The Story
After returning home from a lengthy stay in Indonesia, Temple founder and barista Sean Kohmescher opened the first Temple Coffee house in 2005 with a dream of creating a community gathering place much like the temples he visited during his travels.
Founder Sean Kohmescher was inspired to use the name Temple during a trip to Indonesia as the word Temple represented an open space where everyone can hang out, enjoy the moment and just slow down.
Sean Kohmescher took his life savings, sold his rare 1948 Harley and 1958 VW Beetle to open up shop on 10th Street downtown.
His vision was simple: good vibes, great service, and exceptionally well-prepared coffee.
In 2008 Temple decided they would start their own roastery and did so with a team of roasting experts.
Over 20 years later, eight coffee houses, and a roastery, it is still this vision that Temple strives to fulfill today.
Temple was named a top coffee roaster in the U.S. by CNN and Fortune magazine.
Since 2011, Temple Coffee Roasters has had 138 coffees score above 90 points from Coffee Review.
Sourcing & Relationships
Temple’s Farm to Cup coffee sourcing model incorporates three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental.
They maintain strong, trusting relationships with the producers and farms where they source coffee.
They consistently pay well above Fair Trade prices to suppliers in order to provide financial stability for them and their workers.
They also prioritize working with producers who reduce their environmental impact through water conservation, forest preservation, and shade management.
Eton Tsuno is Temple’s director of coffee, working as a coffee ambassador of sorts, traveling around the world in search of the highest-quality beans.
Tsuno travels six to eight months a year to meet coffee producers and build sustainable, direct relationships with farms.
All of Temple’s coffees are single-origin from a single producer, harvested just once a year. The transparency extends to understanding challenges farmers face— Temple recalled a farm in Panama that they began sourcing from two years ago where, after the family began selling their coffee directly to Temple, the son began cutting back his hours at the bank so he could return to the family farm.
Roasting Philosophy
When purchasing green coffee from producers at origin, Temple recognizes that each coffee has a unique story, taking the green coffee and composing a custom roast profile that showcases its distinctive qualities and highlights its individual story.
Their Director of Coffee and Head Roaster take a tailored approach to roasting, working to achieve a coffee’s full potential through multiple cuppings and careful analysis.
They firmly believe that great coffee is not an accident, and they strive to reach the pinnacle of flavor and aroma with each roast every time.
Temple’s roasting operation centers around precision and attention to detail. Their machines include Production Roasters: Renegade Roaster (60k), Probat UG (15k) with capacity of ~5,000 lbs per week.
Their flagship Dharma Espresso Blend incorporates three distinct coffees from Latin America and Africa, each roasted separately and then later blended to profile. This component-based approach allows them to optimize each origin’s characteristics before creating harmonious blends.
What to Try
Temple’s flagship espresso blend for almost 20 years, Dharma Blend, has been specifically created for their cafes and baristas.
The Dharma Espresso Blend offers a full body with a sweet finish, featuring bright and tart notes of dried cherry at first sip, while rich notes of cocoa and baking spices are present throughout, giving a complex tasting experience that pairs well with milk or as a straight shot.
Their Three Pillars Blend is their classic blend for drip coffee, incorporating coffees from three different Latin American countries.
An easy-drinking coffee for any time of day, Three Pillars is balanced, with its medium body and notes of rich dark chocolate, sweet caramel, and subtle hints of citrus.
The celebrated single-origin Ethiopian pour-over is lauded for its bright, fruity notes and impeccable flavor. For those seeking signature beverages, signature items include the impactful iced coffee and the innovative cola cherry cold brew.