Duplicate for Starbucks Via instant coffee
April 19, 2024 11:36 PM Subscribe
I occasionally have the need to make an instant cup of coffee. My favourite instant coffee is the "Via" packets that Starbucks sells. However, I find them to be a) expensive b) wasteful as it's individual foil sachets. But all the other instant coffee I've ever tried doesn't taste quite the same. So is it possible to get something very close in taste, in a larger container?
I've never been able to find that Starbucks sells Via in a large container and when I google it I just get a blog post from 10+ years ago saying it's coming soon. In fact, it doesn't seem like Starbucks sells any instant coffee powder in a large container in a supermarket (at least here in the UK? I only ever see flavoured ones and the sachets).
I don't think I have a very sophisticated palate (as you can probably tell from this question...) so I'm not sure I can define what the taste is that I like. It just doesn't seem to taste like Nescafe Gold and Azera, Kenco, the Costa-brand instant that supermarkets sell, or any of the other ones I've recently tried. I guess there must be something about the way that they make it that's different - does anyone know and like a similar-tasting instant coffee?
Ideally available in the UK but if it's US-based I am actually going over this summer so I could smuggle something back.
P.S. For the purposes of this question it's only instant coffee I'm interested in, like the powder you add hot water to and that's it! I am aware there are ways to make much nicer cups of coffee (and I do)...it's just that sometimes I only have time/facilities to make a cup of instant and I'm sick of those single-serve sachets...thank you very much!
I've never been able to find that Starbucks sells Via in a large container and when I google it I just get a blog post from 10+ years ago saying it's coming soon. In fact, it doesn't seem like Starbucks sells any instant coffee powder in a large container in a supermarket (at least here in the UK? I only ever see flavoured ones and the sachets).
I don't think I have a very sophisticated palate (as you can probably tell from this question...) so I'm not sure I can define what the taste is that I like. It just doesn't seem to taste like Nescafe Gold and Azera, Kenco, the Costa-brand instant that supermarkets sell, or any of the other ones I've recently tried. I guess there must be something about the way that they make it that's different - does anyone know and like a similar-tasting instant coffee?
Ideally available in the UK but if it's US-based I am actually going over this summer so I could smuggle something back.
P.S. For the purposes of this question it's only instant coffee I'm interested in, like the powder you add hot water to and that's it! I am aware there are ways to make much nicer cups of coffee (and I do)...it's just that sometimes I only have time/facilities to make a cup of instant and I'm sick of those single-serve sachets...thank you very much!
Recent article comparing supermarket instant coffees - in Australia but there might be some overlap:
Australian supermarket instant coffee taste test: the worst is ‘what we’ll drink during the apocalypse’.
posted by lulu68 at 12:17 AM on April 20 [2 favorites]
Australian supermarket instant coffee taste test: the worst is ‘what we’ll drink during the apocalypse’.
posted by lulu68 at 12:17 AM on April 20 [2 favorites]
Funny you should ask this - I was perusing supermarket instant coffee the other day and saw a small tin of Starbucks instant. They don’t call it VIA, but the ingredients are the same. Looks like it’s available in three roast levels.
posted by dbmcd at 12:25 AM on April 20 [4 favorites]
posted by dbmcd at 12:25 AM on April 20 [4 favorites]
Me: not in Australia, don't drink Starbucks.
That said, have you ever tried instant espresso? She's not like other instant coffees, she's different.
I have an undying fondness specifically for Cafe Bustelo brand instant espresso. I like to put it directly into cold milk. So good.
I've also had Medaglia D'Oro occasionally but I don't like it quite as much as the Cafe Bustelo, and it's more expensive.
posted by phunniemee at 4:06 AM on April 20 [7 favorites]
That said, have you ever tried instant espresso? She's not like other instant coffees, she's different.
I have an undying fondness specifically for Cafe Bustelo brand instant espresso. I like to put it directly into cold milk. So good.
I've also had Medaglia D'Oro occasionally but I don't like it quite as much as the Cafe Bustelo, and it's more expensive.
posted by phunniemee at 4:06 AM on April 20 [7 favorites]
Mt Hagan is a very popular instant. I use their decaf when I want a late afternoon coffee. It's a a very smooth mellow flavor, maybe a medium roast? It's not as bold as your standard Starbucks brew.
posted by newpotato at 4:19 AM on April 20 [5 favorites]
posted by newpotato at 4:19 AM on April 20 [5 favorites]
Seconding Mt Hagan, which claims it’s organic and fair trade. Available in jars and also in boxes of sachets (the “sticks” like VIA). An excellent emergency carry for travel. Two regular sticks in one cup of water. Also comes in decaf.
posted by xaryts at 5:34 AM on April 20 [1 favorite]
posted by xaryts at 5:34 AM on April 20 [1 favorite]
Nescafe espresso gold is actually pretty good especially if you make it expresso strength. And I don't normally like instant coffee
posted by canoehead at 6:07 AM on April 20 [2 favorites]
posted by canoehead at 6:07 AM on April 20 [2 favorites]
Oh oh oh.... I just enjoyed 17 days in London drinking douwe egberts instant every day. It was lovely!!! We got the pure gold (mediim roast) at Waitrose and really enjoyed it. While I've not had Starbucks via I do drink Starbucks medium roast several times a week. It's certainly not the same but was similar and most importantly very very good. The standard sized glass jar lasted 2 of us have 2 or 3 cups a day for the whole time so call it like 50 cups?
posted by chasles at 6:12 AM on April 20
posted by chasles at 6:12 AM on April 20
Mt Hagan is a very popular instant. I use their decaf when I want a late afternoon coffee. It's a a very smooth mellow flavor, maybe a medium roast? It's not as bold as your standard Starbucks brew.
Of what I can get here in the US, I think Mt Hagan is one of the best. It doesn't have the "gritty" coffee dust effect of Starbucks Via, but it is still much more coffee-ish than most instants. (Personally I prefer Nescafe Classico most of all, and I am drinking it while typing this, but I'd never defend it as good coffee per-se.)
The US Starbucks website shows jars of instant coffee, but they aren't labeled as "Via" so you'd have to test how it compares.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:36 AM on April 20 [1 favorite]
Of what I can get here in the US, I think Mt Hagan is one of the best. It doesn't have the "gritty" coffee dust effect of Starbucks Via, but it is still much more coffee-ish than most instants. (Personally I prefer Nescafe Classico most of all, and I am drinking it while typing this, but I'd never defend it as good coffee per-se.)
The US Starbucks website shows jars of instant coffee, but they aren't labeled as "Via" so you'd have to test how it compares.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:36 AM on April 20 [1 favorite]
I know quite a few people who are coffee snobs (their words) who love Davidoff instant.
posted by Ftsqg at 7:22 AM on April 20 [1 favorite]
posted by Ftsqg at 7:22 AM on April 20 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses so far! To be clear - while I'm happy to take recommendations for what's "good" high-quality instant coffee (and will definitely give some of these a try if I can find them), I'm not saying the Via packets are necessarily the best cup of instant coffee there is...just that there's something about that taste I really like so I'm trying to find what is the most similar to that. It may be a secret known only to Starbucks corporate headquarters but a girl can try.
posted by cpatterson at 9:28 AM on April 20
posted by cpatterson at 9:28 AM on April 20
Cafe Bustelo instant espresso is really good. But for my day-to-day instant, Walmart's Great Value medium-dark roast Columbian (made from Arabica beans) is top-notch. Yes, really.
posted by lhauser at 11:36 AM on April 20
posted by lhauser at 11:36 AM on April 20
I absolutely adore the Korean instant coffees, particularly the Maxim White Gold because it contains creamer and sugar already. The little sachets go in my purse or backpack and it's my go to for camping or travel because I just need hot water. And I legit cannot tell the difference between it and brewed from most restaurants. You can even get a sample pack from Amazon to see which you like best.
posted by teleri025 at 12:34 PM on April 23
posted by teleri025 at 12:34 PM on April 23
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It's pretty clearly the competitor that Nestlé attempted to take on when they introduced Nescafé Gold.
They failed.
posted by flabdablet at 12:03 AM on April 20 [2 favorites]