These Sacramento coffee shops source fall flavors from local farmers. Here are 8 spots to try

Hanh Truong, Jacqueline Pinedo
·7 min read

Autumn is seeping into Sacramento — its light breeze brushing through trees, rustling leaves and bringing fresh aromas of spiced lattes to the city.

Specialty coffee shops in Sacramento are ushering in classic seasonal flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon and apples to their holiday menus.

Cafes around the city are brewing their take on Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte — sometimes, taking the fall flavor to another level with apple chai or bourbon caramel. And in true Sacramento fashion, several of these shops are serving their seasonal drinks with a local, sustainable and farm-to-cup flare.

Pachamama, for example, uses organic milk from Straus Family Creamery in nearby Marin and Sonoma counties.

The coffee cooperative is fully owned by farmers in Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Ethiopia, according to its website. A “seed to cup” operation, Pachamama prides itself on its roots in Sacramento and its organic coffee and ingredients.

Temple Coffee, with locations around the city, has a fall specialty item featuring ingredients from El Dorado County’s Apple Hill.

See what’s on the menu with our interactive map:

Editor’s note: The Bee taste-tested coffee from the following coffee shops on a $50 budget. The drinks our reporters tried have prices listed in bold.

Pachamama Coffee Farmers

Multiple locations

Cruz Conrad, chief retail officer at Pachamama, pours the Honey Bear Latte, a returning drink to Pachamama’s fall menu. It’s a classic latte with notes of honey and cinnamon. The shop’s serving up four specialty drinks, in total, this fall season.
Cruz Conrad, chief retail officer at Pachamama, pours the Honey Bear Latte, a returning drink to Pachamama’s fall menu. It’s a classic latte with notes of honey and cinnamon. The shop’s serving up four specialty drinks, in total, this fall season.

Pachamama is offering its fall menu starting Oct. 6, bringing back seasonal favorites: Criollo-Cacao Mocha, Maple Brûlée Latte, Dulce de Leche Latte and Honey Bear Latte.

Cruz Conrad, chief retail officer at Pachamama, said the fall menu is launching when the Sacramento weather gets cooler, as these drinks are designed to be served hot.

The Maple Brûlée Latte is the most popular for the season, Conrad said, likening its taste to toasted marshmallows and sweet maple. If you have a big sweet tooth and don’t care too much for a strong coffee aroma, this drink might be for you. ($7.50)

The Honey Bear Latte, which was previously on the signature menu has notes of honey and cinnamon, making for a sweet, earthy taste, he said. It’s a classic latte with a subtle hint of warm cinnamon — just enough to remind you it’s fall, despite the 80-degree temperatures. ($7.50)

The Dulce de Leche Latte is a buttery caramel and the Criollo-Cacao Mocha is a spiced mocha.

Temple Coffee Roasters

Multiple locations

Temple Coffee launched its fall menu this week, featuring three customer favorites and a new one. Andrew Dong, 29, is shown here after making a Gingersnap Latte with oat milk, a returning drink for the season.
Temple Coffee launched its fall menu this week, featuring three customer favorites and a new one. Andrew Dong, 29, is shown here after making a Gingersnap Latte with oat milk, a returning drink for the season.

All eight of Temple Coffee’s locations are serving up four different fall drinks — three customer favorites and a new one, according to its Instagram.

One of Sacramento’s staple local shops, Temple has been brewing coffee since 2005. It takes pride in “farm to cup,” according to its website, working closely with producers and farmers.

For the incoming season, the new addition is the Fireside Espresso Tonic. As its name suggests, it is a blend of Fever-Tree tonic and spices with Dharma espresso.

Customers will see the return of the Ginger Cream Cold Brew, which is a cold brew made with house-made ginger syrup and cold foam, and the Cozy Day, a pairing of house-made chai and apple cider from Barsotti Juice Co. in Apple Hill. It’s topped with vanilla whipped cream, chai sugar and a cinnamon stick.

The Gingersnap Latte also makes an appearance this season. It’s like a warm hug in liquid form made of house-made ginger syrup and garnished with ginger whipped cream and chai sugar. Overall, the latte had a light ginger taste and a faint spice aroma and was subtly sweet. ($7.45 with oat milk substitution)

Roots Coffee Company

428 J St, Suite 120

An Apple Crumble Chai at Roots Coffee Company at 428 J St, Suite 120. It’s one of seven fall specialty drinks and features a sweet concoction of homemade apple syrup, chai and oat milk, topped with a sweet crumble, walnuts and caramel.
An Apple Crumble Chai at Roots Coffee Company at 428 J St, Suite 120. It’s one of seven fall specialty drinks and features a sweet concoction of homemade apple syrup, chai and oat milk, topped with a sweet crumble, walnuts and caramel.

Facing the Downtown Commons is Roots, a cozy family-owned coffee shop.

Opened in the summer of 2019, according to its website, the modest spot serves handcrafted coffee with freshly roasted, fair trade and ethically sourced beans. It offers a rotating special menu throughout the year. This fall, customers can choose from a Pumpkin Pie Latte, Pumpkin Pie Chai and Peanut Butter Mocha.

It also has a Fall Harvest Latte, which features notes of maple, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom; an Almond Bliss, which is a cold brew with coconut cold foam; and a Pecan Pie Affogato, a coffee dessert made with pumpkin pie and caramel flavored espresso over pecan ice cream.

If you’re not fond of coffee, Roots has an Apple Crumble Chai made of homemade apple syrup, chai and oat milk. It’s topped with a sweet crumble, walnuts and caramel. It’s like sinking your teeth into a caramel apple, with the creamy chai and caramel contrasting the sour bite of an apple. ($7.50)

Camellia Coffee Roasters

1200 R St., Suite 130

Barista Shelby Weisker, 25, poses with an iced oatmilk latte flavored with Camellia Coffee Roaster’s new fall Cozy Spice Syrup. The syrup can be added to any espresso drink on the menu. Camellia is located at 1200 R St Suite 130.
Barista Shelby Weisker, 25, poses with an iced oatmilk latte flavored with Camellia Coffee Roaster’s new fall Cozy Spice Syrup. The syrup can be added to any espresso drink on the menu. Camellia is located at 1200 R St Suite 130.

Camellia, named after Sacramento’s trademark flower, started in 2015 as a wholesale roaster founded by friends Ryan Harden and Robert Watson, providing coffee for local bars and restaurants.

Three years later, the duo opened a shop on R Street. A down-to-earth dig with outdoor seating and a simple menu, Camellia has options such as cold brew, cortado, cappuccino, latte, chai and horchata cold brew.

For the fall season, Camellia launched its Cozy Spice Syrup which can be added to any espresso drink on the menu.

“It really gives you a warm fuzzy feeling,” Harden said. The syrup is a blend of clove, peppercorn, orange extract, star anise, cinnamon and white sugar. The warm fall spices, he said, are similar to pumpkin spice but “less sweet and more yummy.”

When paired with an iced oat milk latte, the spice isn’t overpowering, allowing the fragrant espresso to take the lead. ($5.75)

Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters

Multiple locations

Kevin Robles, lead barista at Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters at 4749 Folsom Blvd. presents the latest fall menu item: a Fall Flat White with Pumpkin Chai. Robles has been working at the coffee shop for a year and three months.
Kevin Robles, lead barista at Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters at 4749 Folsom Blvd. presents the latest fall menu item: a Fall Flat White with Pumpkin Chai. Robles has been working at the coffee shop for a year and three months.

Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters in Sacramento gets its name from the New Zealand sweet that’s shared when expressing gratitude. Owners Andy and Edie Baker moved from New Zealand where they often gathered with friends over a creamy flat white, according to the website.

It only makes sense that the cafe’s seasonal menu this year offers a play on the flat white. The creamy drink includes pumpkin chai sweetener, and tastes like pie in a cup. ($7.45)

The Australian coffee has less milk than a latte, but a bit more than a cappuccino. The coffee to espresso ratio lies somewhere in-between the two drinks.

Those that are looking for an alternative to coffee can opt for a pumpkin chai seasonal drink.

Milka

1501 G St.

An Apple Hill Mocha latte from Milka Coffee Roasters at 1501 G St. The latte pairs notes of dark chocolate with light apple from apple spice-infused syrup.
An Apple Hill Mocha latte from Milka Coffee Roasters at 1501 G St. The latte pairs notes of dark chocolate with light apple from apple spice-infused syrup.

Milka Coffee Roasters is an ode to Samir Benouar’s great grandmother, Milka Radonich, a former Sacramento small business owner, according to the cafe’s website.

The white, Victorian-turned cafe, sorts some of its ingredients from Apple Hill for its seasonal menu drinks. This year, the cafe is offering its customers an Apple Hill Mocha, that has light notes of apples and pairs great with the chocolate-infused espresso. ($8.50)

The cafe also offers a Rosemary Baby Latte and a Rosemary Sparkling Milka on its seasonal menu.

Mast Coffee Company

Multiple location

Mast Coffee Company, at 2421 17th St. and 1430 28th St., is offering sparkling coffee as its fall special. Called the French Quarter, it’s a sweet and refreshing sparkling Americano sweetened with tea-infused syrup.
Mast Coffee Company, at 2421 17th St. and 1430 28th St., is offering sparkling coffee as its fall special. Called the French Quarter, it’s a sweet and refreshing sparkling Americano sweetened with tea-infused syrup.



The minimalist coffee shop tucked away off Broadway “doesn’t enjoy rules,” according to its website, which is noticeable when you read the coffee company’s seasonal drink for this year.

Unlike other coffee shops, Mast took a unique approach with its sparkling americano named The French Quarter. The fizzy, seasonal drink is sweetened with tea-infused syrups that have notes of pineapple, caramel, and beignet. ($5.50)

The drink is refreshing and nontraditional, but still packs flavors that are reminiscent of the holiday season.

The Mill

Multiple locations

A Winter Spice Latte from The Mill at 1827 I St. It’s a light fall drink made with house-made syrup flavored with seasonal spices including cardamom, chai and clove.
A Winter Spice Latte from The Mill at 1827 I St. It’s a light fall drink made with house-made syrup flavored with seasonal spices including cardamom, chai and clove.

This Sacramento coffee roaster started off with a little stall in the midtown farmer’s market. Since then, it has established itself in the capital city with two locations.

On its seasonal menu this year, it is offering a Winter Spice Latte to customers at both its locations. The drink is traditional in taste, with notes of subtle seasonal flavors. It’s sweetened with a house-made syrup that includes spices like cardamom, brown sugar, clove and lots of chai. ($8.25)

The drink isn’t on the menu, and almost feels like a secret menu item than a seasonal drink.

Honorable mentions

There are still more seasonal coffees to try if you haven’t gotten your pumpkin spice fix yet.

These local shops are offering special drinks, too:

  • Scorpio Coffee, 1905 16th St. — offers a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

  • World Traveler Coffee Roasters, multiple locations — Pumpkin Spice Latte, Sugared Apple Latte and Spiced tea are on the menu.

  • Blueprint Coffee Project, 1200 2nd St. — According to its Instagram, the shop has Bourbon Caramel Latte, Bourbon Cold Foam Cold Brew and Pumpkin Spice Latte.

  • Naked Coffee, multiple locations — However, only the Q Street location will offer a Skelington drink, which is a play on the pumpkin spice, and a Paneponne Latte, a drink inspired by the Italian holiday cake

Did we miss your favorite coffee shop’s fall menu item? Let us know at servicejournalists@sacbee.com.

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