Tag Cloud
Saturday, May 18, 2013
A need for caffeine, coffee shop roundup
by Krissy Holst, published on October 6, 2011 at 7:28 PM
Storyline: COMMUNITY
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
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
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
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
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
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
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
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
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
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
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
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
Image by: Alex Arnold Photography
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.
Flag Article As:
Conversation Express your views,
debate, and be heard with those in your area closest
to the issue.
Leave a Comment
With that said, if you're going to drink it; get the good. I like a bold, rich brew that is not so burned it ends up tasting like a cigarette later. Italian bold beans are my favorite, and that's hard to find out in the shops you mentioned here. Some of these shops brew up these blends with cinnamon, and vanilla flavorings that leave an aftertaste that destroys the experience. Plain strong italian coffee buffered with some artery hardening cream from real cows is the drink of highwaymen.
The guys at Broadacre brought new life to the space, not with the just the new look but also with their skill and expertise in the art of coffee-making. The espresso they make are truly exquisite (a personal favorite being the lavender latte). Now they sell mouth-watering Doughbot Donuts, just make sure you get there before noon because they run out fast.
Plus you don't get none of that barista arrogance which seems to plague so many of the gourmet coffee shops in the area; the guys are very friendly, and each visit is very enjoyable.
Maxwell House and Yuban too. All brewed in a glass percolator using tap water without all the added chlorine and flouride. It was good stuff.
They seem to be doing very well. I love their coffee and pastries, and the guys are very pleasant...good job to all the local coffee shops; it's good to see artisan coffee on the rise here in Sac
Not say'in it isn't a fine list...just incomplete w/in the realm of "locals".
Chocolate Fish is missing from this list, and you can probably remove Java City and Coffee Garden, as they're not in the same class as the other coffee shops.
( Personally, I'm quite attached to Peet's at J and 20th. Nice peoplewatching locale, very pleasant staff.)
Pliny, many shops will make a individual cup for you, just ask for a pour-over.