I've been dreamin' about the West Coast (One Republic)

Verve Coffee, Palo Alto CA

Verve: “Energy and enthusiasm in the expression of ideas, especially in artistic performance or composition”. Verve Coffee happened to be through the serendipitous union of surf, sweat and a love of life and living.

**With the new specialty coffee fan boy Floris

Long before Specialty Coffee arrived on the West Coast, founders Ryan and Colby built and opened the first Verve Cafe in 2007 on 41st Ave in Santa Cruz, California.

They currently operate in twelve California-based locations, four in Santa Cruz, four in Los Angeles, one in San Francisco, one in Manhattan Beach, one in Palo Alto, and one on Meta's Menlo Park campus.  They also have four locations in Japan: one at the Shinjuku, Tokyo train station, one in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, one in Kamakura, and a cafe+roastery in the Kanagawa Prefecture.

Verve’s roots remain firmly planted in Santa Cruz, where they roast their coffees on vintage roasters and enjoy the endless surf of the rugged California coast.

The café Floris & I visited was in the beautiful town of Palo Alto, home to top notch universities like Stanford and tech giants like Hewlett Packard. Being in San Francisco Bay area, you can pretty much smell coffee in the air everywhere and the one from Verve indeed was super special.

What’s the story - Morning Glory (Oasis)

While exploring the coffee scene in Seattle and Portland, Ryan O’Donovan honed his knowledge of the coffee process and his tasting palate by roasting and cupping new coffees as frequently as possible. Like a true aspiring craftsman, he purchased a sample roaster for his home. After tasting the best coffees in the region, he’d return to his workshop to try and replicate the flavour profiles. Before long, he was creating his own roasting profiles and sharing his home concoctions with friends and family.

When his college buddy, Colby Barr, called him out of the blue with the funky idea to start a coffee roasting operation together, Ryan was all-in without a second thought. Colby grew up farming pears and wine grapes with his family in Northern California. From an early age, he was immersed in the family business where he learned first-hand about soil, responsible growing, and the relationship between farmers, processors, buyers, and ultimately, consumers. While in college, Colby developed a passion for coffee, and he often found himself visiting his favourite local coffee shop daily.  When the opportunity to buy said shop arose, Colby could not deny his entrepreneurial spirit. As a newfound coffee shop owner, he quickly fell in love with the nuances of coffee and the incredible process from green bean to brewed beverage. After a year successfully growing this business, Colby called his college pal and fellow coffee aficionado, Ryan, with the brilliant idea to start their own specialty coffee roasting company. The rest is history!

What’s Verve’s motto: LET'S CRAFT THE FUTURE OF COFFEE

Sourcing the very best coffee in the world is their passion. With an unparalleled focus on craft, quality and relationships, they’re dedicated to making a positive impact in coffee communities from Farm level to Street level.

Street level is where coffee comes to life in our neighbourhoods. It’s sharing our coffee with our communities, giving back, and celebrating art and life.

The Coffee Farm Story: Halo Beriti, Ethiopia

The Halo Beriti washing station pays local farmers higher prices for their best cherries, estimated to receive cherries from about 1250 smallholding farmers in the area. Most of the farmers have inherited their land generation after generation. Their plots are small enough to be managed by family members. The money they receive for their cherries can be the main income source for these families.

When cherries arrive at the station, they are floated in water, a great visual indicator of cherry ripeness. Underripe cherries are removed. If the coffee is to be washed the cherries enter a de-pulper machine that effectively strips them of their fruit, exposing a gooey layer called mucilage. In some instances, coffee seeds then enter a demucilager that scrubs that layer off, leaving them ready for drying. The coffees are laid out and dries on raised beds, drying time will vary based on the process used to prepare the lot.

·       Producer : Various Small Holding Farmers

·       Cultivar: Ethiopia Heirloom

·       Processing Method : Washed

·       Elevation: 1900-2200 m.a.s.l

Coffee Tasting with Kalita Wave: Manual Pour Over method similar to Hario V60

Halo Beriti is like a friend you talk to twice a year, but every time it's like no time has passed. Consistent, reliable, and strong—each year, we are welcomed with a soft hug of sweet cream, met with the juiciness of a sweet apricot and ripe strawberry. This washed coffee is delicate, fruit-forward, and balanced.

• Coffee : 25g

• Grind : Medium

• Water : 375g

• Ratio: 1:15

• Time 4:00min