Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee Packets, Single Serve, Medium Roast Coffee, Pike Place Roast, 96 Packets ​

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 packet Over 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.

Great 👍 👌 product and easy, convenient and great for taking everywhere. The 96 packet package is an awesome deal for the price especially, with their signature Pike's Place coffee ☕️ flavor! Great quality!

I enjoy this flavor of coffee. Each packet makes a small cup. It is convenient and easy to use great for when traveling just need a source of hot water..

good coffee. arrived in a timely manner. hopefully this site will not block this review as they did another review of mine, believing my content to be spam or AI spam....

Giving this a 5 stars because it exceeded my expectations. We always have Starbucks Columbia instant coffee in the house and we switched to pike because it was cheaper ( about 65 cents per coffee), and oh my goodness, it tastes so much better than Columbia instant coffee! The aroma matches the in store as well as the taste, we really enjoy it especially for its value!

This is a must have for foodies & coffee drinkers. I keep them in my purse and travel bag. It gives an average cup from the restaurant a little kick. I've also made ice coffee at the airport.

Second time buying! Perfect for rhose quick cups of coffee!

Coffee. It’s a very personal thing, no? As for me, I love (and may be somewhat addicted to) Starbucks Via. It started when I was often deployed in disaster response missions. I usually had a means to make hot water, but when I didn’t, this stuff can be made by pouring it into a bottle of water. Couple of shakes - caffeine! The consistency is a very fine powder. The flavor is great (to my tastebuds.), but I offer this caveat/warning. One morning - around 0330 - when deployed for Hurricane Sandy, I woke up, got squared away, and proceeded to prepare my Via. Being a macho dude, I ripped the top off the tubular packet with my front teeth. That’s where things went sideways. As I said, the consistency is of a very fine powder. As I ripped the top off the packet, I squeezed it just a little too hard. I blasted about half the coffee straight up my right nostril. After doing the boogaloo around my trailer for about five minutes, I finally regained my sight and my ability to breathe. So, consider yourselves warned: snorting Starbucks Pike Place Blend Via instant coffee is NOT how you want to start your day. On the upside: I didn’t need another cup of joe for the rest of the day…