in this post: the solid grounds coffee company
Happy February – official (according to me) KissingBooks month! And welcome to another Love Stories giveaway post! This LOVE STORIES giveaway series is thusly named for two reasons – first, because I love stories and second, because I love Love Stories.
Throughout the entire month of February, I’ll be spotlighting swoony Christian fiction & ‘clean read’ romances. Three cheers for KissingBooks!!! So… grab a fan or two, your trusty fainting couch, and maybe a freezer just to be safe and start making your KissingBooks tbr list! Oh… and did I mention there are GIVEAWAYS with EACH POST in this series??!! (Because authors are awesome!)
Today’s first book is The Solid Grounds Coffee Company by Carla Laureano & a post on coffeehouse personalities just in time for Valentine’s Day dates 🙂
THE SOLID GROUNDS COFFEE COMPANY
SERIES: The Saturday Night Supper Club #3
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Tyndale House
RELEASE DATE: February 4, 2020
PAGES: 432
Analyn Sanchez can handle the long hours and arrogant clients that come with her job as a crisis management associate at Denver’s largest publicity firm. The high-powered job, expensive condo, and designer wardrobe are all part of her plan to prove to her family that her life choices haven’t been in vain. But when she’s asked to cover up a client’s misdeeds with serious moral and legal ramifications, she can no longer sacrifice her conscience for her career . . . and the cost is no less than her job.
Ever since a devastating climbing accident in South America eight months ago, and a bad decision that dried up his sponsorships, professional rock climber Bryan Shaw has found himself at similar loose ends. When the opportunity to buy a coffee farm in Colombia arises, he jumps on it–only to discover his wandering ways have left him utterly unprepared to run a business.
When Bryan returns home and offers Ana a role in his company as a solution to both their problems, she’s desperate enough to consider working with the far-too-flippant and far-too-handsome climber, even though he’s the polar opposite of her type A nature. As they delve deeper into the business, however, she begins to suspect there’s much more to Bryan than she’s given him credit for . . . and that sometimes the best plans are the ones you never see coming.
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What’s Your Coffeehouse Personality?
by Carla Laureano, author of The Solid Grounds Coffee Company
Sure, we all have our favorite order when we walk into the coffee shop on the corner, but have you ever stopped to think what your drink says about you? Drawing on my extensive knowledge (read: addiction to specialty coffee drinks and writing a book about coffee roasting), I’ve put together the five main personality types based on coffee orders.
The Purist
Coffee should be hot, strong, and unadulterated, whether it’s a drip, a pour-over, or an Americano. He views the extensive coffee menu and the time it takes to order with thinly veiled suspicion. Everyone says they like coffee, but really, they just like coffee-flavored milk and sugar.
The Palate
When done right, coffee is just as nuanced as wine. Terroir, bean type, processing method, roast—for the Palate, the pleasure is in the details. This coffee drinker can distinguish a Colombian from an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe by scent at a dozen feet and likes to wax rhapsodic about her favorite beans.
The Adventurer
Never one to order the same thing twice, the Adventurer views each trip to the coffee shop as an opportunity to try something new. She also has a habit of bringing home bags of exotic and unusual coffees and teas and then never using them because there are so many other fun things to try.
The Sweet Tooth
The Sweet Tooth makes frequent trips to the coffee shop not because he truly loves coffee, but because it’s not (yet) socially acceptable to eat ice cream for breakfast. Mocha Frappuccino? Check. Salted caramel latte? Check. Ancho chili hot chocolate? Check check. The buzz from said concoctions is just a pleasant bonus.
The Tea Enthusiast
All those coffee drinkers can keep their bitter bean water; tea is the only option for civilized drinking. Whether the Tea Enthusiast opts for Earl Grey, English breakfast, or red rooibos, you’ll find her in the coziest corner of any coffee shop, sipping with book in hand and thinking of England. If it’s foggy, better take a second one for the road. There’s no need to get a chill for lack of a proper cuppa.
BONUS: The Junkie
The Junkie can be combined with any of the above personality types. To the Junkie, decaf is a four-letter word (d-caf?), and she’s never met an extra shot she doesn’t like. Sure, the taste is great and all, but everyone knows you drink coffee or tea for liquid productivity. Beware anyone who dares to speak aloud to her before the first cup.
Clearly, the coffee-roasting hero of The Solid Grounds Coffee Company, Bryan Shaw, would be the Palate, and ultraproductive go-getter Ana Sanchez is without a doubt the Purist plus the Junkie. And me? Not surprisingly, being a writer with multiple characters on the brain at any given time, I can relate to every single one of these.
What’s your coffeehouse personality type and that of the people you live with? What’s your favorite coffeehouse order?
Carla Laureano is the two-time RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.
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Tyndale House is offering a copy of The Solid Grounds Coffee Company to one of my readers! (print if US winner, ebook if international winner, except where prohibited by law or logistics) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? What interests you most about The Solid Grounds Coffee Company? What’s your coffeehouse personality type and that of the people you live with? What’s your favorite coffeehouse order?
I am definitely “The Tea Enthusiast“ since tea is my favorite drink. I have purchased coffee only one time in my life. It was hazel nut with extra cream and sugar. There is shock and horror on a person’s face when they learn I make my coffee half strength.
LOL
I am a SWEET TOOTH followed by THE TEA ENTHUSIAST! I use a cup of coffee as my desert at the end of the day!
haha!
I am a the enthusiast! But my Hubbie loves coffee! Thanks for the chance to win!
I definitely enjoy a darker roast but add to it with flavored creamers to make my coffee sweet!
I am a purist. That isn’t to say I don’t enjoy a caramel latte or a cup of tea, too, but strong coffee with half n half is my go-to!
I would fall in the Junkie category while hubby is definitely a Purist.
“The Solid Grounds Coffee Company” sounds amazing. Can’t wait for the opportunity to read.
I am the Tea Enthusiast, and my husband is a Purist, for sure.
Funny story: I LOVE the SCENT of coffee but I don’t like the taste!
I know, hilarious. I’m unique. Maybe?
However, I would LOVE to read this book! Carla is one of my favorite authors.
I’m the same way, Alexis!
I’m not a coffee drinker, and the only hot drink I like is an occasional hot chocolate. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to read this book! LOL
hahaha i’m with you, dear Winnie!
My youngest daughter and I are a sweet tooth. My two oldest daughters are a combination of the junkie and a sweet tooth. My middle daughter actuall worked for Starbucks for about a year. Thanks for the chance!
how fun!
I am definitely a sweet tooth! Java chip Frappuccino with a shot of peppermint for me=)
I am really looking forward to this final book in the supper club series!
that sounds good except for the coffee lol
I’m a sweet tooth, as is my family. My favorite is a white chocolate coffee called the Jane Austen. The local coffee shop names its coffees with the names of famous authors.
oooo how fun!
I’m a purist mainly, not a huge fan of all the mixes and additions to some of the coffees.
My husband is definitely a purist and I am a purist + cream.
I can’t wait to read this book! The look at a coffee farm sounds intriguing.
I am The Palate, as I can distinguish between several types of coffee, and I do have a preference for Columbian!
nice!
I’m a Tea Junkie!
😀
Tea Snob. Though enthusiast sounds much more amiable. 😉
hahaha!
I am a purist and order dark roast black. If coffee doesn’t taste good on its own, then it’s not good coffee.
that’s my dad’s theory too lol
I am a sweet tooth with my favorite being a carmel latte. I do love a good cup of regular brew too with a splash of sweet cream and half and half.
i actually don’t like coffee but i DO love caramel hot chocolate 🙂
Caramel hot chocolate?! That sounds yummy! ?
The smell of coffee reminds me of my childhood and my grandparents’ home, but I don’t drink it. I do enjoy the occasional hot chocolate from Biggby (a chain that originated here in Michigan).
oooo i haven’t heard of that hot chocolate before. I don’t drink coffee either. But I do love hot chocolate!
I prefer my coffee with sweetener and milk, my husband likes it black and sometimes with a little sugar in it. My coffee is usually more milk than coffee, I Love the smell of coffee and I love the taste of it. We also enjoy drinking different flavors in our coffee, we like hazelnut, and there is one with pecan and they are delicious . This book sounds like a very good read. Thanks for the chance. Have a Great weekend. God Bless you.
I just wish coffee tasted as good as it smelled 😛
I am not a coffee drinker. I’m learning to drink tea but am rather picky about it. My favorite coffeehouse order is either peach tea or hot chocolate.
i’m the same way, Pam – only without the peach tea lol
I drink coffee when I need it to stay awake, but otherwise I prefer tea. My daughter and I try to go to a coffeeshop a couple of times a month, and we read books until our drinks are gone. It’s a great time to connect.
I’m definitely a purist. We brew our coffee at home and it’s simple coffee. My husband and I both drink it black. My bestie and I once went to Starbucks to play backgammon. I ordered hot chocolate.
I’m a Tea Enthusiast and my go-to coffeehouse drink is a Vanilla Chai Tea Latte.
espresso
I enjoy coffee, tea, and hot chocolate 🙂
Not a coffee lover, but I do love the smell permeating my house. Strange, I know… I love the cover and description of The Solid Grounds Coffee Company & can’t wait to read it!
I need to read all 3 books in the series.
they are all fabulous!
The tea enthusiast – I’ve never drunk a cup of coffee in my life!
I’m a tea drinker. No coffee for me. Lol
A very fun blog post! I’m definitely a Tea Enthusiast with a Sweet Tooth. I rarely get tea at a shop, but when I do, it’s Chai Tea Latte – hot or iced, depending on the season. :o)
I could be a purist and a sweet tooth. I just LOVE coffee! A latte, a mocha, or pure black, it’s all glorious.
lol!
I guess I’m the Junkie. My son doesn’t drink coffee somehow.
i don’t either lol
Well, I’m definitely a Tea Enthusiast! But I love iced coffee and coffee flavored ice cream!
Hallo, Hallo Carrie & Ms Laureano,
I’ve been seeing this lovely making the rounds lately in the book blogosphere and being a girl who grew up as a tea drinker til she turnt twenty-nine (eleven years ago!) and was smitten with her first cuppa java – it has become a fixture in my life until just recently where I am falling out of love with coffee and am inserting more tea back into my world. Chai is my favourite for gourmet tea outside of green tea lattes or other variants like it.
However, when it comes to coffee I like it a few different ways – either brewed with a French Press, curated as a Americano Misto or simply fresh brewed the regular way – with a dash of creame and some stevia (organically from the plant). I cannot drink it black and of late, I’ve grown more fond of decaf as fully-leaded options are affecting me moreso than in the past! lol
I’m definitely the palate – because my *favourite!* favourite coffee is actually the one mentioned: Ethiopian Yirgacheffe!! Its also the healthiest option to be brewing on regular basis! Secondly I am the Tea Enthusiast for reasons already stated!! When it comes to my family – we mirror each other in most things and their responses would be the same as my own as that is how they drink both coffee and tea!
Finding a book which takes about this culture of coffee and combines it in what I would suspect is a wonderfully insight Women’s Fiction novel is truly a wicked good find! Thank you for having such an illuminating discussion and for encouraging all of us to own our choices and to be dearly curious about why we drink tea and/or coffee and the methods behind what makes a wicked good cuppa for us all!
Carla and her books are awesome!
I live with a Tea Enthusiast. I don’t drink a lot of coffee as I’m sensitive to caffeine, I do like mocha, and latte at times.