just a little fyi for those that might not know...you can buy a fifty pack at amazon for $29 (free shipping), and it comes directly from starbucks.

Just ordered some Sunday night for the May trip. Last year there was more than 50 in the box as well. Got shipping notice today.

Thanks - I tried it last year for the first time. It was an improvement over the bags, but considerably more expensive.

Nice find, thanks!

quote TeamTuna06: "Nice find, thanks!"

thank kevin....he clued me in last year. just thought it needed to be known again.

Well I got my 50 pack in the mail today. Right on 50 this year. Last year there was 52 in the box. If anyone is wondering, the date on the box is Nov 13 and it did come from Starbucks. Not that I care about the date. When I'm done with a trip, I put any leftovers in the freezer and use for my next trip.

Actually I have been know to pull one or two out of of the freezer in the winter and put into my snowpeak mug for a Sunday morning in the winter while looking over maps.

If you live in the Twin Cities, Costco in Maplewood currently has Via on sale - 24 packs for $12.69.

I appreciated the heads-up on this. Our small town Starbucks doesn't usually have a good supply of the decaf VIA, and I sometimes have time getting more than one of the small packages, plus it is more expensive that way. It was so easy to get a 50-pack from Amazon and the free shipping made it even better. Didn't have to drive anywhere.

I hate instant coffee, but on a canoe trip I won't bother with anything else, and this is the best I have found.

quote Twins87: "If you live in the Twin Cities, Costco in Maplewood currently has Via on sale - 24 packs for $12.69."

That is where I get mine as well.

Nice to have the Amazon info as a back up plan in the event that I run out and Costco doesn't have it in stock. There have been times when Costco hasn't had it on their shelves.

quote luft: "

quote Twins87: "If you live in the Twin Cities, Costco in Maplewood currently has Via on sale - 24 packs for $12.69."

That is where I get mine as well.


Nice to have the Amazon info as a back up plan in the event that I run out and Costco doesn't have it in stock. There have been times when Costco hasn't had it on their shelves."

The Amazon price is cheaper than Costco's regular price so it's great to know it's there.

The other day at WalMart I noticed that Folgers now makes a similar product that is cheaper. I have not tried it yet, but plan to.

I tried the Folgers dark roast. It is darker, but still has that freeze dried aftertaste as the regular Folgers.
I haven't tried the Starbucks VIA but I would guarantee it's better than the Folgers.
I might make a trip to Costco to pick up the VIAs this weekend.

Paul

quote paupeter: "I tried the Folgers dark roast. It is darker, but still has that freeze dried aftertaste as the regular Folgers.
I haven't tried the Starbucks VIA but I would guarantee it's better than the Folgers.
I might make a trip to Costco to pick up the VIAs this weekend.


Paul
"

Update - I purchased the VIAs at Costco as mentioned above and tried one today. The flavor is great compared to any other instant coffee. I bought the Italian roast.
I also bought some of the cheap Coghlan's One Cup coffee filter and tried them out at home. http://www.campmor.com/one-cup-coffee-filters.shtml?source=CI&ci_sku=29570&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=

I know there are other reviews out there but I roast my own coffee and can taste the nuances in flavor pretty keenly. I really wanted to test whether the VIA was that much different in taste and if it would be worth the extra weight to bring my own coffee.

With the one cup Coghlan filter, you have to patiently pour the water over the coffee grounds. This requires a nice spout to aim the water with and time. It took about 2-3 minutes to pour the water over the grounds. The flavor was great, but I was spilling and there was also the risk of your grounds floating out the top and into your cup.

I think I may bring both to the BWCA but am afraid the convenience and flavor of the VIA packs will win out.

My wife tried Via and loved it, she did a little research to try and figure out how to make it her self. She now buys the Trader Joes instant coffee in the jar. She grinds the coffee in a regular coffee grinder and then sugar in the same grinder but separate from the coffee. Mix that in a bowl 2 parts sugar to 1 part instant coffee, bag it up and you are good to go. It dissolves easily and makes great hot or iced coffee. I have used it for my last couple of trips and I love it, tastes just like Via to me and it's a lot cheaper.

quote Bwoods: "My wife tried Via and loved it, she did a little research to try and figure out how to make it her self. She now buys the Trader Joes instant coffee in the jar. She grinds the coffee in a regular coffee grinder and then sugar in the same grinder but separate from the coffee. Mix that in a bowl 2 parts sugar to 1 part instant coffee, bag it up and you are good to go. It dissolves easily and makes great hot or iced coffee. I have used it for my last couple of trips and I love it, tastes just like Via to me and it's a lot cheaper. "

Wow! Thanks for the recipe. I like sugar AND cream in my coffee so I bet I could use your wife's recipe and add in dried Nido milk powder into her mix for my own blend. That would save me from having to measure out the sugar and "cream" separately at camp like I have been doing with the Via.