Starbucks Via Ready Brew 3

In the broader context of coffee, Starbucks Via isn't great, but pitted against other instant coffees it wins by a longshot.

I bought a package of the Italian Roast to keep in the office since it's far more convenient than making a pot of real coffee, and a hell of a lot cheaper than venturing out for espresso. It is suitably dark and robust, a bit too acidic, and apparently requires a stirrer despite being ground to a fine powder because the bottom of the cup got a little thick. I added soy milk and it needed it.

In the advertising for Starbucks Via, they state that taste tests conclude that most people can't taste the difference between this product and the coffee they sell in their stores. This is probably true for me as well, but only because I find their standard coffee brewed in the store to be a bit burnt tasting and generally uninspired. They certainly haven't set the bar high for me :P

I wonder if this product launch will achieve their goal of capturing a bigger swath of the market or if it will backfire and confirm more folks' suspicion that Starbucks coffee is merely overpriced commodity-coffee at its heart.