Starbuck's coffee is uniquely American. It may have its roots in Italy but ya know, I was a barista for a near decade and I like my lattes and coffee American style, not teeth staining Italian. Then again, I also like my pizza US style ;-) Italian coffee ain't 'all that'....

I've given up on coffee on the trail; I like mine as cafe au lait (half hot milk) and I find that any dried milk and hot water just don't mix. Cold reconstituted dried milk on cereal is fine, but hot is just awful. I like the convenience of not having to fire up the stove in the mornings (saves fuel weight, too!).

For instant at home (I drink only one cup per day and otherwise drink an herbal "coffee" called Teecino) I use Mt. Hagen Organic instant coffee, a German brand, available only in high-end health food stores. I really like it.

I haven't tried Via yet but am not particularly fond of St.Arbuck's coffee in general (too bitter and I swear they over-caffeinate it). I prefer to patronize locally owned espresso spots.

Your mileage will undoubtedly vary!

Edited by hikinggranny on 09/30/2009 16:40:03 MDT.

I like Via. I took enough packets with me to Philmont in July to have 2-3 every day for 10 mornings on the trail. I had a few to share with my son and others. It was easy compared to cowboy coffee -- faster, less mess. I am sold on Via for trail coffee. Now that free samples are available in many
Starbucks stores it is time to give it a try.

Had Via again this morning just to make sure my first packet wasn't just a fluke. It's not bad at all. Grantid, it's nothing like making your own in a coffee press or anything (and I'm more partial towards Peet's), but we are talking about dehydrated "trail coffee" and for that purpose, I think this stuff is REALLY good!

To me, it tastes like Starbucks drip, which isn't my first choice, but good enough.

Disclaimer: I also like Java Juice. And unlike Sar, I like my coffee to be able to stand up on its own!

I have heard rumors that Starbucks is going to come out with some different flavors of the Via, but I don't know how true that is.

.

Edited by annapurna on 05/02/2010 08:11:21 MDT.

thanks to the suggestions that via may be good enough for backcountry coffee. i tried a sample this evening and was pleasantly surprised that yes, it is FAR better than JavaJuice or Medaglia D'oro (or tasters choice, right)

if anything, that barista gave me a paper cup that might have influenced the taste most.. it is an instant.. who thought however that it is real beans, super fine grind and no chemical processees.

this is not going to out-do some of my Guatamalan Huehuetenango in a french press, but it will do just fine. the 8oz sample was plenty strong, just the way i like it.

thanks, Justin

I got on to see if anyone had thought to try this... and whoa! I am gonna go try this for myself in the morning! ...on my way back from Peet's, that is.

I picked up a bunch today for an upcoming weeklong trip. I whipped up a sample for myself this evening and was pleased. The coffee has a bit of an instant coffee aroma, but the taste is surprisingly good. Much closer to real coffee than instant coffee. It's not that different from regular Starbucks coffee. If anything, it's a bit easier to drink. There's less of that strong burnt taste that seems to exist in all Starbucks coffee.

It's hard to argue with the weight of this stuff too. It's just 4.2g for a one serving packet. That means you can get 7 cups of coffee on an ounce weight. I don't think I'm going to be lugging in freshly ground beans any more. For a week long trip, I used to have close to a pound of coffee along, since I drink it morning and evening. I'm going to be carrying about 2oz of coffee now instead of maybe 12oz.

When I made my sample cup this evening, I did use about 10 ounces of water and I found that a bit weak. Coffee lovers will probably want to go with 8 fluid ounces as per the instructions for a stronger brew. I know I will. This means that one packet does not make a lot of coffee, but I think I'll be able to live with 8oz worth in the morning. The alternative is making two packets, but that would be an awful lot of coffee unless you made it really strong using about 12oz of water.

This coffee dissolved impressively quickly which is great. Other instant coffee I've used in the past were a bit of a pain to get it all dissolved. The barista mentioned that it dissolves great even in cold water. So if you didn't want to heat water in the mornings but still wanted a caffeine fix, you could still have cold coffee. In the winter you could even make an iced coffee, but who wants that in the winter?

The only real downside to this stuff is the price. Here in Canada it's $12 for a 12 pack. They also sell this in 3 packs which I'm guessing are about $4.

One plus is that everything is already measured out for you in individual serving packets. This makes it easier to pack correctly and to avoid using up your coffee too early in the trip. No more guessing how many scoops of fresh grinds to bring for a trip.

Edited by dandydan on 10/04/2009 21:56:59 MDT.

Boy I'm glad I'm happy with Folger's Singles.

Joe, i'll send you a couple of packs of the VIA. gimme your address, you'll never drink Folgers again.

But I like drinking Folgers! Last thing I need is another expensive habit............like I tell my kids, I'm just gonna say no.......(as I go make my Americano with the computer controlled expresso maker my son brought home when he worked at Starbuck's)

You can order 48 servings from Starbucks on-line for $34.95. Around $0.72 per serving. Me, I like a big cup of strong coffee. I'll probably end up dumping 2 packs into ~12oz of water.

I saw the instant SBucks the other day. $10 for 12 single packets....... kinda steep. Plus I like my coffee really strong. I'd probly use 2 packets per cup. I don't recall any free samples though. I didn't buy it. I figured you all would be on it and I would wait for a review.

I usually use Tasters Choice, mostly because I'm lazy and there is no fuss with grounds and clean up and what not. Maybe I'll give this stuff a try.

I tried some today. One packet and 7 oz of water. Not bad. Certainly better than Folgers singles, and WAY better than any instant (I'll go without if instant is the only thing available). No where near as good as fresh brewed coffee (I'll still take fresh with me), but certainly drinkable.

One packet for 7 oz is not what I would consider all that strong. If you like really strong coffee you will want one per 4-6 oz.

It is really expensive. To make coffee as strong tasting as their brewed coffee it will cost as much to make it with "via". But it certainly is light. I'll probably take some along as "emergency" coffee. ;-)

Edited by Hitech on 10/09/2009 15:58:55 MDT.

After reading so many good comments about the Nescafe Espresso from the Netherlands I finally found some online and bought it, at great cost. I don't understand the enthusiasm for it. To me it just tastes like strong instant coffee. Same bitter off-taste that you find in most instants. I like the Maglia D'oro espresso much better. Put in just a bit of sugar to dampen the instant coffee off-flavor and it almost tastes like coffee. Good enough considering how much pack weight it saves.

Still waiting to try the Via. Somebody described it as being as good as Starbuck's regular coffee. That isn't much of a recommendation. Their coffee is OK, most of it seems over roasted and uninteresting.

For what it is worth, I roast my own coffee. And I always grind it just before making it. I don't know if that means I have a good appreciation for coffee, but I sure am picky.

BTW, putting freshly ground coffee in the zip bags you can find at the BPL, sorry, forgot what they are called, really helps maintain the flavor. Much better than your typical zip bag.

"Still waiting to try the Via. Somebody described it as being as good as Starbuck's regular coffee. That isn't much of a recommendation. Their coffee is OK, most of it seems over roasted and uninteresting. "

thank you!
rest assured you're not the only one who thinks it (sb) is over-rated.

the via is the best instant ive tried. medaglia, is better than javajuice and folgers and tasters choice and... but it is not as good as via.

is it worth 90¢ for an 8oz cup of coffee? for now, yes.


*how to end your $5 latte addiction*
buy a cuisinart dcc-1200 and a burr grinder. proceed to make fantastic coffee. (and DONT refrigerate your beans, ever)

Edited by mikeinfhaz on 10/09/2009 17:55:25 MDT.

Starbucks coffee is VERY overrated and overpriced, BUT... They make one heck of a good cup of INSTANT coffee. If you try and compare it to say, 100% blue mountain kona coffee then yes, you will be disapointed. But it's instant and it comes in a small and convienient package that I just mix with water and viola! good coffee. For the backcountry, I'll stick to Via. How gourmet do you need to be when you're wiping your bottom with twigs and rocks? Just food for thought...

I had Starbucks once.... and it was completely overpriced and it tasted like it had been on the warmer far too long... bleh. If their instant tastes like that I'll pass... not to mention I think the price is ridiculous. I think I'll go make a tea... lol.

I tried one of the free samples and the instant Starbucks is fine although, as someone posted earlier, Taster's Choice has a premium blend in the little 0.1 oz tubes that tastes just as good and it's cheaper.

You are right though. the coffee served at Starbucks is really lousy.