Caffeinated Sacramento

Sacramento has plenty of great coffee spots. And a press of tea is fast becoming the drink of choice for many. Sacramento has a spot for just about any mood and taste. Need attitude along with your morning mocha? Or do you just want to dash in and out and off to class with your eyes open a little wider? Need a place to hunker down with the books and the laptop? Maybe you like to cruise a bookstore with your latte.

This is just a short sweet sample of places to sip some of the caffeinated delights of Sacramento.

Beers Books 915 S Street
Grab a window seat or a flashy aluminum table. Say hi to the friendly bookstore cat. Peruse the copious selection of fine used books. The smallish selection of videos and CDs are still worth checking out. Serving Graffeo Coffee: “You know when you taste it.” This is an extra-nice, quiet spot with plenty of reading materials. You gotta be prompt though—the coffee shop is only open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. M-F. The bookstore has longer hours.

Hina’s Tea 2319 K Street
Very very close to heaven for tea aficionados. What makes it so? First, this little gem of a spot carries over 250 kinds of teas from around the globe. It’s an embarrassment of riches. Enjoy the bounty of white, green, black oolong, darjeeling, rooibos and herbals. Try the pumpkin spice tea—a premium black tea grown in Sri Lanka (which was known as Ceylon before 1972) with pumpkin and exotic spices. Or try the sencha fruit garden—a top quality green tea that is drenched with currants, black currants, elderberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Or indulge in a cup of lapsang souchong—it “offers a crisp character with the remarkable and heady aroma of an oak fire.” They have custom blends available, too. I hear their gourmet chai latte is the only one in town where they grind their own spices.

Javalounge 2416 16th Street
This directive is posted on the window of Java City Lounge: “Java City won’t make you look like a chump by making you use dumbass words to order a cup of coffee.”

Forget the Vente. Stick with a S-M-L here. It helps if you go for red as the basis for an interior decorating scheme. Fair trade coffee. Need to know more? Check it out. Situated nicely within striking distance of Tower Theater and the recently relocated Avid Reader Bookstore.

Peet’s Coffee & Tea 1800 19th Street
OK. It’s a chain, but Peet’s Coffee & Tea still has the best coffee beans around. And can you say, “no uniform beverage base?” Unlike other unnamed McCoffee spots, Peet’s uses only pure and natural ingredients. Although I haven’t had any luck getting anyone to tell me exactly what uniform beverage base is …

Started by Dutch immigrant Alfred Peet in 1966 at the corner of Walnut and Vine in Berkeley, that first store is still satisfying some of the original customers. Peet was the son and nephew of coffee merchants. He was raised with the knowledge that roasting coffee beans is a true art. That’s what still sets Peet’s apart from most other coffee places.

Sacramento’s Peet’s is tucked into the east end of the Safeway Shopping Center. It stocks all the usual Peet’s stuff: a good selection of teas, beans and all the at-home equipment you need to get the best cup of coffee around. Fresh bakery goods and other special treats are available as well.

Wanna talk tea? Everyone behind the counter is knowledgeable and friendly and will answer your questions while you relax at the very cool tea bar. The tea accoutrements are beyond compare. Hip glassware, cups and pots compete for attention with an interior that’s stylish, refreshing and fun.

Temple Fine Coffee & Tea 1014 10th Street
It’s open 365 days a year from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Need a place to settle into with a fine cup? Sacramento urban pioneer and owner Sean Kohmescher revamped the old Levinson’s Book Store and scored with a great downtown destination. Snap a prime spot in the window or nestle comfortably inside while sipping one of the best cups of coffee or tea you’ve ever experienced. Catch the street scene or become a part of it at one of the outside tables. All coffees and teas are organic and fair trade. All coffees are available by French press. Baked goodies, newspapers, mags and WiFi are also available.

Tupelo Coffee House 5700 Elvas Avenue
A 2,000-square-foot classic neighborhood coffee hangout complete with a community table is perfect for meeting someone new. A stylish interior without too much of an attitude makes it an easy habit. Check out the Probat L5 coffee roaster. Opened in 2004 by the owners of the Naked Lounge (with locations in both Chico and Sacramento), Tupelo offers the same fine quality of coffee and baked goodies.

Weatherstone Coffee and Trading Company 812 21st Street
It’s all about the patio baby.