tinkerswords.com

[tinker]

OK- it's been decades since I have braved the world of instant coffees because I like coffee- and whatever that crap was in my cup after I put the 'instant coffee' and hot water in wasn't coffee! Or drinkable.

When Starbucks announced that they had developed an instant coffee that tasted like brewed coffee I actually sort of believed them. After all they would be staking their reputation on this claim so I figured if they hadn't nailed it they wouldn't have brought it out in even limited distribution (Seattle and Chicago only so far.) Nonetheless when they announced that they would be giving out free samples today I had to try it- it just didn't seem possible that they could really have made an instant coffee that tasted like fresh-brewed. I expected it to be good for instant coffee, but c'mon...

Oh ye of little faith...

The barrista was delighted to provide a free sample of the 'Italian Roast' via and an 8oz. cup of hot water. I nervously stirred in the black powder from the slender foil envelope into the hot water and regarded it dubiously. It looked like real coffee. It smelled like real coffee. I tasted it and it TASTED like real, fresh-brewed coffee. Good coffee, even. Willy Wonka has obviously sold out and gone to work for Starbucks.

The barista came over at this point with a cup of fresh-brewed Pike Street coffee and invited us to compare them. Pike Street is pretty decent coffee. The Via Italian instant coffee was better. Holy Crap.

A woman at the coffee-doctoring bar near our table began chatting with me about the coffee and seemed very interested in my thoughts on the coffee. I was happy to share my impressions and thoughts with her- it turns out she was actually from Starbucks Corporate offices! I told her they had a winner. We bought two boxes of Via Italian roast- one for Linda to take to work and one for me to keep at home.

An interesting thing about Via- I'm a VERY heavy coffee drinker. I can't remember the last time that I felt a serious caffiene-jolt from a cup of coffee. I got a serious jolt from my 8 oz. cup of Via. I thought that it might be just me or even psychosomatic but apparently not. I was in line at another store and it turns out that the fellow behind me had tried Via and had the same reaction! "That stuff must be super-caffienated!" he exclaimed. I tell you, it just about stood my hair on end and even turkish Coffee doesn't do that to me anymore. Either there is an insane amount of caffiene in Via or, more likely, something in the process makes the caffiene very bio-accessible.

Via is not inexpensive compared to home brewed coffee, but it does work out to less than $1 a cup, so it's cheaper- and faster- than going out for coffee. Via is sold in two flavors- Italian Roast and Columbian (medium roast.) 2.95 gets you a compact, easy-to-carry package of three foil envelopes which will make three 8oz. cups of coffee. $9.95 gets you a box of 12 envelopes. Value is in the eye of the beholder here- 9.95 will get you a pound of regular 'gourmet' coffee that will make a hell of a lot more than 12 cups. On the other hand 12 cups of coffee from a coffee shop will cost a hell of a lot more than $9.95.

Via is going to be perfect for when I am traveling- hotel coffee is vile but that silly little pot in my room will make hot water just fine. Ditto for camping- the convenience far outweighs the cost. It's also perfect for when I want just one cup of coffee in the afternoon.

So after 70 years of attempts at instant coffee, Starbucks has finally done it right. I'm STOKED! Or maybe still buzzed from my sample-cup...
_________________
"Then one night as my car was going backwards through a cornfield at 90mph I had an epiphany..."

Faith is belief despite a lack of evidence. Belief despite the evidence isn't faith; it's self-delusion.

[Hugh Fuller]

Well, Starbuck's Via instant coffee has made it to the East Coast at last and I've tried it. While I generally do not like Starbuck's coffees as they a all appear to be roasted the same and they taste the same no matter the beans used. But the Via coffee has a very distinct flavor that I truly like. Good job, Starbucks.

[Christopher T. Hsu]

Hmm... now you guys have got me interested... I'll have to try it next time I get a chance.

[Michael S. Rivet]

Coffee! Ack! Ick! Bleh!