Starbucks Via Instant Coffee, Caramel Iced Coffee, 3.28 Pound

I’ve been looking for a good “instant” coffee for camping and hiking. My main requirements were that it had to be in very light weight single serve waterproof packets and, of course, taste good. Pretty much all instant coffees can be found in single serve waterproof packets; however, the second part is questionable, especially compared to a good fresh grind pour over.But, when on the trail, I still need a good cup of joe, even if it’s cold instant. So, I read a heap of reviews, and picked out some of the highest rated (Starbucks VIA Instant Pikes Place Medium Roast, and Mount Hagen Fairtrade Organic Instant, 25 packets for $9.95 -about 40 cents a packet), and threw in some Café Bustelo Espresso Instant Coffee someone had picked up at the local supermarket for comparison. Also bought some Starbucks VIA Instant Caffe Latte just for funzies.- Starbucks VIA Instant Pikes Place Medium Roast, 8 packets for $5.98 or about $1.23 a packet (though you can get larger 50 count packs to get the cost down to around 80 cents a packet)- Starbucks VIA Instant Caffe Latte, 5 packets for $5.08 - $1.02 a packet- Mount Hagen Fairtrade Organic Instant, 25 packets for $9.95 -40 cents a packetOver several days, my daughter and I tried the various coffees black, with half-and-half, with half-and-half and sugar, and with some Coffee Mate liquid creamer. We also compared this to some of our ground coffee. Each time, we used one packet for one cup of water.Final verdict pretty much reflected the online reviews I had read. The Starbuck’s was the best and as good or better than a store-bought ground coffee, but still not as good as fresh ground. It was surprisingly tasty with a rich roasted slightly nutty flavor. The Mount Hagen was a close second, but had a slightly tart aftertaste like some Ethiopian Kochere coffees I’ve had -good if you like that kind of thing. We thought the Mount Hagen was just slightly weak as well, but we are partial to bolder darker roast coffees. The Mount Hagen also seemed sensitive to getting the water too hot and developing a slightly burnt taste. That’s important to me, as you can’t control the water temp too well on the trail. The Café Bustelo espresso was a weak third to the Starbucks and Mount Hagen. I know a lot of people like it, but Café Bustelo, IMHO, is somewhat of an acquired taste. If you’re cost conscious and just want a “decent” cup of coffee, I’d say go for the Mount Hagen as it’s less than half the cost of the Starbucks or Café Bustelo. If you want an instant that’s closer to a good ground drip coffee, then spend a little more and get the Starbucks.The Starbucks Caffe Latte was not up to our expectations as far as a latte goes. It was more like a thick hot chocolate with just a hint of coffee taste. The single packets were just too much for one cup of water as it’s just too thick and almost chalky like that. I would not recommend, if you’re looking for a Caffe Latte with a good milk and coffee flavor. But mixing it with one and a half cups of water made a decent hot chocolate.

My favorite is the Italian Roast. I never liked 'instant' until I tried this.This might sound a bit odd, but I love this even more iced (or at least chilled). I needed to go spend the day visiting an ailing relative at the hospital a couple of years ago. I dreaded not being near some decent coffee. I got the idea to pour a packet into a bottle (16oz) of water that I was taking along. At least I would have some coffee with me, right. How bad could it be? It was great!!Let me say that it takes a while (5-6 minutes) to dissolve and mix properly. I usually open the bottle, take a small sip of water (leaves a bit more room for 'shaking'), add the packet, shake, and then let it sit a couple of minutes before shaking again. Instant cold coffee. I later tried the Starbuck's Iced Coffee packets, but those are way too sweet for me. I do not like it sweetened. Those are made to dissolve quickly, but I would rather shake a little longer and wait a few minutes to have this Italian Roast.Of course, you could just add the VIA to a small glass of water, stir, and add ice (which I do if I am home).I find I use the 'bottle method' whenever I will be away from the house for hours. For me, I use a purse which fits a water bottle perfectly and it's nice to have. It's also very convenient to throw a few packets of VIA in my purse while I am traveling or away from the house all day just to have with me. You can get water anywhere, but not always a decent coffee.I realize the review should be ALL about the coffee, but I think anyone looking to purchase this product can be pretty confindent by the *star* rating that the taste is good. It is! I just wanted to add that Starbuck's made a customer of me BECAUSE of their VIA Ready Brew and not because I stand in line in one of their stores trying to figure out how to order a coffee. lol! Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee (50 count) March 2014...UPDATE:I purchase this Via Italian Roast all the time from Amazon. I love it! Cold! I just wanted to add, that when I order this through Amazon, it is shipped directly from Starbucks. In the 12-15 Boxes of Via I have ordered over the years, it is always fresh ... well within code. Only once did I receive a box that had an expiration date maybe 3 months out. Fine for me. I told you I love this Via!

Every morning I just boil a bit of water in an electric kettle, mix with one packet of Colombian Via, or over ~1 cup of ice in a tall glass then fill the remainder (half) with Oatly Barista Oat Milk shaken. If you want to make it exactly like Starbucks basis do, add brown sugar to the hot coffee. (And use via espresso if you prefer it stronger).

In my opinion the packets don't taste great on their own in iced water (it's a bit too bitter for my taste) and need their own additions. If you like iced coffee that's more on the bitter side with a hint of sugar then these would be perfect for you on their own, but personally that's just not me.However, these taste WONDERFUL in milk. Literally just pour a glass of milk in a cup, pour one of these packets in, and you're in heaven. It tastes very similar to an iced Starbucks coffee you'd get in store, with a bold coffee flavor but a nice mellow sugary finish. They're my favorite type of coffee to have in the morning.My only complaint is the price point. These taste WONDERFUL, don't get me wrong, but $30 for ten packets? That's insane! These taste great, but not great enough to warrant $3 per individual package! The ridiculous price point is why my review is only 4 stars. Beyond that though, this coffee's great!

I packed these for a trip where I didn’t know if I would have access to coffee. They are slightly sweet but not overly. No cream/milk. They are fabulous for travel, all you need is a bit of cold water and ideally some ice and a thermos cup.

Miss the online Starbucks sales. Always the best prices.

It’s not Starbucks’ outer packaging. It’s different from the outer packaging in the picture. It’s other simple packaging. I’m a bit suspicious of the taste. However, my husband has already opened it, so I didn’t return it.

The taste, an flavor can’t be beat.

Los palabras se usan por este descripción son falsas.

Very disappointed I paid so much -

Beware: paying for ONLY 12 cups of coffee. That is about $6 per cup of coffee. Other seller are at $1 per coffee - Beware.

Photo clearly states 12 packets. Arrived today and only 8 packets! False advertsing and way over priced!!!!

Much as I like Starbuck's Instand Dark Italian roast, I was not used to the packaging that showed up. The packages of 8 'tubes' of coffee are fine, but I've gotten used to 12 of those tubes in a package from a Startuck's coffee outlet. The format of the packages I just received from ebay seems different, too. I'm suspecting they might be packages that have been stored for a long time. I don't know.