the essence

Instant "coffee" is not coffee.

I've always firmly stood by this statement. Any true coffee lover must believe this, right?

However, when I was offered to receive samples of Starbucks new instant coffee I had to give it a try. I was slightly appalled that Starbucks had swung so far from its' coffee bean roasting roots in Pike Place by making instant coffee (okay, they swung far from that with all of the specialty drinks, which, by the way, are my favorite, but, whatever).

I received two samples in the mail, a bold roast & a medium roast. I like the bold variety & decided these samples called for a taste test. I'd heard fabulous things about Starbucks instant coffee, or "Starbucks Via Ready Brew" as they call it, and wanted to see if it really lived up to the hype.



I labeled the bottom of two of my coffee mugs, one "real" & one "fake."



I drip brewed my normal coffee, a Starbucks Espresso roast. I opened the packet of instant Italian roast & my first thought was, "this smells like old coffee." I heated water on the stove for the instant coffee and poured the brews into their respective mugs.



After adding appropriate amounts of cream & sugar & mixing up the mugs so I wouldn't know which was which, I picked one up & gave it a try.



After sampling both mugs of coffee, I ended up wanting to drink the...






INSTANT!

I was pleasantly surprised that it actually tasted good. It made a decent cup of coffee! I dare say that in my taste test the instant was just as tasty as the fresh "real" coffee. I would also most definitely drink the Via Brew before I'd drink a drip coffee made out of Maxwell House.

These packets would definitely be worth picking up if you're out on the go - road trip, camping, & the like.

Has anyone else tried it?