Be a Coffee-Drinking Individual - Espresso Yourself!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of going with three great friends; Kayla, Brie, and Denise to 3 coffee shops in Sacramento, CA, The Temple, Naked Coffee, and The Chocolate Fish. We went in hopes of gaining idea's and inspirations for the coffee shop with all volunteer at in our church.... and of course to be blessed by the wonders the baristas prepared for us!

The first place we stopped, after a "long 8 minutes" of driving in bumper to bumper traffic was The Temple.

This one, out of the three, had the most inviting atmosphere. They also had sketch books, that were filled with poetry, drawings, venting, stickers... all by random people that have come through the shop. Not only did we gain insight, but we were also able to leave some of ourselves there by contributing to these journals.

Our drink orders:
Kayla: Mocha
Brie: Cappuccino
Denise: Decaf Cappuccino
Myself: Iced Decaf Vanilla Latte (with only half a shot of espresso)

*the only flavorings they had were vanilla and caramel (also in sugar free), so I was kind of disappointed that I couldn't have a pumpkin spice latte.

Everything was as delicious as it was artistic!

Our next stop however was not as eventful. Only a few blocks away, Naked Coffee, which I'd previously heard was amazing, was not very inviting.

It was very... natural... for lack of a better explanation. It wasn't comfortable to be in, in fact we didn't even order or take any pictures of the inside. We just walked in, and out. It seemed as soon as we stepped outside that comfortable feeling came back and we were on our way. I'm sure it has great coffee and the environment works for the people in there, but at that time, it just wasn't the place for us.

A skip, a hop, and a quick stop for directions, led us to our final destination The Chocolate Fish. 

We happen to miss them being open; they closed at four, but their staff was beyond friendly. They allowed us the privileged to come in and take pictures. They told us the story of why it's called "The Chocolate Fish" which you can read here, and they made us feel like we were at home. It was so enjoyable with out the coffee, with out sitting down and telling stories with friends, with out other people to "people watch", with out all the typical things that make going to get coffee enjoyable, I can't imagine how AMAZING it will be when we go back and they're open! 

Espresso Bar Hopping in Sacramento = Success!

Caffeine is my shepherd; I shall not doze.
It maketh me to wake in green pastures:
It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.
It restoreth my buzz:
It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,
I will fear no Equal™:
For thou art with me; thy cream and thy sugar they comfort me.
Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of The Starbucks:
Thou anointest my day with pep; my mug runneth over.
Surely richness and taste shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the House of Mochas forever.
~Author Unknown