ziplaufwerk II

Can you also buy them in other countries?

dave-b

Not a big fan of instant, but I may have to try the decaf version. I don't drink decaf often enough to keep beans on hand, but every once in a while I want a nice cup with dessert and have to get up early the next AM.

anonplz

I bought my initial 3-dose sample from the rest stop on the Garden State Parkway, halfway between NYC and Philly, and liked it so much, I went on to Amazon and bought a couple boxes from them - 12 doses for about $10, IIRC. ^

noneemac

Excellent suggestion! That's great, both for me (in similar situations) and for my occasional dinner guest who asks for decaf. Thanks for the idea!

noneemac

Ahh: rest area pricing!

BTW, I see how you roll: "doses" -- LOL!

Shareholder

Has anyone tried these (I believe there are two varieties, French and Italian roasts)? Was thinking of getting some to use while traveling. I can seldom get a decent cup of coffee to brew in hotel rooms (unless there's a capsule machine, Kurig or Nespresso) even if the coffee is from a major brand. So figure if VIA is any good, I can at least boil water! (I like a full bodied coffee first thing in the morning, not the bland mild stuff most hotels offer up.)

kipper

You mean Starbucks Via? I keep a box in my desk at work for the odd time when we run out of real coffee.

For instant coffee, it's actually pretty drinkable.

Shareholder

Oops, I stand corrected. It is VIA not VIVA. We call our AMTRAK up here VIA, so bit of name confusion.

Sounds promising. I find the packets of instant in most higher end European hotels reasonably good, though I often use one-and-a-half to get up to the strength level I prefer. Suppose I'll spring for a box next time I go grocery shopping or pass by a Starbucks.

geo1005

This is my feeling as well. It's a quick fix when decent coffee isn't to be found. And yes, I take a few when traveling and use the hotel coffee pot to make hot water to mix. ^

gfunkdave

+1

It's the best instant coffee I've tried - and in any case certainly better than the brown water that is so often passed off as coffee.

jdtravel

Definitely surprisingly good for instant coffee. I take Via on trips for times that brewed coffee isnt an easy option.

rjkgr

i actually hate coffee but having starbucks before work now actually makes my day a lot better than without starbucks

jettsett

For several years Starbucks made Via Ready Brew instant coffee packets in Caramel and Mocha flavors. If you never tried them, you missed a gem because Starbucks quit making them. I'm trying to figure out why. The coffee was delicious; not too sweet, and, as good as, if not better than, in-store lattes. And (major bonus), it always tasted the same. In-store drinks can vary widely from day to day. The packets were super transportable and weighed almost nothing so they were great to take on cruises, camping, reunions, Machu Picchu and everywhere else. I took them all over the world. All you needed was a cup of hot water.

We took 20+ packets on a cruise. We shared a few with our table mates. They apparently shared them with others. We had strangers asking where on the ship we got them. Our table mates (from China) asked us to send them all we could get after the cruise. We did.

Sometime this year, Starbucks discontinued them. If I had known this coffee was coming to an end, I would have tried to buy a lifetime supply, literally. Once you tried them, that smooth, strong coffee flavor with just a hint of caramel hooked you good. They were such a treat!

Once I discovered they had been discontinued, I tried to find something similar. Five months later, I have discovered there isn't anything even close. Starbucks replaced them with a dairy version (mocha and vanilla, no caramel) that is bulkier, doesn't taste as good and has about 15% of your recommended daily saturated fat in each cup. The old ones had sugar but no fat. No one else makes anything close either. I've tried a couple dozen different products and combinations of products, including flavorings, flavored coffees, creamers, etc. Nothing comes close and they're all more complicated to make and don't travel easy.

I'm sure this product was a sliver of Starbucks' annual revenue but my search has led me to discover there was a loyal group of devotees who were as sad as I was when it disappeared from the shelves.

I wasn't sure where to vent my despair. The packets were such a travel staple for me that this forum seemed logical. The Starbucks site seems like talking to a wall. Plus, the FT crowd "gets" things like this. If anyone can help, or knows anyone who knows anyone at Starbucks who might care, I'd love you forever. - Just drinking water in Houston

Doc Savage

Reminds me of "spongeworthy."

Seek out all that you can find online, etc., so you can have them when there is a "viaworthy" person in your life.