I remember my dad drinking a lot of coffee when I was growing up. Instant decaf coffee. The brand was Sanka and we always had a large jar of it at home. It was my job to boil the water in the tea kettle and make him a cup of Sanka, whenever he asked. Which was at least a couple of times a day.
That was the 1970s. Fast forward a few decades and coffeehouses like Peet’s and Starbucks popped up, serving espresso-based coffees with fancy names like latte, mocha Frappuccino and Americano that started to dominate the coffee scene. So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that instant coffee is back and it has a new name: VIA Instant.
I don’t remember when I discovered VIA Instant was offered by Starbucks, but over the years I’ve become a bit of a coffee snob, so I’d never tried it. Actually, my current favorite coffee is Lavazza Classico medium roast, which I make every morning in my drip coffee maker. Friends and other visitors to my home comment on how flavorful and fresh it tastes.
So you can imagine my surprise when my niece Rachel gifted me a box of VIA Instant French roast coffee packets last week. My first thought was, “Toss it.” Then I said to myself, “What the heck. I could at least try it.” And what I’ve discovered is that it is just strong enough and so fresh-tasting that I am going to make it my newest travel companion on airplane trips. Instead of being disappointed with airplane or hotel coffee, I am going to be asking for a cup of steaming hot water and making my own. Rather than searching for the next fancy Third Wave, indie coffee brew – good, old instant coffee reinvented is my new go to. Sometimes the best ideas can be so simple.
So thank you to whoever reinvented instant coffee. It’s amazing how much more appealing something is with a new brand, a new look and a more modern approach. And to think, it was right under my nose the whole time!
Karen