Starbucks is now selling their new Instant Coffee, called “Via,” in their regular stores. They are also marketing the new, more convenient coffee by doing “Taste Challenges” in each store.
What is the Taste Challenge? It is involves tasting unmarked samples of regular coffee alongside Via and then (the challenge) you have to guess which is which.
I took the challenge… and I guessed right! I felt like a real coffee connoisseur for a few minutes.
In this case, they were serving iced Via alongside iced coffee. I suspect that tasting the two coffees in a chilled form did not work in Via’s favor since super hot temperatures can throw off the taste buds, making it more difficult to discern the differences between different coffees.
In any case, I have to admin that Via is not that bad at all. According to the barista I spoke with, it is not made from freeze-dried coffee (as is the case with typical instant coffee). Via is actually regular, roasted coffee beans micro ground to dissolve (mostly) in water. This is a clever idea, though I could still tell the difference (well enough to guess right during the aforementioned taste challenge). I’m thinking that not going through a regular brewing process throws off the taste a bit. Still, it’s pretty good.
Drop by a Starbucks sometime soon if you want to get some free samples too!
The Via taste challenge is not difficult for me. Got it right.
I hung out in a Starbucks for about an hour today, and many people got tripped up by the taste test. I watched as many people couldn’t figure out which was Via. It’s a sign that Via tastes good enough to be confused with a drip brew, and not a sign that either flavor profile has some exquisite quality to them. Via is very very good for instant. Starbucks BEST beans, imho, are still the seasonal beauties of Sanani, Sun-Dried Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Aged Sumatra, and of course the core coffees Sumatra and Verona curl my toes too.
I took the challenge and I really didn’t care for it. I was actually in one of their testing groups. I got s*** loads of this stuff a few weeks back. They told me to give it our to friends and family. Then they had a focus group.
In the end they released it and I hope it works for them. I personally don’t care for it. As long as it’s free keep it coming, but I won’t personally buy it.
As far as instant coffee goes, I think the VIA is the best…but I find it amusing that they say that it tastes just like their regular coffees. Are they saying their coffees taste like instant?
I wish there was a Starbucks close to me…
I tried this one. Delicious. I was in Starbucks everyday for this.
I am in agreement with Mike. I said something similar in my blind tasting video review of VIA a few weeks ago. If I can’t tell the difference between brewed coffee and VIA then why would I pay top dollar for a coffee that doesn’t taste any better than instant? Though in my case I can totally tell the difference. But I do think it’s the best tasting instant I have had thus far.