Verve Coffee Roasters

Have we reached peak 'third wave' coffee in Tokyo yet? It sure seems that way, as the new Newoman complex south of Shinjuku Station features not one but two bona fide artisanal Joe dealers. In addition to the third Tokyo branch of Oakland's Blue Bottle, discerning caffeine addicts can check out the first Japan outpost of Santa Cruz-born Verve Coffee, an ever-present on 'America's best coffee shops' rankings across the media spectrum. Founded in 2007 and renowned for their 'Farmlevel Initiative', which supports coffee farmers by guaranteeing prices and work conditions exceeding Fair Trade minimums, Verve currently operate six branches across Southern California, and have now also taken a big step across the ocean. Can they find their own niche on Tokyo's already crowded craft coffee scene?