If you’re like me, you love trying out new types of coffee. There’s something so exciting about it!
Whether it’s tasting notes you’ve never thought of, unheard combinations or just the curiosity that a new roaster brings, trying out a new bag of beans is always a journey.
Luckily, I got sent some coffee to try out from Trade, a coffee subscription service that sources from many different roasters across the country. I had no idea what I was getting, but that made me even more excited!
To my surprise, the bag of coffee I received was from none other than Verve Coffee Roasters. And, man, do I have a lot to say about it!
Verve Coffee Roaster
By preserving cultivars, experimenting with roasts, curating specialty grade ingredients and bringing to market our coffee, we embrace quality as our guide.
What is Verve Coffee?
Now before I dive straight into it, let’s get a little bit of an understanding of Verve itself.
Verve Coffee is a roastery located in Santa Cruz, CA that was founded in 2007 by Colby Barr and Ryan O’Donovan. Not only does Verve roast coffee on vintage machinery, but they also serve coffee in their cafes around the world.
They work to source only the best coffee and make sure to have a positive impact on the coffee community. They focus on quality by experimenting with different roasts and using specialty-grade ingredients.
Using what they call the “Farm-level Initiative,” Verve builds great work relationships when they source the coffee. With direct trade, they pay not only for quality coffee but also invest in coffee communities and environments.
One of their biggest projects, The Nursery Project, allowed them to plant 60,000 coffee seeds in Urrao, Colombia!
Verve also has a “Street-level Initiative,” where they share their coffee with communities and give back to them. They support nonprofit organizations, host public events, and much more.
In both practices, Verve Coffee Roasters work to build long-lasting relationships in their effort to provide quality coffee by generously rewarding both coffee farmers and the community.
Verve Coffee Review: Seasonal Larrea Blend
Alright, I hope you’re still with me because the review is just getting started! When I received this bag of coffee, getting past the nice and simple Trade packaging, the first thing I thought was that the bag was gorgeous.
The color design really matched well with the tasting notes, as well. Pomelo, watermelon, and orange zest. Considering I’ve never had pomelo, I was a bit skeptical.
I do have to say that there wasn’t a place on the bag that stated what type of roast this coffee was, so I guess that was just another surprise for me.
However, it was a resealable bag that stated it was made of “earth-friendly materials” that make it “good for the coffee and the planet,” so that was nice!
Aroma
As soon as I opened that bag, I was hit with the yummy smell of coffee beans. While I couldn’t really place the specific notes in the smell alone, that’s okay because I could generally tell that it had a fruity aroma.
This lovely scent carried its way through my grinder, into the fluffy grinds, pressed into a French machine, and poured into my mug. It’s a natural air freshener!
Taste
After excitedly brewing these seasonal beans using my French press, I couldn’t wait to taste my new batch of coffee.
It took a few sips, a few swishes, and a lot of squinting, to really taste each and every note that was presented on the bag.
I am sad to say that I couldn’t really place the watermelon note specifically, as it seemed to be hidden behind the citrus fruits. The overall flavor was there, though, and it wasn’t hard to miss!
Verve Coffee Roaster
By preserving cultivars, experimenting with roasts, curating specialty grade ingredients and bringing to market our coffee, we embrace quality as our guide.
The aftertaste was also strongly citrusy and the body was more on the fuller side, but I wouldn’t say it was a completely full-bodied coffee.
While it might not be my top pick, I would absolutely drink this fruit-filled cup of coffee again.
What We Like About It
The lasting aroma from start to finish is one of my favorite things about the Larrea Blend from Verve. It makes me just want to prop open a bag and leave it on my counter.
Which I could, because the design itself is beautiful! Be it because it’s a seasonal blend, or whatever the reason, I love the colors on this bag because they portray the tasting notes, as well.
So, a resealable bag made of earth-friendly materials that has a nice aroma, a beautiful design, and matching fruity notes; sounds like a good bag of coffee!
What We Don’t Like About It
Of course, nothing is perfect and there are a couple of things I would have loved for this bag.
While the package was gorgeous and held lots of valuable information, there wasn’t a label that stated what level of roast this coffee was, which would have been helpful.
I think out of all the tasting notes, I was most excited about the watermelon. Yet, upon tasting the coffee, I couldn’t really place it among the rest of the fruit just because there was such a strong citrus flavor.
Verve Coffee Roaster
By preserving cultivars, experimenting with roasts, curating specialty grade ingredients and bringing to market our coffee, we embrace quality as our guide.
Larrea Blend – Final Thoughts
Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, I think it’s safe to say that this coffee is Roasty approved!
I do want to mention again, though, that this bag of beans I received was a seasonal blend, which means that it’s a specialty coffee that’s not always available.
However, you can always check out the current Verve collection on Trade here. This review definitely proves that Verve is a reliable roaster that provides yummy coffee with a strong aroma and taste.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find the next blend I want to try from Verve Coffee! I highly recommend you do, too!
Happy Caffeinating!
