Dim lighting with a homey, rustic vibe is what comes to mind when you think of a local coffee shop, but an alley?
That’s exactly where a you’ll find one of downtown Stockton’s Trail Coffee Roasters.
Formerly known as Jesus Mountain Coffee, the newly rebranded businesses is attracting Stocktonians.
The Trail Coffee Roasters website said the founders passion turned into a lifestyle that led to the opening of the espresso bar in the downtown area of Stockton where the location is known as “The Alley.”
The name was originally, “Jesus Mountain Coffee” which came from the location of the farm located in Jesus Mountain, Nicaragua.
With an authentic taste and edgy look, Trail Coffee Roasters is a “third wave coffee shop,” according to Erik Johannson, who takes care of roasting coffee and is also a barista at Trail.
So what is a third wave coffee shop?
“It’s a coffee shop that is more focused on the craft and the care of the coffee instead of a commodity,” said, Johansson.
The owners of the coffee company bring coffee from all different parts of the world from Ethiopia, Peru and Nicaragua to name a few.
When you walk into the the location, you immediately see the sacks of coffee beans that fill the air with different aromas of coffee.
“A lot of people associate coffee with being bitter … but when you roast something fresh you have a broad taste and the way you roast it makes a difference,” said Gianna Vicari, co-owner of Trail Coffee Roasters.
While, importing coffee from all parts of the world Trail keeps coffee as fresh as they can by bringing a genuine taste to every cup that they serve.
“It’s not what they expect,” said Vicari.
Some of the features attracting guests are the fresh and homemade pastries, flavored simple syrups and affogato which seems to be the most popular on the menu.
The affogato is homemade ice cream that has a fresh shot of espresso poured over it that is offered in different flavors throughout the seasons.
“Espresso over homemade ice cream is probably the best thing I’ve ever had and love how there are seasonal flavors,” said Kimberly Bernal a visitor and client at Trail.
With a wide variety of clientele there is something offered for every coffee enthusiast coming in from students, lawyers and artists.
For now, Trail Coffee is staying put in the alley but does look to expand in the future to be more than just a destination coffee location.
It would be a larger space to offer a sit in cafe.
“There isn’t any plans as of now but in the future, eventually I would like to have Trails all over,” said Vicari.
The hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit trailcoffeeroasters.com follow the company’s Instagram @trailcoffee or Facebook: Trail Coffee Roasters accounts.