Instant Coffee | Peak Hiking

Creamers and coffee As coffee lovers, Cathy and I usually start our morning with a cup of a fresh brewed Guatemalan whole bean -fair trade coffee. For us, our Guatemalan brew goes well with a bit of half and half and a touch of sugar to balance out any bitterness. There are a number of products these days that allow us coffee lovers to whip up a fresh pot of our favorite coffee while on the trail. One such item that caught my attention was Starbucks line of instant coffees. Lightweight and compact, these could be a very convenient way to pack coffee on our next backpacking trip. I know, “instant coffee, please!” It does bring back memories of my grandmother stirring hot water into Foldger’s Instant Crystals . So, to be fair, we decided this morning to try a little experiment. We took two pairs of different instant coffees from Starbucks and paired them up with 2 different packable creamers to see how they taste. I must admit, the results were surprising.

Here is what we tried:
Coffee
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Colombian coffee
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee

Creamer
Original Flavor Powdered Coffee Mate
Land O Lakes Mini Moo’s half & half

Sugar

The results are:

Coffee #1 – Colombian Roast instant coffee with Coffee-mate creamer (The taste is decent, not-so-exciting creamy and forgettable.)
Coffee #2 – Colombian Roast instant coffee with Land O Lakes cream (The taste is flat and undesirable.)
Coffee #3 – Italian Roast instant coffee with Coffee-mate (The taste is bold, aromatic and memorable.)
Coffee #4 – Italian Roast instant coffee with Land O Lakes cream (The taste is again flat, bold and aromatic. However, it made me want to go back to the one with Coffee-mate.)

In our opinion, the winner is: Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee with Origioinal Flavor Powedered Coffee Mate!

Wow, it’s not what I expected at all. I thought for sure that the Colombian coffee with real cream would taste best. But the Colombian Roast lacked character. It wasn’t particularly smooth or bright; it was just average, and the Land Lakes cream didn’t taste fresh. In fact, it gave a flat, almost sour, taste to the coffees.

Conclusion: I love coffee and there is nothing better than the taste of a fresh ground roast to start your day. However, if you are looking for a convenient, packable solution to bring with you on your next outing, you will not be let down by Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee. Because it is real coffee, the flavor is perfect and will keep you coming back for another cup.