and there is a huge variety), with beautiful artwork hanging on the opposite wall. Every so often, the artwork on that wall is changed, to support local artists.
Inside, I love the color scheme — which to me is a deep rich relaxing sort of red. I wish I were better with the names of colors! In any case, the décor is really fantastic. The type of colors and decorations that I’m sure I’ve wished many times I had chosen for a living room of a house I lived in: Calming. Elegant. Royal. Serene. Relaxing. Charming. And YES, there IS a «Nautical Theme» going on a bit — but I find it very mild. So, from the «London» entrance, «rich» yet calming theming inside, nautical theme — etc., one might think ‘chaos.’ Nope! Somehow it all comes together and has HARMONY. Harmony and diversity is an automatic good sign of an excellent coffee shop in my opinion.
Side note: my only ‘wish’ is that they played a variety of quiet/​soft music, from Danny Elfman, to soft – jazz, maybe some 80s hits — «World Music»…Etta James, UB40, you name it. Just quiet background music, something different and interesting that changes often. Something to consider, yeah?
If I were to say that Java Jungle is Reno’s WORST coffee house (true), than I would say ‘I Been Grounded” is the BEST. If I had to compare the exact same drink I always order (Iced Mocha) between, say — Starbucks, Java Jungle, and I’ve Been Grounded, I would have to say that I’ve Been Grounded comes in costing slightly less than the other two, but tasting just as good (if not better.)
Reading from the large comprehensive menu of drinks and concoctions you can order from, the prices range from around $ 2.50 to around $ 5.00. Very reasonable, especially for the quality and service that comes with whatever you’ve ordered.
They also do have a «Happy Hour» that starts at 6 PM, and while you’re going to save some money if you stop in during Happy Hour… here is the thing, the magic, the special something that most other places can’t and don’t offer — Happy Hour or not… and that is the individual attention you receive, that feeling that you just walked though the doors of your home to be greeted by friends, and then have some coffee, tea, a soda or water — whatever makes you comfortable. Great conversation, a comfortable setting, nice pleasant people, and delicious drinks (and maybe some nosh to go along with it.)
It’s fantastic to see a place like this in Reno. It reminds me of my many years in Santa Cruz. Excellent !!! Hooray!

Really good coffee. Absolutely worth it.
Frappuccino flavors aren’t easily found anywhere else in town (Vanilla Bean and Spicy Mexican are two that stand out to me), and are some of the best I’ve ever had.
The regular coffee is very well done, and you don’t get any burned flavor at all.
The owner’s a really nice guy.
They also have breakfast items, but those are just the regular donuts, croissants, etc.

a nice new coffeehouse downtown that uses top notch beans from the hub as well as great pastries from local vendors. todd the owner makes everyone feel welcome. quick wifi and convenient if you live near downtown!