Morning Buzz: Verve Coffee Roasters

Established in 2007 in Santa Cruz, Verve Coffee Roasters is a trendy coffee shop with seven locations in California and one in Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. My visit to the Melrose Ave location was a delightful one; an open, yet quiet cafe, friendly baristas, and multiple options of not just coffee and pastries, but also fresh, cold-pressed juice.

The cafe, filled with natural light, has plenty of seating both indoors and outdoors. My mom and I sat in one of the communal bars as patrons began to come in to grab an early lunch.

What initially intrigued me with Verve was the Juice Flight. It’s offered at nearly all of the locations for a low price of $10. The flight menu includes ten juice flavors delivered by Juice Served Here. It’s a refreshing way to try the different flavors, varying from the sweet and fruity, spicy ginger,  green juice, and nut milk. Coupled with a latte and a shaved coconut donut, the juice flight was a perfect mid-morning snack and pick-me-up.

The coffee itself is fantastic. I personally like drinking beans that are locally roasted and don’t mind paying a little extra for fuller flavor. The latte didn’t taste burnt or bland and the donut had a homemade flavor and feel to it. Bags of whole beans are sold in the stores, as well as merchandise, such as t-shirts and mugs. I purchased the Buena Vista Dark Roast, with mild notes of chocolate and almond. The coffee was so smooth that I didn’t need to sweeten or dilute it with cream.

This place is worth going to. If outside of California, or Tokyo, ordering the coffee from the website is your next best bet. And again, it is worth paying a bit more for that higher quality and locally roasted coffee.

Have you been to Verve or tried their coffee? What are your thoughts?