Temple Coffee

Roasting for Sacramento since 2005

Temple is a roaster first and a coffee house second, and the two have grown together since 2005. Sean Kohmescher opened the original room after a long stay in Indonesia, modelling it on the gathering places he had spent time in there, and built the business around well-prepared coffee and unhurried service. The roasting side now carries single origins, blends, espresso, decaf, subscriptions and a Coffee Club, with the retail line running through Capital Cold Brew Blend, Lotus Blend, Three Pillars Blend, Caldera Dark Blend, a single origin espresso and a Roaster’s Choice single origin. Sourcing is the part the company takes most seriously: it works farm to cup, and director of coffee Eton Tsuno spends six to eight months a year travelling to producers to build direct relationships that hold from one harvest to the next.

A room built for staying

The original room works as a neighbourhood coffee house rather than a quick-service counter. There is plenty of seating, tables suited to solo work or a small meeting, and free internet, so the pace suits a long sit as easily as a takeaway cup. That was the founding intention and it still shapes the atmosphere: a gathering place with a roastery attached rather than a transactional bar. The roastery pushes that further with monthly coffee education courses covering home brewing, tasting and espresso preparation, plus free weekly tastings, which makes the operation unusually open for a company of its size. Over the years it has grown into a small Sacramento group with a roastery behind it, and its coffee turns up on plenty of local restaurant menus.

Cold brew first, pastry beside it

Cold brew is the grounded first order, since the Capital Cold Brew Blend is built for it and shows the house roasting style at its most direct. From there, the range opens up: single origins for anyone chasing a specific farm, blends for something consistent, espresso for a short drink, decaf when the hour calls for it. Tea is a genuine alternative rather than a courtesy, with black, green, oolong, white and tisane all stocked, and seasonal specialty coffees and teas appearing through the year. Beside the drink, take a pastry from the locally sourced case. That combination, a roaster-led coffee, a tea if preferred, and something baked nearby, is the clearest read on what Temple does in Sacramento.