Two things about Verve Coffee Roasting in Santa Cruz:

• Light Coffee Roast Only! A Verve Barista’s Analogy = Dark roasting coffee beans is like making a steak well-done.  When you overcook your steak or do more than light roast coffee beans you taste the roasting rather than the coffee flavors (or juicy, bloody steak flavors).  And just a side note about ordering a well-done steak, if you have read Anthony Bourdain’s book “Kitchen Confidential” then you know, that your well-done steak is often an opportunity to utilize the worst cut of meat left on the kitchen chopping board and the this steak is sometimes thrown in the fryer before it’s served.  This is done because a well-done steak is not really “well-done.” So take it from me and enjoy some “well-done” coffee at Verve!
• Bowl of Soul is a big cup of tea steeped in steamed soy milk and honey.  Verve has a nice selection of teas for your bowl of soul. There is also another fancy drink name for tea steeped in soy milk.  What is that again?  I just learned this week that the tea they typically make with the Bowl of Soul is chamomile.

John: Verve is great when you want a gourmet roast and want some high caffeine joe.

Zach: I appreciate really dark, heavy, as dank as you can get, coffee.  If you like lighter coffee that tastes really good, you’ll really like Verve.

Lesley: I have to admit, I drank a few really strong iced coffees at Verve a year or more ago and remember thinking I liked the vibe of the small, modern coffee shop.  But I didn’t think a lot about it until I read an article in Imbibe Magazine: Liquid Culture.  Imbibe Magazine featured Verve in their April issue about American Microroasters as one of “Ten Tiny Coffee Roasters That Are Making A Big Splash.” When I went back to Verve I noticed they were competing in the Western Regional Barista Competition and decided to try the coffee and tea.  I like the modern, clean atmosphere and the dedication to making a very good cup of coffee.

Located on 41st Avenue – just down from Chill Out.