Coffee Review ranks four Sacramento coffees in Top 30 of 2014

Proof keeps coming that Sacramento’s third-wave coffee scene is excellent by national standards. Those national standards being the Coffee Review, the go-to guide for coffee nerds, which has rated Temple Coffee’s beans as some of the best in the country for years. And recently, other roasters have gotten major kudos as well.

The most major kudos come in the form of Coffee Review’s annual list of the best of the best. The Top 30 of 2014 was released this morning, and Sacramento leads the country with four coffees on the list. Two of those coffees came from Temple Coffee and two more from Old Soul Coffee Co.

Temple’s Panama Los Lajones Bambu Geisha placed fifth, described as “immense, intricate,” with notes of honey, roasted cacao nib, orchid, fruit and sandalwood. It was released last December and definitely ran on the pricey end at $60 per 8 ounces.

Perhaps more interesting to regular consumers will be Old Soul’s Ethiopia Wenago Natural, which came in at No. 12. Not only is it available for purchase right now, but it’s much more affordable at $18 per 12 ounces. Coffee Review described it as “amazingly sweet, lushly fruit-toned” with a “deeply flavor-saturated finish.”

Temple’s Kenya Makwa AB got No. 19 and Old Soul’s Nicaragua Pacamara Reserve Los Congos got No. 29. Old Soul’s Nicaragua is also still available to purchase.

Last year, Temple actually snagged the No. 1 spot on the list. This year that honor went to Klatch Coffee, based in Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino County.

Coffee Review also released a list of the best value coffees of 2014. Old Soul’s same Nicaragua, at $18 per 12 ounces, finished at No. 12 on that list. And three of Temple’s coffees made the list too. Its same Kenya, at $16 per 12 ounces, was one, along with two coffee that didn’t make the Top 30: its Ethiopia Boke Washed Grade 1 and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe ECX Auction Lot, which both cost $17 per 12 ounces.

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