Fish fix

Edie and Andy Baker put nearly four years of thought into their 8-month-old coffee shop, Chocolate Fish Coffee (Third and Q streets), and the attention to detail is impressive. Edie explained that during eight years of living in New Zealand (her husband is a Kiwi), she became accustomed to medium-roast coffee and was disappointed with the lack of subtlety in domestic brews. She said that overroasting destroys the character of origin, likening the flavor to “burnt toast.” Chocolate Fish sources beans from the award-winning and certified-organic roaster Andrew Barnett of Ecco Caffé. The Bakers’ high standards extend to Chocolate Fish employees, too, who go through intensive three-month training, until they’re able to “recognize the perfect shot … even in a rush.” What’s more, employees recently were treated to a San Francisco road trip, where they sampled some of the finest coffee in the Bay Area. Edie also had praise for other local roasters; “Sacramento should be known for coffee!” she enthused. With the addition of Chocolate Fish, the city’s definitely a step closer.