Starbuck's Via

[maverik]

oh I was going off the official SB website.

[winterg]

http://www.jetboil.com/products/cookingsystems/personalcookingsystem

My professor has a jet boil.  We were having a bit of nicotine with our caffeine last December on campus.  As he's showing it off to me the Jet Boil proceeds to melt half of the cup!  It was good for a few laughs.

[Rob Sherlin]

 Sorry people, coming from a coffee person (I was spoiled by my aunts who owned "Coffee Junction" in Tarzana, CA., where a lot of movie stars chose to go rather than "Star!ucks"), I have to say their coffee is pretty generic. You're just feeding into the "hype". Despite the odd names and the corperate feel of their establishments, I can do better at home. But, I have never been able to match the "feel at home" places like my aunts (they retired now).
  Star!ucks even tried to open a place right across the street from them (even though there was another two blocks away), and despite their reputation, we still got all the business, and they had to shut down.

  Corperate environment + good coffee = a lot of customers

           VS...

  At home environment (Irish pub like) + great coffee (with normal names) + live entertainment = more customers, celebrities, famous musicians, exposure...need I go on?

  Which would you choose?

  Don't mean to brag.........but it was an awesome place!

  If any of you in California have been there, you can probably back me on this.

[dwb]

I used to say that Starbucks was the McDonalds of coffee, but now McDonalds has McCafe, and they make all the same drinks, so I need to come up with a new analogy.

I don't mean to say Starbucks is bad.  I mean they are ubiquitous and predictable.  You always know exactly what you're going to get.  However, ubiquity and predictability come at the expense of quality.

McDonalds and Starbucks have both reduced the process of making fancy caffeine drinks down to a few simple steps, with a few mass produced ingredients, so that any idiot they can hire will be able to do it.  This allows you to get the same cup of coffee, or Big Mac and fries, at any of their locations, and it will taste exactly as you expect it to (more or less).

Therein lies the advantage of buying local.  The quality of local eateries is all over the map (like local CAP squadrons!), but if you find one that's good, it will be way better than the chain store.

The doughnuts and coffee you get at Holland Farms in Utica, NY will always be WAY better than Dunkin Donuts.  But Dunkin Donuts is ubiquitous and predictable, so if you don't happen to be near Utica, NY, you can still get acceptable doughnuts.

[Rob Sherlin]

 Next time I'm in Utica, I'll make it a point to try Holland Farms .......Thanks!

Everyone here brags about D'Camillos, but I will not support people who are the "wanna be mafia" here in Niagara Falls.

[MSgt Van]

Where in da heck were these back when I was working the flightline at 0' dark thirty?

[FlyingTerp]

Not to get caught up in the corporate coffee discussion, but I received some free samples of the VIA and they're pretty good for instant coffee.  In a pinch, its not a bad alternative to fresh brewed.  The sample pack had a link for free shipping on a VIA order if anyone is interested:

http://www.starbucksvia.com/offer

[RogueLeader]

Think of the rush if you took the via as a shot, and not as a regular drink.

<shudders>
It'd pobably be like adding ether to an already lit fire.

[notaNCO forever]

Think of the rush if you took the via as a shot, and not as a regular drink.

<shudders>
It'd pobably be like adding ether to an already lit fire.

Those both sound like fun ideas to me.

[Eclipse]

I noticed my most recent MRE's have a similar coffee tube in them - Folgers - but I didn't open it to see if its just regular instant or something similar to Via.

[RogueLeader]

I noticed my most recent MRE's have a similar coffee tube in them - Folgers - but I didn't open it to see if its just regular instant or something similar to Via.

Regular Instant.  tastes nasty with out water.

Those both sound like fun ideas to me.

First isn't;  the Second really is.  Tried #2 many times. . . . . .
FWIW, do NOT throw a full ether can into fire . . . .