That Coffee Shop & Their Latest Attempt

Stopped in this morning at That Coffee Shop (sometimes referred to as Starbucks) for a tall morning pick and the first pumpkin scone of the season (probably the last of the season as well if I want to maintain, or should I say attain, a fit and trim figure). Today's marketing plan apparently was to give out as many sample of the new Via instant coffee as possible.

My grimace at the mere mention of "instant coffee" was enough to launch the barista on a persuasion pitch to get me to try Via. Yeah, I thought it was a bad idea too...instant? gross!...but you'll be surprised...try it...really...etc...etc. So I walked out this morning with a sample of Via in hand.

Then this afternoon I'm thinking it's time for a hot drink so back to the breakroom I go to boil water in the electric tea kettle and give the Via a test run. I was expecting the large grounds that you get in a jar of other brands' instant coffee and was surprised to pour finely ground coffee out of the packet. Nice.

I.actually.liked.it. Gulp. Not good enough to replace a real brewed or French-pressed cup, but if you're desperate and not near a coffeemaker or French press it's definitely a good thing to have on hand. I'm thinking that Via would be perfect for camping and backpacking. No more dragging along the old metal percolator or French press. No more dumping coffee grounds in the forest (oh, uh, who me?).

For those of you who don't like strong coffee, a.k.a. Starbucks' bitter dark-roasted beans, you'll probably be able to get two cups of coffee out of one packet of Via.