Starbucks instant coffee

[Magic City Matt]

I have tried it and it is good. Very good in fact. And it is way smaller in mass than any other instant I have seen. I think we finally have a winner on that front.

[JC785]

Glad to hear that Matt! I'll have to try it out.

[Cuffs]

I didn't like starbux to begin with. Is this any better than their regular coffee?

[Tacky Hiker]

Sweet, will pick up some. I am about out of my Folgers' bags.

[mich4076]

they are giving free samples friday and saturday Oct 2 & 3rd... I think they are giving a coupon with it.

[Magic City Matt]

I didn't like starbux to begin with. Is this any better than their regular coffee?

It's definitely the best instant I have tried thus far. It is the same as the various blends it is designed after. We got samples for both the Colombian blend and the Italian blend. I tried the Colombian and it is the same as the normal Starbucks Colombian blend.
The neat bit is the way they go about making this stuff. It is not brewed and freeze dried like a lot of instants. It is "micro ground". A little chemistry here... Coffee is a suspension of fine particulates of coffee beans in hot water. Normally you get this suspension by grinding up the bean in a normal grinder and then then passing water through the bean mixture and then filtering out the large particles through paper or some other type of filter leaving only the finest bits of the coffee beans in the suspension. Because these bits are so fine they stay suspended quite easily in water and don't give you a gritty grainy texture. Basically what they have done is just ground the bean down to the finest bits they could rather than brewing it which allows you to bypass filter and large grounds and just put the super fine particles directly in the hot water. So you are effectively brewing just by dumping this very tiny bit (1/4 TSPN to 1 Cup) of coffee in your hot water.
Most instants taste like old coffee because they are old coffee. I admit some are better then others but this stuff is by far the closest thing to ground on the spot and brewed I have come across.
I really like the fact that it is so tiny as well. Coffee is probably not going to be the straw that broke my back but hey every little bit helps. That and now we don't have to carry any filter or such for brewing.


M

[Lesley]

1 and 1/2 packet of the Starbucks Via Colombian brew and a packet of honey in my Snowpeak mug made for an awesome cup of joe.

[dogwood]

Lesley, where can you buy the Starbuck's packets?

[Carnot]

Lesley, where can you buy the Starbuck's packets?

I think you can only buy it at Starbuck's.

It's the best instant I've ever had.  Better than a lot of drip brew.

[Magic City Matt]

If you would rather not go to the window it looks like you can get it through amazon now

http://www.amazon.com/Sta...57952424&sr=8-2-spell

[DavidR]

Ok...I'm not a big Starbucks fan, but I tried Via. It is very good compared to other instants I've had. Here's another idea for using your coffee of choice: http://www.herbco.com/p-1...ll-82525-in-x-275-in.aspx . It's not instant and theoretically seems sound.

[jamfan]

Looking fwd to trying this.  Backpacker magazine praised it recently.  I have the JetBoil coffee press, but i've gotten tired of the mess it makes.

[Rob]

You can purchase this product right off the shelf from Target ( I found it at the Hwy. 280 store ) cost was just over $7 per package. Maybe it is available here because they have a Starbucks in the store.

[wyleone]

I'll drag this two+ year old thread back up. I have had the first renditions of Via and only liked the columbian. Lately I have spotted it in Walmart. They now have more flavored coffees. I am not a "Fluffy" coffee lover but the Caramel is pretty good. The rest of the paddlers in in my group (canoeing this last weekend) finished off the box for me. Everyone was in agreement that it was something they would drink again.

I also saw that tasters choice was also going micro grind and making the same thing. I haven't tried them yet.

I was a tried and true Folgers dunk bag coffee guy on a hike/paddle. But I think the Via won out. Less mess, trash to pack out too.   

[squidbilly]

I like the caramel Via too.  Just throw a few packs in the alky stove bag and enjoy a good cup of coffee anywhere.

[Ewker]

I prefer to drink the carmel Via like it is iced coffee. It taste better to me.

[wyleone]

I prefer to drink the carmel Via like it is iced coffee. It taste better to me.

Sounds good to me, I may have to try that.