In Honor of the Titans, Starbucks Declares a Code Brew
You wanna have some fun? Walk up to your favorite Starbucks barista and ask about their new instant coffee. Odds are that their eyes will glaze over as they enter the marketing trance that comes from hours of corporate indoctrination.
"It's not instant coffee. It's micro ground Ready Brew."
"No, I'm talking about your new Via product. Y'know, the stuff that's instant coffee like Sanka."
"Sir...it'snotSankait'smicrogroundReadyBrew."
Indeed it is. Starbucks latest venture is their entree into the instant coffee market. Nescafé can please the whole wide world, but we American coffee snobs have a prejudice against the stuff. Enter Via.
Made from the same Arabica beans that provide your normal morning jolt, Via goes through a proprietary micro grinding process that preserves the oils and flavors that were traditionally destroyed in instant coffees. Conveniently packaged in single-serving foil packs and three pack envelopes, Via would be easy to toss in your desk drawer at work or in your lunch box.
The powder has some of the slightly over-toasted (impolitely, "burned") aroma which characterizes Starbucks beans. The cuppa process couldn't be simpler: pour Via in a mug, add 8 oz. hot water and stir. The grounds dissolve completely leaving no trace at the bottom of the cup. There is a little bit of grittiness in the mouth feel of the coffee and I felt like my tongue was left with a coating of primer after drinking my first cup. But it was on a Sunday morning after a late night, so there's that...
What about the taste? In a word, it's weak. The Medium roast Colombia brew suffered worse than the Extra Bold Italian. If your expectations are that it will match up with a Café Américano made from a well-pulled shot (or three) of espresso, you're going to be disappointed. But if you're not a great home brewer, like I'm not, at about a buck a cup Via is an acceptable alternative to no coffee at all.
The concept behind the product is to be able to provide a Starbucks coffee experience to you when you're on the go and not near a traditional Starbucks outlet. Then again, besides a hiking trip to Big South Fork where would you be where you're not near a Starbucks?
Hell, they opened a Starbucks in the bathroom of the Starbucks in my neighborhood.
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