Posted on 02/13/2009 6:43:46 AM PST by Mike Fieschko
Don't have time to wait for a latte or a pot of drip to brew? Starbucks Corp. says it has an answer: instant coffee.
The Seattle-based coffee retailer (Nasdaq: SBUX) plans to unveil an instant coffee product next week. In a memo sent to Starbucks employees Thursday, Vivek Varma, Starbucks senior vice president of public affairs, said the product could be in stores by Feb. 18.
Varma said this won't be your father's instant coffee. She said Starbucks has developed technology to "absolutely replicate the taste of Starbucks coffee in an instant form." Starbucks has been working on the project for 20 years, Varma said.
Varma said Starbucks would host an event next week in New York and other cities to introduce the new instant product.
Worldwide, there is a $17 billion market for instant coffee, according to the memo.
The new product was reported in Advertising Age , which said Starbucks planned to roll out a soluble coffee product called Via.
There are more than 50 Starbucks locations in the Triangle.
Not according to many in the coffee industry. It's an actual rating by coffee buyers of the type and variety of the beans that Starbucks purchases.
Starbucks helped to develop that "West Coast" (sometimes referred to as Seattle) style of roasting the beans till they are almost charcoal. It makes for a very strong, burnt flavor profile and virtually guarantees that any regional or varietal nuances of a particular lot of beans is completely lost. It's one of the reasons they do so well in the "milk added" coffee products (lattes, cappucinos, etc.) - it helps cut the burnt taste.
Many folks still like that flavor profile, and in fact I used to like it myself, until I started roasting at home and learned what I had been missing. I used to think that only dark roasts were good until I found that many varieties of Arabica beans hit their peak flavor profile at much lower roasts.
So, they are going to make instant coffee that tastes burned?
If you don't roast at home, find a small local micro-roaster. Some independent coffee shops roast in the store. The smaller roasters make better coffee. I think it has to do with how easily the profile can be managed.
Large batches 30, 60, and more kilo sizes are difficult to regulate. It takes a lot of energy to raise the roast temperature and a lot to cool them and stop them from going way past 1st and 2nd crack.
“OK, so what do you drink? Let’s see if I have an opinion.”
Today, I am drinking Green Mountain Ethopian Yirgacheffe. If I’m on the road, I try to find the “Our Blend” or French Roast and I bring my own cup and mix it myself.
I like coffee with coffee flavor that doesn’t taste like someone turned it into charcoal.
You mean, like french roast does?
Some coffee stands get steamier
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003535398_coffeegirls22e.html
“You mean, like french roast does? “
You have to define which french roast you are referring to. If you are referring to Starbucks, their french roast tastes like smoked charcoal.
If you are referring to Green Mountain, their french roast does not taste like smoked charcoal.
If you are referring to Dunkin Donuts... Oh yeah... All they sell is a single tasteless swill.
In a pinch, MacDonalds delivers better coffee than either Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, and most decent gas station convenience stores offer a much better variety and quality than any of the above.
My local Mobil on the Run always has fresh, hot coffee, with at least two decent non-flavored blends available. A refill of any size (bring your own cup) is 97 cents. You mix in your own fixings to your exact taste, unlike Dunkin Donuts.
I carry a 16 ounce Thermos brand stainless steel vacuum cup that will keep my coffee hot and fresh for hours if necessary. When I’m riding my motorcycles, I have a fully sealed version of the same.
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