Boston - May 30, 2007

On Solid Ground

Common Ground Cafe

You’re all for natural highs. The thrill of your first yoga handstand. The rush of sending an eloquent kiss-off e-mail.

But give up your morning caffeine fix? Just step off there, bub.

There’s a new answer to the don’t-speak-to-me-until-after-my-first-sip blues: Common Ground Cafe in Lower Mills, which just added morning hours.

The cafe has applied a Middle Earth aesthetic to its brand new coffee bar, a Keebler elf-style wooden enclave. Menu highlights include espresso drinks, oatmeal, muffins baked from scratch, and egg and cheese sandwiches on homemade buns, as well as fruit smoothies and fresh, organic vegetable juices.

And if you’re looking to move away from Dependencea Coffea, go for the maté latte, a smooth blend of chicory, carob, and roasted maté. A caffeine-free herbal tea originating from a shrub in South America, maté promises a slow-release stamina boost instead of the bell curve-like energy rise and fall born of your a.m. macchiato.

Either way, you’re still flying high.

Common Ground Cafe, 2243 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester (617-298-1020).

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