Customer Reviews

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee by Starbucks Coffee

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I tried VIA when it first came out. I tried it the traditional route--as a hot cup o' java. I did not like it. Not this roast and not the Columbian (which was so weak, why bother).

So, it's hot. It's summer. I normally hit Starbucks after the gym for my fave iced sugar free vanilla latte. I saw the ad for the iced coffee VIA, but it has sugar. I don't want sugar. So, it hit me, why not try making iced coffee from the regular VIA. (duh, should have thought of that sooner). I bought a 3-packer (like this one shown in image).

It was amazing. 2% milk (about a cup), ice, Starbucks sugar free vanilla syrup (I buy it at my local Starbucks), in a blender bottle and shake, shake, shake. It comes out frothy and delicious. FOr me, I like it BETTER than my habitual 2 to 3x a week fix of it at the store. Because you add the VIA to the milk and the milk is cold and the instant coffee is not hot (like espresso), there is NO DILUTION. It makes for a much more flavorful, less watery, iced latte. OH MY GOSH SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.

Now, my problem is not having three lattes a day, instead of three a week. Seriously. I'm a junkie now. (And I have coffee everyday, but my homebrew is so much better than Starbuck's that I don't get hot coffee there, I just used to like the convenience--still do--of grabbing a fast latte after exercising. I have a great coffee set-up at home with Paradise Roasters and Terroir gourmet single origins and a Technivorm and a Barratza burr grinder and filtered water pitcher, so really, now that I can make a fast latte at home and take it with me to the Pilates studio and put in the fridge there until I'm done, I may not be visiting the Starbucks as much, except to get my fave protein plate now and then and stock up on VIA.)

The product is crazy overpriced. What...more than five bucks for what's 3 servings? How sick is that? Buy it at the store unless the price is dropped. That's crazy.

But, nummy latte.

So, if iced lattes are you vice of choice, might wanna consider this. And if you don't want sugar, skip the one they're pushing now in the blue packaging and buy the unsweetened.

And I just slurped one after dinner (latte that is). Addictive. (Er, literally, I guess.) But at least I'm getting my calcium. :D

This price is much better than the other one I reviewed on Amazon (by another supplier). But I still think it's overpriced. Once you pour out all those servings, it's just a few teaspoons of instant coffee. Amazon would move tons of this if they priced it more reasonably.

This is the best instant coffee that I have ever tasted. The price is a bit steep at just a little less that $1 a cup but for anyone who cares about taste, it's worth it.

I bought this to try for camping since I normally do Starbucks drip coffee at home but wasn't sure what access I'd have to coffee and didn't want to drive to a town to get it. It was great! Nothing like other instant coffees. I saved my extra packets after my trip and have used them when I ran out of ground coffee at home for my "backup" plan. It's expensive for instant but so much better than driving in to a coffee shop on a Sunday morning when I'm out! For camping/travel it can't be beat. We are the type who road trips with a camp stove, tent, cooler etc and stop where we are ready to stop, hotel or campground or what we may find. Heat up some water in a hotel microwave or over a camp stove, it doesn't matter with this stuff. Love it!

I brought a box of these along on an overseas trip so that I could start the day with a reasonable cup of coffee before I left my hotel room. Very good for instant coffee. I purchased the Italian roast & will do so again. Not as good as my French press, but much more convenient when traveling.

This coffee is very close to the brewed form of Starbucks coffee. This is such a better alternative to the push-button coffee cartridge machines I typically visit at work.

This is a poor excuse for coffee - even for instant coffee. I was looking forward to trying it after hearing good things on the web - unfortunately, I was disappointed. I tried this coffee using the specified instructions, and also tried using less water. The best I can say of it is that it is weak garbage. It is almost like drinking hot water - but with a foul taste that will leave you longing for a real cup of coffee. If you want fast coffee, allow me to suggest a Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System instead.

I haven't been able to find Via in any store that sells starbucks coffee (Big chain stores not actual Starbuck stores). So, to try it, I had to order it through Amazon. This instant coffee tastes like instant coffee. The only way I would ever use it would be to add it to a weak cup of regular coffee to make a stronger brew. At least this way the "instant " taste goes away and I can enjoy a strong cup of coffee without my friends having to brew their weak coffee my way. I won't be buying this product. By the way, I ordered the instant Italian Roast. If you like strong coffee like I do, but hate the "instant coffee" taste, don't bother purchasing. I read the favorable reviews and truly hoped I would be just as impressed. Sadly, I was disappointed. Live and learn.

Perfect for travel and the bold Italian is my favorite. It is very bold though so if you like a milder coffee it isn't for you.

I am a plebeian as far as home-brewed coffee is concerned. My first coffeemaker deposited itself at the kitchen counter less than 12 months ago, after 30+ years of ground bean indifference. And it's a mini Mr. Coffee, to boot. So, I do not consider my coffee buds in any way honed or refined by home schooling. However, I do indulge in professionally prepared coffee at the many excellent outlets NYC provides and must say that the Starbucks instant comes close to a cup of coffee sold by a local Java parlor. The little packet is also a whole lot more potent than a cup of average Joe at the local deli -- I'd love to see what the actual caffeine content of the single portion is. Having said that, I can hardly justify the price of this new instant variant. The best deals on these are generally offered by Starbucks site itself and god forbid, one decides to check out prices at the local Target -- it's actually more expensive to buy Starbucks instant there than anywhere else!

This last summer we had an extended trip from Missouri, across Kansas, and then to Denver. As a Seattle area native, I'm used to great coffee on practically every corner and daily lattes are my favorite splurge. (Hey, I also give 10% of my income to good causes, so I'm not TOTALLY decadent.)
I'm sure someone on here can tell me they exist in the midwest, but I didn't find a place for over a week with a decent cup of coffee, and while I know on a scale with world peace that isn't a tragedy, I LOVE coffee.
From the freeway as we came into the Denver area, I spotted a Starbuck's sign and begged that we leave the freeway and find it. When I told the barista at Starbuck's about no good coffee for a week, she introduced me to Via packets I could carry in my luggage or even purse.
I was totally sceptical that instant coffee would be drinkable, and then completely won over when I tried it. I don't know how Starbuck's managed it, but Via smells good, tastes good, and is incredibly convenient and easy to use. It goes with me everywhere I travel now.
On mornings when I don't head for my neighborhood latte stand, I add Via straight to hot milk and get a very (relatively) inexpensive treat. I seem to be doing this more and more, and saving a lot of money doing this. If you thought instant couldn't be good, suggest you try Via.