VERVE @ downtown Santa Cruz

 Back in Santa Cruz for the first time since VERVE opened this new cafe in downtown.  Located nearly the end corner of the town, Verve is still fascinating enough and charming enough.  

Inside is beautifully coordinated with dark colored wood&metal furniture of which design carried from original cafe by the beach, creating atmosphere of high fashioned, cutting edge type third wave coffee shop.  

The place was filled with college students from, perhaps UCSC, occupying tables with Macs and text books.  How lucky they are to have such nice study place besides packed in old book-y smelled library.

Some barista can be recognized by face from the original cafe, so that quality of espresso were nothing new.  Relieved...

Cup of the day!
Smooth and creamy soy latte...  Did they change the bland?

After all those years, Verve still stamps their name on paper cups, which made me smile...besides, they have sweat shirts selling w/ their name on...sigh.

RED ROCK Coffee

Here is something new.

Red Rock coffee at Mountain View. 

Mountain View has been place to go for "Farmers Market" on Sat. Morning, but not visiting, shopping or dining place to me for a long time.  For some reason, there are plenty time to stroll around this town to find a new charm in this.

Redo Rock has been one of "coffee break" place for my friend, coffee geek as well :)

He recognized "For Barrel", the roaster in SF mission, but more surprised to find the way they brew coffee.

  

Here is coffee brewing expert with a charming coffee goods to pour a cup.  "Smart Drip-per".

1.  Set filter paper.

2.  Measure beans and grind.

3.  Measure weight of drip-per.

4.  Pour water to designed weight.

5.  Stair for while.

The function is quite simple as idea is.  Basically, this coffee dripping tool is combination of paper drip-per and coffee press.  Just like serving tea, allowing time to brew, steam, may bring body of coffee.

The whole brewing process is entertaining.
Assuming that it must be critical to find balance between water temperature and character of beans, including origin of beans, roasting degree and so on.

This coffee brewing methods is somewhat interesting.
later alone, I found this tool at Four Barrel and Verve, both now growing third wavers.  According to Jay Egami, Coffee distributor, Representative of UCC America, happened to have a sample of this coffee drip-per.  Made in Taiwan.  Well, no doubt.  Taiwan and China are two of countries show rapid growth in coffee distribution and coffee culture.  As Australia does, they are very aggressive to invent something new.

Well...  Getting back to the point, the coffee was good.  
This brew methods may require a little skill and practice and give you a wonderful full flavored coffee.  
Coffee must have its body and flavor, which strongly relay on water temperature initially poured.  It seems a man who made us a cup in the noon well acknowledged of this temperature and time relation.