I thought this was a joke headline when I first read it. Sadly it’s not. Starting March 3rd, customers in Seattle and Chicago will be able to buy little instant coffee packets in Starbucks stores. The product is called VIA and is supposed to be a high quality entry into the instant coffee market. If everything goes according to plan, the product will be available nationwide this fall.

A serving of instant coffee will cost about half as much as a tall Starbucks coffee, and be available in both 3 and 12 packs. The question remains, how good can instant coffee be? According to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, “This is not your mother’s instant coffee.” What that means exactly remains to be seen.

Before you can find it in the stores, you can buy the instant coffee on Starbucks’ website. Or, click on the link in the right column of this page to get a free sample. I’ll post a follow-up review when I get mine.

Starbucks Via

Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee