A Coffee Lover’s Guide To Folsom, California

It competence come as no warn that Sacramento, California is consistently ranked as one of a tip cities for coffee lovers in a U.S. If you’re in a “grid” of midtown/downtown, we can toss a demitasse ladle from a square of one coffee emporium into a crater of nitro cold-brew in another opposite a street. It boasts heavy hitters like Temple Coffee, Old Soul, Chocolate Fish, Naked Coffee, Insight, and that one coffee shop—The Mill—that creates a possess macadamia bulb milk (which is infrequently delicious). The list is many endless, surfaced with an annual latte art competition that draws a throng that would make even a many assured barista sweat. And don’t even get me started on a Caffeine Crawl that rolls by city each year or so.

Yeah, Sacramento is on tip of a coffee game.

But this beam isn’t about Sacramento.

It’s about a smaller, quieter cities that approximate her. If we listen closely and do a tiny digging over the city grid, you’ll find something we competence not expect: a tight-knit and abounding coffee village drumming a feet to a possess local culture, history, and a low-pitched stylings of Johnny Cash.

If we Google Folsom, California, you’ll learn—rather quickly—that a city is known for a overwhelming bridges, the 32-mile American River Bike Trail that connects a city to Sacramento, and a prison. Even nonetheless usually about 2,000 of a 77,000 residents are now behind bars during Folsom State Prison, Folsom has really “cashed” in on a fact that a certain folk-country strain God put them on a map when he sang a blues there in 1968. [Ed note: We are unequivocally contemptible for this pun, yet not scarcely adequate to dig it.] Upon initial glance, Folsom appears to be not many some-more than an insulated suburb graced by a strong opening mall, a tiny yet sharp-witted chronological district (along Sutter Street), and, according to Yelp, apparently the best bakery in California, an investiture named BJ Cinnamon.

Beneath all that, however, lies a soundtrack of bicycle spokes, regulating boots slapping opposite pavement, H2O rushing underneath a Rainbow Bridge, and coffee cups clinking opposite saucers during one of a few coffee shops peppered strategically around a bike trail. And my, do they have a strain to sing.

Coffee Republic

Folsom California Coffee Guide Mollie Hawkins

On any given weekend morning, it is not odd to see a cackle of sprinters in a Coffee Republic parking lot, ignoring a “two hour parking for business only” signs as they travel opposite a travel to strike a bike trail. The thing is: they come back. And they wait in line. And they wait—oftentimes backing adult out a door. The inside seating area is gentle and inviting, as is a outside patio. This place encourages groups and conversations. They know a needs of their business well: a container genius that motivates runners and cyclists to carb adult and get caffeinated has kept Coffee Republic in business for over 25 years.

They prepared all their pastries, breads, and menu equipment in-house (find a singular emporium some-more full with carbs, we brave you) and the coffee is sourced from internal roaster Terranova. Come to Coffee Republic for the caffeine, a bagel and egg sandwich, and many importantly, a camaraderie. Just be prepared to feel idle if you’re not wearing regulating gear.

Cooper’s Coffee House

Folsom California Coffee Guide Mollie Hawkins

In further to being conveniently located subsequent to the American River Bike Trail, Cooper’s Coffee House is also dangerously tighten to a place called The Waffle Experience, that is accurately what it sounds like.

Cooper’s is a self-described “mom ‘n’ pop” emporium that opened in a primary plcae before assigned by a It’s A Grind chain. They source their coffee from Dillanos in Washington, and feature an array of pastries sourced from Bella Bru Cafe based in a Sacramento area. Cooper’s also offers breakfast burritos, bagels and a pleasant origination called a Granola Oatjack bar. The bar is packed with oats, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and honey, and pairs good with their toddy-style cold brew. Be certain to sequence early, given during summer months locals can’t get adequate of their cold decoction and iced Numi teas. “People come in and get upset when we run out, we have to constantly make more!” says Arianna, one of Cooper’s cheerful baristas.

During a propagandize year, Cooper’s is a hotbed for internal students and business folk to sequence iced lattes alike and lay in one of a many mouth-watering seating areas I’ve witnessed—because who doesn’t wish to lay in a wingback chair sanctimonious to work on spreadsheets?

Argos Caffe

Folsom California Coffee Guide Mollie Hawkins

Opened last year, Argos Caffe has already forged itself a niche in a heart of Folsom (right off a bike trail—see a trend here?), and also a initial shop locally to roast in-house. Jorge Gocobachi, a spit and co-owner, roasts in a emporium each other day. To rivet a internal community, Argos has hosted “roasting parties” to launch new blends and denote a roasting process. They frequently partner with internal eateries and artisans to showcase even some-more internal season when possible.

“Our name, Argos, is modeled after a Argonauts,” says Lori, a manager of Argos, explaining that a name was desirous by a rope of heroes in Greek mythology that accompanied Jason to Colchis in his query to find a Golden Fleece. “The thought was that we were a initial spit bringing qualification coffee to Folsom,” she says. “And now there’s more hidden gems.” Loris says a city is growing some-more gentle with a change from infrequent coffee to specialty.

Featuring internal organic milk, pastries from Grateful Bread and vegan treats from Sugar Plumb Bakery (both in a Sacramento region), Argos is dialed into peculiarity contra quantity. “We also make all of a syrups in-house, and we’re regulating peculiarity ingredients—organic lavender, organic lemonade.” Lori says they’ve just rolled out a toast menu. Try a nine-grain with cream cheese, sea salt, and peppers or a cinnamon whirl with almond butter and honey—though Lori says that their biggest seller is avocado toast (we are in California after all).

While you’re watchful for your toast, sip on a sugar lavender latte and find out some-more about a arriving tumble menu, that (spoiler alert) will underline a splash called a “Blind Date,” a latte comprised of house-made date milk, almond milk, coconut milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Kingdom Coffee

Folsom California Coffee Guide Mollie Hawkins

Pulling into a prosy offered core located nearby a famed Folsom Outlets, a prosy A-frame pointer simply proclaims: “Good coffee” with an arrow directing we left. Eventually a main, equally prosy pointer that reads “Coffee” becomes manifest above a elementary storefront window. What’s watchful inside, however, is distant from simple: it is what Dale Cooper competence report as damn fine joe.

You competence remember Kingdom Coffee as one of a build-outs of summer, where William Rentfrow and his business partner Ty Manukyan were ambitiously opening a shop/roasting site in a former vape parlor. And they done it happen: this is a place we can review a morning paper and sip on a high-quality coffee slushie.

Rentfrow explains a splash by laughing, observant he had a thought while sipping on a Jamocha shake during Arby’s. “I grew adult celebration Jamocha shakes,” Rentfrow says. “I can’t assistance it—it’s my Arby’s ritual, so we had this idea. Why not offer something like that in a shop? Why are so few people in a qualification coffee universe doing these kinds of fun, stupid drinks?”

And so a slushie was born. Spinning around sensitively in a Vollrath appurtenance on a countertop, these slushies are done with coffee, almond milk, and a lurch of elementary syrup. It tastes smooth, not overly sweet—but still like a splash Willy Wonka would make if he motionless to emanate something clean-cut to sip on while reading a latest Haruki Murakami.

“We don’t caring if we’re a best crater of coffee you’ve ever had in your life, yet we wish to make certain we get a good crater of coffee,” Rentfrow says, adding that he’s desirous by shops that flower in their communities given of consistency, like GB and Go Get ‘Em Tiger in LA. “People get all adult in arms, shocked, that we don’t do by-the-cup or pour-overs—but we make unequivocally good collection brew.”

They are also prepared to see a coffee enlightenment grow in Folsom. “We came to Folsom given there’s not many here yet,” says Rentfrow. “We wish to do some-more than only ‘grow’ a coffee culture. we would adore to have people see that Folsom upheld and helped a tiny place like this thrive, and that they’d be desirous to move their ideas here, too—I’d adore to see some-more coffee, food options, and some-more things that expostulate creativity in a community.”

Their menu is elementary and intentional, featuring a common espresso-based lineup (minus a macchiato, that Rentfrow says alleviates difficulty from a internal ‘bucks crowd—instead he recommends a cortado), elementary syrup for honeyed drinks, and a mocha done with locally sourced Cru chocolate.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe

Folsom California Coffee Guide Mollie Hawkins

Of all a singular personalities within a coffee shops of Folsom, one thing sets Nicholson’s MusiCafe apart: their coffee is served “with a side of music” and if you’re there on a right day, a giveaway ukulele lesson.

The Nicholson family has been offered guitars to Folsom musicians given 1985, and a coffee emporium non-stop subsequent doorway scarcely 5 years ago. While his relatives run a guitar shop, Erich Nicholson is a smarts behind a coffee shop. He saw an event to mix a low-pitched space with specialty coffee. Really, he wants to see a tiny shops flower and thinks Folsom is on a way. “I wanted to deliver some-more qualification coffee in Folsom—we were unequivocally lacking that here, and I’m prepared to see that theatre ‘click in.’”

Featuring Equator Coffee, pastries from BJ Cinnamon down a street, and a full breakfast and lunch menu, Nicholson’s is some-more than only a place to get a pour-over—it’s a place to perform.

Music is clearly during a heart of this shop: as shortly as we travel in a doorway your eyes are drawn to a vast acoustic guitar settlement on a tile floors, a arrangement of guitar straps for sale to your left, and a warm, mouth-watering theatre to a right. And there, resting in a mount subsequent to a chair on theatre is a genuine acoustic guitar, watchful silently as nonetheless a male in black himself will travel by a doorway during any notation and collect it adult for a song.

“Our crowds are eclectic,” says Angela Rolston, a ubiquitous manager. With their open mic nights, concerts, songwriting events and workshops, their village comes out in droves—from hot-chocolate-sipping youngsters to beer-sipping college kids to latte-sipping grandpa’s, Nicholson’s has total a singular enlightenment of ardent people that conclude good strain and good coffee. Angela says their busiest time—unlike many other coffee shops—is during night. Guitar-strumming night owls, you’ve found your tribe.

When Johnny Cash wrote “Folsom Prison Blues” in a early 1950s, he total dual styles of folk music: a sight strain and a jail song, consistent together a singular sound that would conclude his strain for a rest of his career. Is this what coffee enlightenment means in Folsom—joining together singular passions interconnected with a damn excellent crater of joe? I’d like to consider so. Somewhere, Johnny is “drinkin’ coffee and smokin’ a large cigar.” [And yes, we can revisit a Folsom State Prison. They have a museum.]

Mollie Hawkins (@molliebat) is a freelance publisher formed in Sacramento, California, essay for Marie Claire, Salon, AOL, HelloGiggles and others. This is Mollie Hawkins’ initial underline for Sprudge Media Network.