Instant coffee doesn’t find much interest here in the U.S. But Europeans don’t seem to have a problem with it. They even have what is called “luxurious” instant coffee. I think instant coffee is great, it’s easy and convenient way to enjoy coffee.

The world of instant coffee is much more then I realized. In Asian markets you can usually find many brands and selections of instant coffee. They are mostly imported from Thailand, Vietnam, and China. The packets even come with sugar and powder milk. But the powder milk they use is made with hydrogenated oils. I suggest they use only pure milk powder with no hydrogenation. It’s a matter of healthy eating.

This is Starbuck’s instant coffee, VIA.  It took them 20 years to come up with the perfect cup. It is a strong cup. This is the 3 pack that retails for $4.99 at Amazon.  I think the price went up, as it use to be $2.95 for 3 packs. Definitely not cheap compare to other instant coffee brands.

Starbuck is advertising these as being just as good as a cup of fresh brew. Starbuck’s PR - “There’s never been an instant like this. With Starbucks VIATM Ready Brew, at last there’s an instant coffee you can enjoy at home that’s as good as fresh-brewed Starbucks coffee.”

M won’t drink instant coffee, unless he’s out of coffee beans. But I don’t mind instant coffee at all. It’s great when you only want one cup. Also great if you are on the road or out on a hike.

Starbuck’s VIA instant coffee is more like fine powder. They refer to it as microground coffee. The one I tried is Columbian roast.  For a tea drinker like myself, this was a very strong cup! I now break up the small packets and can make 3 cups of coffee.

Nice and dark cup of instant coffee.  People who like Starbuck’s fresh brew really do like this instant. I wonder how the sales for these are going for Starbuck’s.

But the wise buy is Trader’s Joe instant coffee, it’s less then $5 per jar.  I actually like this cup much more.  I only use half a teaspoon, add some skim milk and agave syrup.  Makes a perfect cup every time!

History of Instant Coffee:

“The first soluble “instant” coffee was invented in 1901 by Japanese-American chemist Satori Kato of Chicago. It was not marketed commercially until the launch of Nescafe in 1938. The quality and diversity of instant coffee have grown dramatically over the years, and we can make a good cup of coffee from today’s products. Instant coffee has a number of advantages over fresh brewed coffee, including ease and convenience. It stays fresher longer, it is hard to damage the flavour, however hard you try, and most of all it is fast, cheap and clean.

Instant coffee is manufactured, just like any other coffee, from ground beans. The first stage involves the preparation of a coffee concentrate from which the water is removed, either by heat, known as spray dried, or by freezing, to produce a soluble powder or granules. During the process of dehydration, the coffee essences may be lost, but these are captured and returned to the processed coffee.” - ICO