Verve Coffee Roasters

Super cool joint to be at, off the beaten path. There were not a ton of people here, just locals. Tons of bench seating throughout the parking lot. Who wouldn’t want to be there?!

This place is super cute. Small inside but they have outdoor seating. This coffee will kick you into high gear. Workers are always friendly. A little pricier, but worth it.

The coffee is just out of this world, and I really like that there is water available if you are trying to hydrate. Staff is friendly and willing to take the time to discuss various roasts available. The drip coffee is superb!

I don’t wanna exaggerate so I’m not gonna say this is the best coffee in the universe, just the best coffee in the Galaxy. And Vervistas are the best damn baristas anywhere!

Really bad customer service. Product knowledge and attention to detail just doesn’t exist here. I tried to give them a shot since they’re local (so this review is based on quite a few experiences at the establishment)…but I’ll be fleeing to the new Starbucks on East Cliff, where not only are the baristas competent but they’re actually friendly too!
I asked about the difference between specific tea flavors and they just had no idea. Asked about their light roasts and again no product knowledge… about coffee, in a coffee shop. Didn’t even know which coffees they were serving that day!
Ordered coffee with steamed soymilk and was just given cold soymilk to add to my coffee after I paid, which made the coffee cold and the soymilk curdle (*gag*).
This place is always really dirty; once I asked someone at the counter about whether or not a table was occupied so I could use it (there were a ton of used coffee cups, trash, and etc on it) and she said that the trash on the table had been there for awhile and she didn’t know if anyone was coming back for the drinks but she didn’t think so… and at no point did it occur to her or her nearby coworker to clean it even though there was no one in line… I cleaned up the table myself so I could work there, they didn’t make an attempt to clean up any of the tables for over an hour.
It is FREEZING! I can understand if it was a hot summer day but what the hell are both doors doing open with the ceiling fans on on a cold winter night?!

Well priced and worth the trip. This place has a reputation of amazing coffee and doesn’t disappoint. A definite go to for the coffee fans.

Made a pit stop at Verve before heading back down to San Diego and I do not regret it! Delicious coffee and pastries. Definitely will satisfy your coffee cravings for all you coffee lovers. The atmosphere was pretty amazing too! Very modern and has a positive vibe feeling. For anyone visiting Santa Cruz or anyone who hasn’t tried it, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Consistently great coffee and I highly recommend their ham and cheese croissants (but be warned, you have to get their relatively early in the morning if you want to grab one before they are all gone!).

My favorite coffee! So smooth! I bought the beans and the espresso is delicious at home too. I make espresso on the stove top. Super fresh from Santa Cruz!!! :)

This is such a cool location! If you’re there at the right time, you can watch them roast the beans.
The actual café part is a little hard to find, it’s to the right of the stairs next to where they roast. It’s very small but they do have some snacks. There’s limited seating but I think it’s my favorite Verve location.
I was there with two of my friends from Texas and everyone in the café was so nice! They even let us try some of their non-​dairy kefir, which was great! Way less tart than I would have imagined, I would definitely get some the next time I’m in Santa Cruz. I wish I lived closer!

This is my favorite coffee joint. This place got everything right. Top consistent quality of coffee, service, atmosphere, store/​product design. The
Menu is even perfect. This is the model of restaurants service should be. I’m always welcomed with nice friendly smile followed by the prompt service with the best and consistent quality of coffee.
My usual is cappuccino in the afternoon.
I’ve been coming here at least once a week since opening and never been disappointed. I am very picky about pastries also so I’m incredibly happy that now they serve Manresa Bread pastries. Their pastries are the best of the best.
This particular location is great for people with dogs, on the bicycle or car. It’s close to the harbor and the beach so pick up the coffee and walk to the beach!

Whenever I am out of town, I frequent local coffee roasters. Verve met my expectations. Hipster small batch, hand roasted. I had a double shot «street level» latte. Smooth and rich, but not super strong (sometimes I DO like super strong). Both of the latte size options come with 2 shots, so you pay for extra milk. I hate that.
I even bought beans for my Breville at home… Made perfect espresso!
Great service, good décor, airy, but not much of a hang out place.

Perhaps it is because I am not enough of a coffee hipster, but I came away from Verve feeling kind of underwhelmed. The location is definitely unique because the coffee stand (and it’s really a stand, as there isn’t any seating) is right next to what looks like their roastery (is that the right word?) and has all the wood fixings you’d expect from a very «cool» coffee place. I got the Americano, which is a tried and true drink for me, but didn’t find it mind-​blowingly amazing as I would have expected from such a highly rated location. Would it be egregious for me to say I actually far prefer Peet’s rendition of this beverage?

I got the missile, coconut ice tea, latté sweatened, and monkey bread. I am 1000% satisfied with all of these items. Brilliant atmosphere that is great for families or for a cool relaxing date. Plenty of space for pets too! Thank you to my waiter Peter who made all of the drinks to perfection in a timely manner with a smile. Overall A beautiful stop, I’m coming back every time I’m in Santa Cruz.
Coffee lovers beware you won’t drink the same way again!

When I was a youngster, my folks took us to Disneyland. The moment I stepped through those wonderful gates and saw the vast array of characters, I experienced the most amazing and incredible sense of euphoria.
I was in SC to pick up some coffee and get myself right after a two week vaca in the Dirty South. I literally just finished an iced coffee from another Verve location and wanted yet another. Did a Unilocal look up and Unilocal directed me to this location. I drive around the corner, pull to the side of the road and my eyes reacted just like opening the Pulp Fiction suitcase! It was immediately obvious that I hit the mother load of coffee. This is the palace of caffeine where our coffee is roasted and shipped. As I walked to the café portion of the building, I could feel my body walking in the same fashion the lads from Reservoir Dogs did in that opening scene as Little Green bag plays in the background, my steps in slow mo with… no camera filming my version of course. I followed directions and decided today wasn’t the day to ignore the «Employees Only» signage, but I wanted to run inside, take a deep breath and inhale the intoxicating aroma of all those bags of coffee. I know that 10 years ago, I would probably run in there, snatch up as many bags of coffee as I could and sling em over my shoulder to make a mad dash to my car. Today, this guy just stood there in awe of all that coffee.
I get it. Some coffee drinkers just drink the coffee for the high and don’t care about the journey taken by each of those delicious little coffee beans. I am different. I care. More importantly, Verve cares, a lot! They have completely shifted my approach to coffee selection, brewing, storage, method of drying!
I have a ginormous crush on everyone at Verve and I don’t care that all y’all know it now. I love em dearly and that love grows stronger and stronger each time I stand above my Hario and pour hot water atop freshly ground coffee.

Ask the Unilocal Whisperer
QOTD — July 17, 2015
Dear YW, so simple inquiry for you: does coffee taste better at the source? You know, footsteps away from where the beans are roasted? I gotta know, you know? Because now that Verve is going on the road to metro areas like LA and you find their beans at cafes and supermarkets all over, I wonder if I should go on a coffee pilgrimage road trip to their Santa Cruz roasting facility.
So … should I?
Namaste, java whisperer!
Celina D.
Santa Maria, CA
Hi Celina, I guess I’d say make the pilgrimage. Verve is a trend-​setting roaster, and there is something slightly surreal (read: borderline bonkers) about ordering your $ 6 reserve pourover or $ 18 bag of roasted beans from a glorified parking lot. Or vegan kefir on tap or cold coffee processed using nitro (makes it smoother, slightly foamy, like a fresh pint of Guinness). The roasting facility shares a block with a bakery, a sail-​making shop (for yachts etc.), a rock climbing wall, a yoga studio. So it’s got that kind of funky, junky, unconventional mixed-​use feel — part warehouse, part ultra chic indulgence. You just can’t reproduce that feel at a trendy LA café, you know? It’s more Becoming than Being, more process than place, if you want to think about it that way. I’d compare it to the Blue Bottle roasting facility in Oakland, with its jumbled gentrifying mix of working warehouses, railway lines, tasting rooms, and fancy loft apartments. Is this a rational way to engineer urban living? Perhaps not. But the coffee does taste better.
So, the look and feel of Verve on Bronson Street is arguably as important as the coffee, the tea, the kombucha, the gluten-​free carrot cake slabs, the works. Short of avocado toast, they’ve got the trends pretty well covered.
Does the coffee warrant the visit? I’d say so. The single origins remain enticing, the commitment to gentle roasting is undiminished, and while it feels more commercial than those nostalgic days of 41^st Avenue roasting, the open doors, bags of beans, and working rhythms of the place remind you that coffee making is, well, work! Those espresso drinks don’t make themselves, and by not being removed from the actual roasting, you feel closer to the action.
I’d be like having an attached slaughterhouse to your McDonald’s franchise, so that you could see what goes into that Big Mac, or how your McNuggets are actually made. Of course, that would NEVER happen at a corporate fast food operation, and maybe that’s why, in the end, if you like premium coffee and are willing to pay the price for all those organic, fairly-​traded beans from small batch coffee growers, you should tap into the source to experience firsthand how Verve gets its trademark verve.
Don’t shy away from the reality of the roasting, Celina. It’s a beautiful thing. Come here, and you will know.

This isn’t your typical modern coffee shop. Come to Verve’s main roastery for some legit coffee but it’s not a hangout place with no indoor seating. They offer outdoor seating around the parking lot but let’s be honest, this is first and foremost a roastery.
Like the downtown location is has an interesting design with the same themes (and even the same employees). You can see inside the main warehouse from the barista station, it’s pretty cool.
They make very solid espresso based drinks however I’ve never thought Verve has the best black coffee. It’s really about the specialty drinks like the lattes, nitrogen-​infused cold brew, or bowl of soul. This location even has kombucha on tap!

Verve Coffee Roasters… the one and only! I’m extremely happy to have FINALLY visited their roastery in Santa Cruz. Hearing more and more buzz in LA about their upcoming openings across the city, I hope they do well against the huge competition and favorites in the LA area.
Coming to Santa Cruz, my first destination to visit was Verve. Coming to a small suburban road, pulling up into the tiny parking lot, I reveled in the magic. Being such a large, renowned roaster, it dawned on me how homey the place felt. All the locals walking in for a daily cup. A very down to earth roastery/​barista counter. No flash, no boisterous attitudes — just Verve! I’m jealous of those living nearby — not only do they have a coffeeshop, but their own hometown roaster they can just walk to early in the morning for the freshest beans!
I’m a fan. Love the place and the vibe! Can’t wait til they migrate down South!

Verve Coffee Roasters is another wonderful option for coffee around the Bay Area!
Thankfully this place is nearby my grandparents beachhouse, and I certainly took advantage of it the week I was in Santa Cruz.
The warehouse that houses their roastery is quite the sight to see, and unique.
The baristas were incredibly friendly, and made sure to pull a perfect shot every time.
The Americano was incredibly smooth.
Two thumbs up.
Wish we had a place like this in Phoenix!

Verve combines two great loves: great coffee and great design. Both are uncompromising in quality and beauty. Verve also makes a mean seasonal whiskey latte.
Swooooooooooon (I think I have the vapors).