New Platt Park Coffee Shop Offers CBD-Infused Options

When Lindsey Sozio first tried cannabidiol [CBD]-infused coffee, she felt the benefits of caffeine — increased clarity, improved focus and mood — without the jittery side effects it sometimes causes. This experience prompted her to pursue sharing CBD with others by opening her own coffee shop, Lavender Coffee Boutique, which recently debuted at 1219 South Pearl Street.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CBD is a compound found in marijuana that does not have psychoactive effects. CBD can be derived from hemp or from non-hemp plants. Hemp is defined as any part of the cannabis sativa plant with no more than 0.3 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the mind-altering substance in marijuana.

Lavender's website reads, "CBD is known for its potential health benefits, such as reducing anxiety, improving sleep, and reducing pain and inflammation," and Sozio has carefully curated a selection of products in addition to coffee and tea for users to try for themselves.

In addition to a full coffee menu with standard options like lattes, Americanos and teas, visitors can opt for their drip coffee or espresso to be CDB-infused. Sozio partnered with a Denver-based roaster to develop several coffees infused with broad-spectrum American hemp extract. "We use ground coffee beans, so it's not a tincture or an isolate powder and it doesn’t alter the taste," she explains. Each serving contains roughly 15 milligrams of CBD.
"We are 100 percent a traditional coffee shop, with an extra ingredient you can add if you want," says Sozio. "You can get normal beverages and not even think about it, or you can ask questions [about CBD]."

She continues, "People can come in and have a wonderful coffee experience and get educated on the benefits of incorporating CBD into their life or another wellness routine. We want to provide an elevated, luxurious experience, so we're focusing on educating our staff on how to speak to the products and the benefits and make recommendations."

Sozio utilized her interior design background to turn the 1,300-square-foot space, which is inside a repurposed house, into a cozy cafe setting with limited seating and a boutique retail area stocked with high-end skin and body care, wellness, fitness and sleep products. Not all of the items contain CBD, though roughly 70 percent do, and most have been personally tested by Sozio. Health and beauty supplies as well as Lavender's coffees are available in its online shop, which launched a year ago, when there were delays in opening the coffee shop.

"[The shop] was the first thing that started with this idea. ... We would’ve liked to have it launched a long time ago, but the buildout and finding the right location took a lot lot longer than we anticipated," Sozio says.

Lavender Coffee derived its name from the plant, often used medicinally to soothe and calm. "Our motto is 'Wake up to calm,' and the thought of lavender invokes a calming feeling," Sozio notes.

Lavender Coffee Boutique is located at 1219 South Pearl Street and is currently open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, with plans to expand those hours in the future. For more information, visit lavendercb.com.