As I write this thing, I'm admitting my addiction

and dependence on coffee. I get caffeine from soft drinks or tea on occasion; but my real love is coffee. I've learned to quit drinking the 'real stuff' by noon so I won't need sleeping meds later; but my love for the taste of rich, freshly brewed, robust coffee sometimes overcomes my caution. I can drink decaf, if it's freshly ground and brewed, but it's just not quite the same.

So my need for another hit took me through Starbuck's drive thru the other morning. When I ordered they suggested I try their new Via ready brew, their answer to instant coffee. I agreed to take a small package with me and give it a try. So I tried it this morning when I got to the office. We have a coffee service and we brew it from those pre-measured packets that make what my daddy called 'dark water'. Other folks at work don't seem to like the coffee I make cause I use two packets to a pot; I mean, if you don't want coffee, then drink water but don't pretend it's coffee.

Today instead of making a pot of coffee no one else would drink, I made my singular cup of coffee with the little package from Starbucks. Oh my. My doubt about this was justified; Starbucks or not, this instant beverage is another example of something pretending to be coffee.

First of all, the little package was difficult to open; I mean, gnawing on the plastic & foil thingy was pretty annoying just to get to the stuff. Secondly, the water you use would have to be truly boiling to dissolve the 'microground coffee serving'. I heated the water twice in the microwave, but was left with 'grounds' in the bottom of my cup. Guess if it burned my finger it would be hot enough. And lastly, the taste just didn't match my expectations. (expectations = pre-determined disappointments)

SO I went on line to Starbucks site, thinking I'd tell them my opinion of their product. Except they don't really want to know because it was rather difficult to open their 'tell us what you think' link. They'd let me look at the videos and pictures all the fans of their new product had posted, but I wasn't able to leave even a few words that said 'it's not working for me.'

Therefore, I won't tell them and I won't buy any more Via. Their claim to 'Never be without great coffee' seems an empty promise to me; I'll just have to brew more at home and bring it with me. Come to think of it, if I brew enough at home I don't need to buy anything from Starbucks.