STARBUCKS VIA

I freely admit that I have a bit of a coffee obsession habit. It is not rare for me to think out loud something like, “Why does nobody make Irish Cream anymore?” quite melancholy about the situation. My work days revolve around what the bold brew at Starbucks is that day. If it is one of the many I love, the baristas know my order and start it when they see me, often times saying that they figured it was around the time I go in, so they just started a fresh pot (I love Starbucks Chelsea.)If it is one that I don’t like, I am talking to you Komodo Dragon brew, I must go and find an alternative for my coffee break. I know that you are thinking that there is no difference between coffee blends at the same chain but I can tell the difference, because along with savoring the beverage, I am also a coffee snob. Much like wine snobs, I never miss a tasting and enjoy swishing a trail in my mouth tasting the intricate flavors.

What I am getting at is I know good coffee when I drink it and I certainly know the crap as well. When I first tried Starbucks Via (instant coffee) I was less than impressed. It was fine but nothing amazing, I believe the phrase I used on the survey was “Drinkable Instant Coffee,” which I guess was my snobbish compliment. Recently, however, Via has introduced flavored variety and they are exquisite. When it comes to flavored coffee, I am usually not a fan, aside from the occasional cup of the now deceased Irish Cream, I find the stuff artificial and just plain “yuck.” Still, a free sample is a free sample so I tried Cinnamon- a tad too flavored for my taste, Caramel- I don’t even like caramel that much and all I wanted was more of it, and Vanilla- so good the snob who makes a pot a day bought instant coffee.

The product also comes in Mocha but I have a real issue with chocolate and coffee (two of my favorite things strangely enough) mixed together and, therefore refuse to try it. I believe that you can get all of the flavors as well as the original blend in decaf but I am not 100% sure of that because I really don’t get the point of decaf.