Shannon W.
Yelp
I used to love love love Pachamama. All of them! It's the only acceptable coffee I'd drink. All
Coffee drinks were highest standard of quality including their drip, lattes, and pour overs. They had 100% consistency for me each time and I have been a loyal customer since they opened their flagship shop on 20th. I love they are fair trade and seem to have a real connection to their farmers.
Customer service was always stellar as well. Staff were kind and courteous and professional. But over time, quality and customer service have gone down for me. Staff have been rude, especially taking tables at times away from outside spaces (which makes it difficult if not impossible for people with disabilities and immunocompromised to patron their shop). When I've asked for a table outside, I get a lot of attitude (rushed jerky movements, grimaces, lack of eye contact, general resistance) which has made me feel less inclined to even go in person.
I care about the establishments I frequent so I reached out to their customer experience person. I wrote a thoughtful email. I received an AI generated email that was very long and didn't really respond directly to my concerns. I sent a follow up email very short asking them to please address changes in their quality (espresso machines not cleaned regularly which were causing grounds in the drinks). But never heard back. Sadly I'm back to making my own coffees and thinking of saving for an espresso machine to make my own lattes.
I've had this lack of quality control problem happen in all three Sacramento locations. It only happened once at the Sac Co-op including the barista sticking his fingers in the grounds (instead of a clean spoon) for my coffee.
When I had time or shops weren't busy, I have requested several times for baristas to please clean the espresso machine so I can have a drink that isn't gritty. The customer experience person says I can always request a new drink. But I feel at this point it's happened enough that management should address this problem. It shouldn't be the customer's responsibility to maintain quality control. I have walked away though with gritty coffee discovered after I've left, and just threw these out.
I'm writing this review hoping the management or owner (who I hear really cares about his stores) will see this and respond. It's a bummer when you have a refined palate and finally find a place you love, and there's a change like this.