The Mid City coffee shop offers drinks mixed with cannabidiol, which is a chemical found in marijuana.
By Jason Lewis
Like every other coffee shop, Little Amsterdam offers espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, hot and iced teas, and various other flavored drinks. However, this unique coffee shop has a special item on the menu. Upon request, they’ll also add cannabidiol (CBD) to the mix.
Many customers simply want plain drinks, but for those who are seeking certain health benefits of CBD, they can order their drinks with an extra shot.
CBD has been used to supplement medication in treatment for chronic illness. The compound has been shown in some studies to relieve pain, help aid sleep, mitigate anxiety, and may even help people quit addictive drugs.
“The cannabidiol can combat many disorders, such as stress, depression, inflammatories, pain,” said Little Amsterdam owner Joshua Mock. “This combats against things that people take prescription drugs that actually puts them in a worse predicament. This is a healthier and natural.”
Mock, who grew up in Baldwin Village and attended Dorsey High School before graduating from Santa Monica High School, uses 99 percent CBD isolates, which does not affect the taste of the drink. CBD is not psychoactive, so it does not produce the “high” type feeling in the same way that its fellow weed compound THC does.
Outside of infusing CBD into the coffee, Little Amsterdam is a lot like many other neighborhood coffee shops. It can be viewed as a cultural gathering spot. Mock hosts spoken word and open mic nights, and he features paintings and photographs from local artists.
The coffee shop also has free Wi-Fi, so many local residents stop by to work on their laptops.
Little Amsterdam is located at 1412 S Redondo Boulevard, just south of Pico. They are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Contact them at 323-452-9124.
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