Love or hate Starbucks, your opinion is your own. However, they did do something right. So very right. This has been around for a few years now, but, if you’re not a ‘Bucker (or whatever the trendy kids that visit SB are calling themselves these days), or you live under a rock, or, 50 miles from civilization in a bunker, you may not know about it…

Starbucks came out with the perfect instant coffee – VIA. It comes in little packs (shown above) just like Crystal Light or any of the other “to go” powdered water enhancers or teas. Prior to VIA, when car camping, we’d go with a french press, or, when backpacking, some other instant coffee, the latter of which was always terrible. But this stuff is good. It’s not a fresh ground cup right from the counter, or your kitchen, but, it is a very, very close second.

I prefer their Italian Roast, but the Columbian is good too. I have not tried any of their other flavors as of yet, so I cannot report on them, but, I am guessing they are good as well, except for the decaf. I do not see any point in decaf coffee, but that’s just me 🙂

They are light too, at only 3.3 grams per package, so it will not load down your pack. And at around $30 for a box of 50, it is just 60 cents a cup.

So, if you haven’t tried VIA yet, you are missing out. You can generally buy them in smaller quantities at your local Starbucks, so you do not need to get a 50-pack to try them out.