Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "coffee shops"

A need for caffeine, coffee shop roundup

2011-10-07T02:28:39Z

Nothing beats the rich aroma of a fresh cup of coffee while you settle into a deep armchair, ready to conquer the territories of essays, math problems and debates that students face each semester or quarter. There are dozens of coffee shops splashed across Sacramento, and The Sacramento Press put together a list of reliable study havens.

A delicious and caffeinated beverage, free Wi-Fi and a welcoming space are the characteristics The Sacramento Press looked for on the hunt for Sacramento study spots.

Old Soul at Weatherstone
812 21st St.
443-6340

Hours:
Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Free Wi-Fi: Yes

Old Soul at Weatherstone is located in an early 20th-century brick building with a warm and inviting atmosphere. It has character that carries from the front porch, with wooden benches and round tables, through to the café that is filled with art and the smell of warm roasted coffee and baked bread. Out on the patio, vines climb up the walls of the building and people of all ages can often be found playing chess and working on their laptops.

“(Weatherstone is) community-based with a younger hip crowd. We have our regular customers and students that always come to study because of our free Wi-Fi and calm atmosphere,” said Jeramy Robison, manager of Old Soul at Weatherstone. With a café and porch that can easily accommodate 100-plus people and an abundance of electrical outlets for laptops, Robison said,it makes for a popular study spot.

The coffee shop’s baristas specialize in serving “traditional” and “homemade” drinks, Robison said.

Weatherstone directly trades with farmers from around the world and roasts down the street at the Old Soul Alley location, 1716 L St. They make their own vanilla and caramel syrup and pride themselves on being “traditionalists” with their coffee, Robison said.

Weatherstone serves bakery items such as croissants, muffins and scones as well as salads, sandwiches, cheeses, breads, dips and combination plates.

“Our cappuccino is our favorite drink,” Robison said. “It complements the flavor of the espresso. It is a tougher drink to make and takes a special focus, and we like to show off.”

Drink prices range from $2 to $4, and food prices range from $3 to $12.

Broadacre Coffee
1014 10th St.
442-1085

Hours:
Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Free Wi-Fi: Yes
Broadacre Coffee only opened its doors on Sept.30, but it has already become a hub for students to work and a place for social gatherings.

The newly remodeled old Levinson’s Book Store building, which previously housed Temple Coffee, has been brightened up with a fresh coat of paint, new seating and bright lights.

“We are open and inviting, bright and fun,” said Andrew Lopez, one of the four owners of Broadacre Coffee.

Broadacre’s baristas specialize in different brewing methods, and they focus on interacting with the customers.

“We want to connect with customers on an individual level,” Lopez said. “You talk with a barista first instead of a cashier. It is more of a one-on-one experience,” said Jacob Elia, one of the owners of Broadacre Coffee.

Doughbot Donuts and Freeport Bakery pastries are served fresh every day, according to Elia. All of the drip coffee is prepared via French press, he added.

The café can seat roughly 35 customers, and there is an outlet for laptops at nearly every table, Elia said .

Drink prices range from $2 to $5, and food prices range from $2 to $3.

Naked Lounge
1500 Q St.
442-0174

Hours:
Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Free Wi-Fi: Yes

Dim lighting, warm red walls, rich coffee, baked pastries and deep armchairs create a calm and relaxing environment for students and friends at Naked Lounge.

“We are called a lounge because that is our goal,” said Jeremy Tollefson, operations manager of Naked Lounge. “We want this to be a place customers can sit down and study or read a book and feel at home.”

“We have been recently experimenting with more exotic combinations and flavors. Right now we have a caramel sage latté made with sage-infused espresso,” Tollefson said. “We are always trying to come up with new combinations.”

Naked Lounge orders its beans from all over the world but roasts them locally in Sacramento, Tollefson said.

The café can seat around 50 people, and the patio can hold nearly 30.

“There are a lot of plugs in the café, almost one for every table,” Tollefson said .

The average price of drinks is $3 and the average price of food is $2.

Coffee Garden
2904 Franklin Blvd.
457-5507

Hours:
Monday through Saturday 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Sunday 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Free Wi-Fi: Yes
Coffee Garden is filled with green plants, local art, couches and plenty of seating: perfect for study groups to meet and for students to plug in their laptops, inside or outside, and get their work done.

“It is a casual coffee shop, and everyone comes here. We get all types of people, and are community-based,” said Michael Madsen, co-owner of Coffee Garden.

The back patio is filled with tropical plants that create a calm and natural environment. “We wanted to make it a little oasis out back, and I think we have achieved that,” Madsen said.

Coffee Garden specializes in making espresso drinks and tea as well as serving soups, sandwiches, pizza and pastries.

“We have a little bit of everything,” Madsen said. “We serve Tony’s fair trade organic coffee out of Seattle.”

During every Second Saturday Art Walk, Coffee Garden features different artists in the café, and every Thursday night, Coffee Garden hosts an open mic night.

Drink prices average $3, and food prices range from $2 to $7.

Temple Coffee
2829 S St.
454-1272

Hours:
Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Free Wi-Fi: Yes
Temple Coffee, voted one of the top 17 roasters in the United States by CNN and Fortune Magazine, is known for its quality beans, roasting techniques and well-balanced coffee.

Warm red beams stretch across large brick walls, and small wooden tables are staggered throughout Temple Coffee, creating a friendly and welcoming environment.

The café seats nearly 50 customers now, but the outdoor patio is being expanded to accommodate more customers. The patio will have bright lighting and vines that crawl up the terraces, said Sean Kohmescher, owner and founder of Temple Coffee.

“Temple on S is a modern warehouse that is covered in 100-year-old brick. It is very warm and inviting. Both Temples are really great places to study,” Kohmescher said.

1010 9th St. is the other Temple Coffee location.

There are outlets throughout the café for laptop usage and pastries available for snacks.

The average price of drinks is $4, and the average price of food is $3.

Java City
1800 Capitol Ave.
444-5282

Hours:
Monday through Friday 6 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Free Wi-Fi: Yes
Cream-colored globe lanterns extend down to illuminate the exposed brick inside Java City, creating a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

“Our goal at Java City is to make everyone feel welcome and at home,” said Jamie Mason, manager of Java City.

“We specialize in various brewing styles. We serve French press, siphon drip (and) cone drip along with our regular drip coffee and espresso drinks. Right now, our featured drink is the Great Pumpkin Latté,” Mason said .

“We get our coffee from all over the world, but we roast it locally in Sacramento. It is nice to know our beans are fresh. We can even tell you the date every cup was roasted on,” Mason said.

The café seats 30 customers, and there are outlets available at most of the couches and tables for laptops.

Drink prices range from $1.50 to $3.50, and food prices range from $2.50 to $7.75.

Which coffee shops are your favorites? Please share your suggestions and experiences below.

Home Sweet. . . . Sacramento?

2010-02-24T18:48:19Z

"You moved where?"

"Sacramento"

"Why?"

Sacramento is not thought of very highly by a lot of Bay Area-ites. I'm not entirely sure why. I suppose many cannot separate the town from the stink wafting up from the State Assembly and Capital. Politics as a whole is repugnant to your average person, and California's is especially loathsome. It's an unfortunate metonymy, "Sacramento" for the sludge that leaks out of the State Assembly, but it is to be expected. When one considers "Washington DC", its a rare soul who thinks of the Smithsonian first and the politics second. I grew up in Menlo Park, decidedly Bay Area-centric. In the circles I came of age in, Sacramento wasn't thought of negatively so much as it wasn't thought of at all. To many, it was simply a road marker, signaling the halfway point to the slopes or the lake house. That may sound snobbish and condescending, but so is Menlo Park.

Up until a week ago I was living in Menlo Park. I had moved back in with my folks in November. The plan was to help them finish an addition that my stepdad has been building since the mid 1990's so that they could sell and enjoy their retirement in the peace and tranquility of the midwest. My stepfather, Pieter, was born in Holland and grew up in South Africa. He moved to the States when he was 15, lied about his age in order to join the Marine Corps just after his 17th birthday. He is a veteran of two tours in Viet Nam. He was involved in Operation Phoenix and the Tet Offensive. He lived in Hell's Kitchen in the '70's. When we met him, in '86, he was an inpatient at the Menlo Park Veterans Hospital. . . the setting for Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Books could be written about the crazy crap that he has done and seen in his life, but that isn't the point right now. The point is, he is a hard man. . . a good man. . . .but a hard man. I love him, he loves me, but we have had more than our share of problems in the last 20 odd years. And a week ago one such problem reached a boiling point. The living situation became untenable. I had to leave. Sacramento was my port in a storm. I left the next day.

Sacramento , despite living just 2 hours away for most of my life, is a place that I had visited exactly twice. The first time was for a Phish show at Cal Expo in '95. (http://http.phantasytour.com/phish/shows.cgi?showID=1006) I enjoyed the hell out of this visit, but Sacramento had very little to do with it. The second visit was this past november, when I spent a day and a night visiting an ex-girlfriend in LandPark. (The ex, Jess, is the reason I moved here this week, we are giving it another shot). I had a nice time, we had a lovely dinner at her aunt and uncles who spoke very highly of their adopted home. Second Saturday was brought up more than once. The next morning, Jess and I went to breakfast at Tower, then wandered around Old Town for a bit. I ate a chocolate covered cricket at one of the candy stores. Then I left.

Thats it. Until one week ago today, when I packed up my crap and moved here. . . . Sacramento. . . . . Midtown. . . my new home. I've decided to document and share my upheaval and subsequent discoveries, with all of you lovely people. It's a unique situation I find myself in, had you told me 2 weeks ago that I would be here today I would have scoffed at the notion, and yet here I am, with an open mind and open heart. Alright Sac. . . . show me what you've got.

Temple Coffee " The Art of Home Brewing"

2010-02-16T05:41:30Z

How well do you know your coffee? From the grinder to the filter (bleached or brown), from the water to the method of brewing (Mr. Coffee or French press), Temple Coffee and master barista Ben Lance have the answer.

Thursday, Temple Coffee informed the java-loving public with its "The Art of Brewing" event at the newest 2829 S St. location. The event started off examining the flaws of the common coffeemaker notoriously associated with cramped hotel rooms and finished with what looked liked, at first glance, a chemistry set equipped with Bunsen burner and all.

The common home coffeemaker produced a light-flavored cup of coffee that the crowd felt lacked the desired viscosity. As a novice, I remained less vocal. It tasted like the tried-and-true cup I was accustomed to.

However, the class was designed for all levels of expertise.

Through careful examination, Lance showed the class how this brewing method was extremely wasteful of the grounds. Moreover, the hotplate and brewing temperature caused the coffee to be too hot. Temperatures hotter than 145 degrees Fahrenheit cause tastes to be indiscernible, flavors to be masked and tongues to be burned.

The class ran the gamut of different brewing methods and finished with a visually stimulating Japanese method. The class watched transfixed as the Bunsen burner's flames licked the belly of a beaker and magically levitated all the contained liquid upward. Lance looked like a warlock making a potion, and the class loved it.

"The Art of Brewing" was a trial run at the new location and is one of many events to come. The new location is equipped with an in-house roasting machine, which will likely be covered in upcoming classes.

Powered by a knowledgeable staff, great inside and outside ambiance, and a killer music playlist, Temple Coffee, owner Sean Kohmescher, and manager Ben Lance are pleased about the dozen coffee lovers at its inaugural brewing class. Temple Coffee's next event is March 13 and will discuss coffee tasting and profiling.

Pretension on the Rise in Sacramento Coffee Shops

2009-07-07T00:18:15Z

"Pretension" has become a common term used to define most Sacramento coffee shops. Visitors have said they feel like an outsider in most joints they enter. It is as though the moment they enter, the looks of the regulars remind them they are obvious newcomers.

Yelp has several reviews of some of my favorite stops in Sacramento, which exemplify this attitude. There is a frustration with the "hipper-than-thou" baristas and the "fake small talk" of the regulars. There is a perception that these places are "grungy, like their patrons."

When most are indignant about the regulars, I am asking how I might become one. Though I am not looking to cut my jeans into shorts and take the brakes off the bicycle I do not ride, I still want to be a "regular".

Face it, you are not intended to belong to the 'regular' group because you are not...a...regular. The regulars are the ones who give a place its character. You may not one of these people, but every one of them was once a newcomer. They were once invariably blogging about how pretentious the coffee shop or bar they now love once was.

This group really appears more closed and bombastic it really is, and your capacity to become a regular is much larger than you may realize.

The very attitude of the regulars, which aggravates you is simultaneously the very magic of their appeal. Ray Oldenburg wrote in his book, The Great Good Place, "Joy and acceptance reign over anxiety and alienation. This is the magical element that warms the insider and reminds the outsider that he or she is not part of the magic circle."

The reason we are aggravated with the regulars is because we are faced with the reality that we are not regulars.

So come on back a few times. Slowly introduce yourself. Perhaps begin with the only true regulars; the baristas, bartenders, or workers.

Rather than blaming the pretentious regulars; why not become a pretentious regular?

Yummy Yogurt opens in old Benny J's spot

2009-06-28T06:29:21Z

The cozy, cottage-like storefront that used to be Benny J’s in Downtown Westfield Plaza is a meeting place for yogurt and coffee lovers once again this summer. Owner Jason Yee opened the cozy nook’s doors to the public Thursday as Yummy Yogurt, a self-serve frozen yogurt shop and café.

With its easy-to-spot sprinkles sign and bright pink walls in view from the storefront's window, Yummy Yogurt is currently the only yogurt shop in Downtown Plaza.

Yummy Yogurt is sold in cups by the ounce, Yee said. Yogurt junkies can choose from and mix mango, strawberry, chocolate, cheesecake, vanilla and tart-flavored nonfat yogurt, and throw in toppings like almonds, mochi, almond roca, marshmallows, raspberries and blueberries.

“There are plenty of toppings to choose from,” said Yee, adding that more are still coming.

Early birds can come in at 7 a.m. when the shop opens and enjoy 100 percent organic coffee from Coffeeworks as well as breakfast burritos and scones, brownies, cookies and of course, frozen yogurt. The shop also sells salads, fugazetta, vegetarian quiche, ham and cheese pockets and cold drinks.

Espresso drinks are coming soon, Yee said.

Vegetarians and vegans will be happy to learn that the mango yogurt is a dairy-free sorbet, and the breakfast burritos consist of beans, egg, tomatoes, chilies and melted cheese wrapped in a tortilla - no meat included.

Yummy Yogurt is located on the second floor of Downtown Plaza across from the food court.

The shop is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Hours are subject to change.

You can visit the store’s website here: Yummy Yogurt.