Apr 03 2009
Starbucks to Sell Instant Coffee at Target and Costco
I’ve been keeping an eye on the Starbucks instant coffee story since they broke the news last month that the giant coffee chain will be selling Via soluble coffee through their Starbucks stores, and there’s new news. Starbucks announced yesterday that they’ll be selling packets of Starbucks instant coffee - named Via - through Target and Costco stores, and through Barnes and Noble book stores. For the time being, you can only by Via at Target or Costco if you live in Seattle or Illinois, and you can only buy it at Barnes and Noble in Illinois, but if sales go well, you can expect Starbucks Via to be available nationally by the end of the year.
Now, it just so happens that I have a friend in the Seattle area and got him to send me a few sample packets. And guess what? It’s not half bad, even to someone who likes home-roasted coffee.
The details:
Costco is selling Via in bundles of 24 packets, each of which makes one cup of coffee, for $15.98. That works out to 67 cents per cup of coffee - if you like 8 ounce cups, of course. That works out to a whole lot cheaper than a cup of brewed coffee at Starbucks, where you get to enjoy the ambiance, but it costs you an extra buck and a half or so. I’d highly recommend keeping a couple of packets in the desk drawer at work, or stashed in the cupboard at home for mornings when you can’t make a cup of the real stuff.
