Percolating on Wine Country Coffee
The Roaster (photo: Dark Nectar)
Tucked on the McPhee’s side of the sleepy main street running through Templeton, Dark Nectar Roasters produces beans for an excellent cup of coffee at daily-drinker prices. This combination of good value for excellent coffee brings the addicts out of the woodwork.
How nice that they bring the beans to addicts like us at various farmers markets across northern San Luis Obispo County. Owner Danny Jones quips, “It’s really neat to have a product that’s additive,” as he launches into a variety of topics about very good coffee, rather bad coffee, and definitely interesting coffee from some of the world’s lesser known coffee-producing regions. Danny joined us for an interview in July that ranged widely among topics including wine country palates, farmers markets economies, US agricultural history, and drinking coffee with the seasons.
Those of us who pick up a bag of beans from Dark Nectar Roasters at one of three farmers markets in north county including Baywood—Los Osos (Mondays), Cambria (Fridays), and Templeton (Saturday) know we can count on a complex coffee that won’t taste exactly like the beans from the last shipment. Because they source such high quality and freshly harvested beans, skilled roaster Paul Brink lets the beans do their thing and become what they want to become, rather than exerting too dark a roast on beans that long for a little tenderness.
Granery on Templeton’s Main Street across from Dark Nectar
(photo: Dark Nectar)
Unlike my dear old habitual Dad—who unsurprisingly embraced the homogeneity of the McDonalds cup of coffee: every cup tasted the same, which is how my Dad liked his world—I prefer more variety and spice in my life and in my morning cup of coffee. We’re glad to have found Dark Nectar at our local market where we have a chance to taste through the most recently harvested beans from high elevation equatorial coffee farms from Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa.
Danny Jones and Paul Brink
We appreciate how this coffee roasting company channels the best of the farmers market philosophy by ensuring we have access to freshly-harvested coffee in season, not tired coffee that’s been stored for months until commodity prices become more advantageous to the seller. Just as we embrace eating whatever fruit begins to pile up on the vendor’s tables at the markets depending on changes in the seasons, we like our coffee beans seasonal, too.
Every Sunday morning, a large group bike ride begins from Dark Nectar in Templeton.
Great coffee and bike positive: Yes!
Sunday morning bike crew (photo: Dark Nectar)
