Wednesday, April 25, 2007

CC: Temple Fine Coffee and Tea



What's a Coffee Commentary?

Subject:
Temple Fine Coffee and Tea
Location visited: Sacramento, CA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]


A pleasant surprise upon my visit to Sacramento was how nice the place was. I guess I had never really thought about ever visiting Sac until I got there, and hence I guess I had no real expectations of what it would look like. The city has its gems as well as its sadder parts but overall, I liked it.

One particular evening, on a night out to dinner with friends in Old Sac, we had dinner near the river at Rio City Cafe, a seemingly overpriced classic American restaurant that actually turned out to be quite an amazing dinner (such succulent food). After dinner, we played with a sea lion (actually, we just tried to mobilize it from a distance) and then made our way to the nearby Capital area to try out Temple, a local Sac coffeehouse that had received a good deal of praise from various people.

As we arrived, Temple stood out like a little Scandinavian shop (both inside and out) amidst a sea of concrete (I like to imagine vikings reclining in the AM, sipping a morning macchiato before heading out to pillage). The inside was beautifully functional with plenty of seats and a surprising crowd for so late, as we arrived around an hour or so before closing.

Regarding the time, I think we caught the barista after a long day, because I have never in my days seen a barista so curt and cold with the customers (my friends and I decided she probably could use a hug). But nonetheless, mean baristas = no fun.

Onto the coffee, they serve Barefoot Coffee Roasters which according to Californians and national coffee freaks alike, serves up a wonderful cup of coffee and espresso. The coffee tasted fresh and full, with a nice acidity. The espresso, a Guatemalan peaberry, had a bright citrusy tang to it that sampled well from beginning to finish.

The teas, which I didn't catch where they get them from, looked delightful. The variety was decent and if I remember correctly, seemed of fair quality.

Next time I'm in Sac, I am probably going to stop by again as I feel that this particular visit was skewed due to the negativity of the barista (customer service is so crucial). But if you're in town, make sure to stop by and give Temple a try; hopefully you'll get a chipper barista.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

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sean said...

What did the barista look like?
sean