Insight Coffee Roasters

Been twice to this location in the past 48 hours and had a great experience both times.
First evening met up with my sister after a late lunch at Iron Horse Tavern. We walked over, hoping for a quiet place to catch up since IHT is just too loud for conversation and we had much up for sister discussion. Whether it’s because it was a Friday night or just evening in general, the place was pretty empty, save just one couple. But that was just perfect for us; not ready to go home and part ways but also not up for braving the throng at a bustling restaurant or bar.
The place has a cozy set up with a couch and soft chairs in one spot, a long table with stools for sharing with other patrons (and great for setting up book and notes for studying), two tables with booth seating, and their signature/​custom window seats (one long table along the window with a handful of fold-​able seats to choose from. Great for solo people watching.)
I ordered Americanos for the both of us (under $ 6 for both) from the young gentleman working the espresso machine. He was also nice enough to indulge our silly-​ness at the counter. Our drinks were beautiful, the hot water added to the espresso did not taint the beautiful layer of golden cremea from the espresso. Great customer service and crafty espresso skills!
When my drink got cold (too much talking, not enough drinking!) I committed the sin of adding a bit of sugar to my drink at their pretty station set up with all kinds of sweeteners. I like how they have different containers of brown sugar, white sugar, packets of sweetener, and a steel bottle of what I am assuming is simple sugar syrup.
As the second time was a Saturday evening, I was not surprised to see the place equally as empty as the night before. The same gentleman was working the counter again and he was kind enough to ask me firstly whether i wanted something with or without caffeine. Very thoughtful!
I decided on a herbal tea and he knew the components of each offering. I picked the rosey-​viney-​basily (?) one based of it’s description. He set up the tea bag and put it on a timer and brought it out to me once the bell ‘tinged’. It was great, just what I wanted to help me decompress a little.
Oh and they have Wi-​Fi! Be sure to ask for the password.
Great job, Insight! I have been to the one on 10^th for a Caffeine Crawl but as this one is much closer to my place, I will be back again.

I just discovered this beautiful café. I’ve been to the other one and it was very cool and eclectic. This location on 16^th is perfect for the new high-​rise and new restaurants, etc. Plus, it’s a nice switch from the daily Starbuck’s offering. Chill, is the vibe for sure. More seating would have been nice, but I’m sure it’s costing them a fortune for rent there.

I love this little stylish coffee shop in Sacramento.
They are serving absolutely amazing coffee — the roast is awesome, it’s strong, but not bitter and the aroma fills up the entire space… you walk in and all you want to say «Thank you, you awesome people, who decided to pick up a fruit from a tree, dry it, grind it, and… wait… yes, make a drink out of it!» The first coffee roasters would feel proud and amazed if they stepped into the Insight Coffee Roasters…
Baristas here don’t take it easy — the coffee machine is mostly manual, letting set not only the pressure of the shot, but also get the timing just right.
I also admired their great décor — I love the cool tables and comfy chairs.

Love that new coffee spots are opening all over Sacramento midtown. This place is very cute, rustic, and such a good spot to hang out and read a good book. My go-​to drink is their matcha latté. It’s the best matcha latté I’ve had! Creamy & not too sweet. They also have very good pastries that change daily.
The baristas are very friendly and so glad they opened a location on 16^th!

Had a cappucino here on a cold rainy afternoon. It was good, but the size was smaller than I expected. Still good, and it still kept me awake throughout the day.
Everything here was great, but I do wish they had a bigger space. There weren’t too many places to sit and relax if you wanted to stay.

After a not very impressive dinner i wanted a cup. of warm tea. My friend told me there was a new coffee shop a few stores over. Walked over there and i was glad to find tea! I love tea and they had loose tea leaves that they filled in to tea bags. The tea bags were wonderfully filled for your monies worth. There were caffeine free as well as caffeinated selections. It was so wonderful, I used the tea bag once more at home. I usually go to Temple for tea but this place definitely added to my list.
Customer service was great. They also sell juice from a local juicing shop. They give samples to try.
Vibe was warm and inviting with some space to sit and relax.

I really like their coffee and atmosphere here.
My neighbor took me to this location the other day and I had their house coffee which was a Nicaragua blend. They said it was French pressed. I usually don’t find anything special with what other coffee houses’ as «house coffee», but I did here!
I came back again today to get a latte. I would say that it’s comparable to Temple’s and Old Soul’s.
They have indoor and outdoor seating. It’s very chill. Defiantly a good place to sit, and have a peaceful cup of coffee. If that makes sense to anyone.

I love insight. The coffee is great. The baristas, awesome. Location, LOVE! I mean, it’s smacked dabbed in the heart of Sacramento where culture thrives. Plenty of parking, next to a lot of great foodie places, spacious. Matcha latte, still on point. I still love the old location, but for the sake of my heart, this will have to be my new favorite.
TIP: Matcha tis my favorite!

Temple, then Broadacre Coffee, then Insight??? I’m not sure what it was before that, but it’s been interesting to come to the same place to experience different company cultures, and coffee, and ultimately feel like i’ve had the same result.
You get the same quality that you do at every Insight, which is consistently great, but this location is probably my least favorite of the bunch. Regardless of the owner, the space gives me the same vibe it’s always given: lifeless, sterile, but also kind of nice if I’m looking for some peace and quiet and space to myself. I have a love hate thing going on with this place, and it’s really not all that bad. Most people would consider it cute or charming.

My first visit to Insight turned out to be such an excellent one at their latest branch right by the relocated Magpie Café.
The space is very inviting with plentiful, varied seating from couches to high communal tables to even small tables made for two. My barista was as amiable as could be and clearly loved her coffee as much as I do! She recommended the current Ethiopian offering, Kochere Chelelektu, and it was easily the best roast I’ve had since last year. My girlfriend’s Mexico Finca Zacamitla was derricious as well in its intertwining of cacao nib bitterness and stone fruit acidity. While Temple has been my go-​to for quality single origin coffee in Sacramento, Insight won me over with the quality of those two roasts.
Already been back and this trend will certainly continue!

This review is for the 16^th St. location but after going to the 10^th St. location as well, Insight Coffee Roaster commitment to consistency and quality is evident.
I’ve tried a few things their Sweet Latte with my usual Non Fat milk simply because too much whole milk does not sit well with me. It was perfect good strong notes of their espresso and a touch of sweetener. It is called ‘Sweet’ but its not overwhelmingly sweet at all.
I tried the mocha the second time around. In my opinion a good mocha the espresso should be the star the mocha should simply compliment that. «American» coffee has really messed up what people look for in a mocha where it is ridiculously sweet with sugar and then you get a little coffee in the cup.
The mocha is done right here with a little beautiful art on top. Their prices are on par with most of the local coffee shops but think about it spend you will spend just as much on the green mermaid.
The atmosphere at this new location is terrific with a lot of studying space inside and out and light from the huge windows. I prefer this compared to the 10^th street location but this is nothing that should deter you from coming to any of their locations. As far as studying I think is the best place with a lot of table space as each location is unique.
They offer ‘Coffee Education’ classes to provide some «Insight» for coffee aficionados and novices! (;
In addition they offer coffee tastings on Saturdays and other various days at their other locations.
Next time I’ll try the Little Brazil or some of their specialty roasts!!!

I’ve never noticed that there’s an another Insight Coffee Roasters in the downtown neighborhood between 15^th & 16^th Streets, so I decided to walk there for the very first time. As I entered, the atmosphere is very laid back feel with the pure indie touch with all the wood making furnitures and lightning on it.
The server aka. barista, Madeline is such a sweet lady. She gives lots of recommendations like their own iced cold brew coffee, their espressos, and cool drinks. I decided to ordered the ICR’s cold brew iced coffee as a recommendation choice because it’s in the middle of the summer weather. So far, the employees at ICR 16^th Street is flawlessly good! No issues at all!
For the drinks ordering process, as I mentioned, I’ve ordered the iced cold brew coffee with low fat milk. After I drank it, it tasted very flavorful! Very bold and refreshing than Starbucks’ cold brew iced coffee! Not a bad drink at all!
The parking can be tricky for some. You can park at the surface street parking around the Fremont Park or park at the R Street garage. Otherwise, you can bike, walk, or riding a public transit without issues.
In the end, Insight Coffee Roasters at 16^th Street is the greatest place to get the drinks to start up your mornings better than ever before! Perfect for friends and family gathering, studying and doing homework or business projects, and relaxing on a peaceful day inside and outside. Highly recommend!

Awesome Stop Between Work & Home For Refreshing End-​Of-​Day Decompression…
SITREP
…and I suppose it COULD BE just as awesome a stop between home & work… if I could ever get my ass up in time that early. ;)
This is the 4^th Insight location in the new condo/​business site here on 16^th Street, on the stretch between P & Q Streets (just next to Hot Italian). Since I have always been a fan of the Insight Coffee at 8^th & S Streets (it’s only 2 blocks from my office), it was long overdue for me to pop into this Insight to check it out!
THE SETUP
Being a creature of habit, I’m usually in hurry to hit the Starbucks at 16^th & K Streets, or sojourn over to Old Soul Weatherstone at 21^st & H Streets, to catch up on my personal WiFi’ing needs — emails, Facebooking, Unilocaling, online-​shopping, running Windows and iTunes updates, etc., etc.
However, with ample coffee, tea & juice options, I realize now that I have another awesome option to hit in the evening!
REFRESHING TEA!
These days, I value the «coolness» factor in my drinks and am much more likely to get an iced tea. I pulled the trigger on a delicious Berry Hibiscus Iced Tea.
And it was wonderful to sip on this puppy, cooling my throat, while catching up on Japanese coffee research articles:
JUICE!
And oh, did you hear me mention «juice» above? Well, that’s because I DID! Insight is partnered up with «Sun & Soil» and so you also have the option of popping for a fresh-​pressed juice if you like!
FREE WIFI!
Yes, it has it! Post away, my friends, post away!
LAYOUT
This spot has a lot of great options for seating. There are comfy chairs and couches, though I prefer to be at the big long table, seated with laptop, amidst some pretty dam beautiful art:
THE «INSIGHT COFFEE» BRANDING
Let me just take a quick minute to say that Sacramento is dam lucky to have the wonderful coffee houses under the «Insight Coffee» name. From rich delicious brews that I get in the morning, to the refreshing cool iced teas that I love in the afternoon, Insight has got it going!
From their «Downtown» (10^th & J Streets), to their «Fremont» (16^th & P Streets), and to their «Southside» (8^th & S Streets) locations, each of these locations has surprised me with something enjoyable & delicious (and FUN) that is unique to each of them, but embodies the overall «Insight» mission & spirit. [I have to say honestly, though, I’ll probably never the see the inside of their location in the «fu-​fu» Pavilions shopping center because I don’t want to mistaken for a homeless dude.]
THE LOWDOWN
My new favorite coffee & tea stop in Midtown!

The moment you enter this café, you are thoroughly engaged by Insight’s super friendly staff. To me a happy staff speaks volume about a company even before you try their product/​services.
Three stars alone go to the great customer I experience on a every day basis.
The Fourth star is for the quality of their Coffee/​Tea/​Juices. When you drink their coffee, latte, chai or a cold pressed juice etc, you can right away notice the superior/​fresh quality/​ingredients used. So spending 3 – 5 bucks seems justifiable.
The Fifth Star goes for the consistency of their Baristas making your drink perfectly as ordered.
As I work in downtown/​midtown area, I have plenty of coffee shop options to choose from. I have tried most of them few times, but for me, Insight is a clear winner.

I’m not much of a coffee person but my coworkers are so I do frequent coffee shops often with them.
I like how there is a variety for any taste– coffee, tea, and even cold pressed juice.
I had a green tea latte. They gave me a lot of options for my liquid– whole milk, almond and soy milk. I opted for almond milk. I loved how my green tea latte wasn’t too sweet and didn’t taste like it had a bazillion calories.
The one thing I’m super excited about Insight is that they carry sun and soil juice! This location is a lot closer to me than the sun and soil store so now I have a convenient place to get my juice at work!

Great coffee, location, and atmosphere. What more could you ask for?
I’ve been here a few times since they opened and am always happy when I find myself back here. The location is shiny and new with large floor length windows, tall ceilings, and cool seating. Definitely the kind of place that I like to hang out.
This is Insight’s 4^th location, so obviously they are doing something right. The coffee is delicious and I’m always confident that if I take someone to get Insight coffee, that they will like it too.
I always get a mocha, which comes standard with two shots of espresso and latte art in a 12oz mug or paper to-​go cup. No whipped cream is available, but I’m forgiving since the coffee is super good.
Free Wi-​Fi is available, but you’ll have to ask the barista for the password. Street parking is free till 8 a.m. in the morning, after which it’s for two hours with both metered and non-​metered side streets close by.
I’ll definitely be back and recommend this location to others.

Do we really need another coffee shop in Sacramento???
Yes. Yes, we do.
First off, quality of the coffee, the beans, the people, the ambiance, the amenities… it’s kind of crazy but coffee shops are now becoming facilities that host future billion dollar startup companies and the new e-​Harmony as I know some folks who have met at Insight and fallen in love with each other. Hard not to in this ridiculously awesome environment.
Really happy this place is here– as much as I like the Naked Lounge, their name is too deceptive and very disappointing if you go there for anything other than what’s on their menu… sigh. So I like Insight with their awesome wifi, their staff are ALWAYS nice and hipster-​looking, I think it’s a requirement maybe, but I appreciate it. I think it adds to the flavor both literally and metaphorically.
Not cheap but not on the higher side anyways, Temple is comparable but is slightly higher. I think it’s safe to say if you are a Starbucks fan, you would gouge your eyes out and go cry murder at these prices but you wouldn’t appreciate a decently roasted bean anyways that is sourced directly from the farmers. You probably like that synthetic acidic, over-​roasted black little things they call ‘beans’ at Starbucks.
Great place. Will be back very often, wish they had more seating, I can see coming here to study or do work and finding out there’s no seating inside. They have a huge empty space in the entrance area though they could facilitate more seating, but maybe because of capacity limitations inside the building code, who knows.
The A/​C was on full blast on a day over 100degree’s outside, that alone was incentive enough for people to come in and be wow’ed by the new Insight Coffee. What’s crazy is that there are these rotating weirdo’s who go around with a huge manakin of Death with a scythe that actually brings in more customers since people realize there is a coffee shop there, wonder if they’ll come around to this location… hmm.
P. S. Dude. they have a water bottle filling station on the wall there in one of my photos. How cool is that? Eco-​friendly and awesome if you haven’t used on one of these!

I enjoy frequenting this Insight Coffee as the workers are incredibly friendly, coffee/​lattes/​juices are all amazing (I ordered their sweetened iced latte ($ 4.25), iced Americano coffee ($ 2.50), Matcha latte ($ 4.50) and Sun and Soil beet juice ($ 9.00)), and the venue is very bright and open with a nice modern touch. It is also located on 16^th street next to all the new restaurants (i.e. Magpie, Noodles and Company, Orchid Thai, etc.) so I can always grab a bite to eat afterwards. Insight itself also offers pastries from Magpie, fruit, Sugar Plum granola and vegan bars, and even various chocolates.
Although it isn’t the biggest coffee shop there are a few small tables and community benches inside for people to sit down and conversate/​study. There’s also limited outdoor seating as well for those brave enough to bear the heat!
The to big things I have a problem with are 1. parking and 2. their hours of operation. Although there are two Starbucks on 16^th street open until 8−9PM I wish this place would stay open a bit later like Temple which closes at 11PM. Parking is also a hassle as there are literally three 15 minute parking spaces located in the front of Orchid Thai, Magpie, and Insight. The remaining space is dedicated solely to bike parking– which I don’t have a problem with– I just wish they took into consideration those who wish to dine in and stay longer than 15 minutes or at least offer some sort of valet service.
Other than those two minor complaints I love the place and will definitely be frequenting it more often – as long there is available parking!

Love this coffee shop! Definitely one of the best in Sacramento! There are so many great things about this shop. First, the coffee itself is fantastic. I ordered a mocha and French pressed Sumatra blend house brew coffee. The mocha was gorgeous and tasted so delicious! It is a nice, sweet chocolate fix. The Sumatra blend was also pretty exquisite. Although their menu isn’t extremely extensive, they have a nice selection of coffee from different regions of the world as well as teas, including oolong, kombucha, tisane, red, white, and green.
The shop is new, spacious, clean, and comfortable. I love the design and their tables that are uniquely cut out of wood and polished. I’m even a fan of their seating, especially the booth and theater style chairs facing the park. They have a very nice outdoor patio seating area, perfect for a beautiful day. The location is right across the street from Fremont Park, there is plenty of street parking, and there is a great view of the playground/​park.
All the workers are very friendly, positive, and helpful! This makes it extra pleasant to spend time in the shop and enjoy coffee. A few other things to note — they have free wifi (ask them for the password), there is only one size for their coffee/​espresso drinks, which is approximately medium, and all their espresso drinks come with two shots of espresso. They also sell Sun & Soil juice. I tried the «Front Porch,» which is a fresh carrot, ginger, and turmeric juice… it’s delicious and super-​refreshing!
Insight Coffee Roasters is a fantastic coffee shop! I’m so glad they are doing well and opened a new location near Fremont Park.

We were on a Sunday stroll and came upon Insight’s newest location in Sac. I have frequented their other locations (especially the Pavilions store) and was excited to check out their new digs. The store is rustic modern and beautiful. They offer Magpie pastries as they do in their other stores, as well as juices from Sun and Soil (one of my local favorite juiceries). Let me tell you… I haven’t had a beverage I didn’t like from Insight. I opted for the sweetened latte with lowfat milk. They asked if I wanted it hot or iced and I told them to surprise me :) I ended up with a hot latte and it didn’t disappoint. My latte was so smooth with just enough sweetness (the sweet didn’t mask the coffee notes). Simply perfect. My sister got an iced matcha latte with almond milk and she said her beverage was just as delicious.
Service was friendly and efficient, and they have plenty of seating inside and out. I like the sturdy benches they have in front in addition to the traditional tables. I will visit this store again in my near future.