QUESTION: I’m interested in exploring more premium instant coffee, and Starbucks looks like a great place to start. I am, however, a little confused about Starbucks Via and the Premium Instant coffees they offer. Can you explain them to me? – Thomas C.
NIGEL ONG AT CLEARLY COFFEE REPLIES: Starbucks Via and Premium Instant are two instant coffees Starbucks offers. Both are made from roasted beans and then brewed into coffee before being turned into powders. They differ in flavor and serving styles, with the Via offering more.
I will try to answer more about Starbucks Via and Premium Instant Coffee below. We look at what they are and how they differ from each other.
What Are Starbucks Via And Premium Instant?
Starbucks started offering instant coffee in 2009 as a way to encourage customers to brew Starbucks at home. They launched the Starbucks Via Ready-Brew.
What Starbucks did was brew up their popular roasts and then turn them into dried coffee granules. You add hot water to these granules later, and you have made your favorite Starbucks coffee, just like instant coffee.
Starbucks Via is usually 100% Arabica coffee beans and contains a blend of instant and finely ground coffee beans. You can get many of Starbucks’ popular roasts as Via instant coffees, including:
- Pike Place Roast
- Italian Roast
- French Roast
- Veranda Blend
- Colombian
In 2020, Starbucks partnered with Nestle to produce the Starbucks Premium Instant coffee. These are not the same as the Starbucks Via, as they are not based on any of Starbucks’ popular roasts. Instead, they are developed as separate recipes.
Similar to Via, Starbucks starts by roasting and then brewing the coffee. The coffee is then dried into powder and mixed with a small percentage of finely ground coffee. You add hot water to the powder to make your Starbucks Premium Instant coffee.
You can get three different styles of Starbucks Premium Instant:
- Blonde Roast
- Medium Roast
- Dark Roast
We recently tasted the Dark Roast, so feel free to check out our review of the Dark Roast Premium Instant.
Both Via and Premium Instant coffee are powdery in appearance, making them different from many instant coffee. Most instant coffee in the market may look like granules or larger chunks, such as the Lavazza Prontissimo Intenso.
Via and Premium Instant coffee is cheaper than purchasing your coffee from Starbucks. In most cases, you should not pay more than $2 to make your instant coffee from either method.
This is cheaper than paying for an actual cup from a Starbucks coffee shop. Almost all Starbucks coffee costs more than $2 per cup at the shop.
How Are Starbucks Via And Premium Instant Different?
| Aspects | Starbucks Via | Premium Instant |
| Introduction | 2009 | 2020 |
| Development | Starbucks only | In collaboration with Nestle |
| Flavor | Based on Starbucks’ popular roasts | Developed separately |
| Additional Flavors | Yes – Decaf, iced, latte | No |
| Packaging | In a box, with up to 12 single-serve sachet sticks. | Aluminum tins |
Introduction
Starbucks Via was introduced much earlier, in 2009. The idea of making instant coffee was initially frowned upon by many since instant coffee is usually considered a ‘toxic wasteland’ by premium coffee makers.
However, the Via instant coffee allows Starbucks to sell their coffee at a much more affordable rate compared to selling them in coffee shops. It also allows consumers to consume their coffee in new contexts.
The Premium Instant was introduced much later, in 2020. Some see the Premium Instant as a saving grace for Starbucks since many shops could not operate during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Development
Starbucks did not claim to have partnered with anyone to create the Starbucks Via. This may be because Starbucks was aiming to innovate instant coffee itself. Starbucks remains quiet about how they create their instant coffee, as they do not look like regular instant coffee.
With the Premium Instant, Starbucks partnered with Nestle instead. This could be seen as an extension of their partnership to offer Starbucks coffee in Nespresso capsules.
Packaging
The biggest difference you may notice between Via and Premium Instant is how they are packaged and sold.
With the Via, the powders are packed in single-serve, stick-like sachets. These sachets are then packed in boxes, usually up to 12 sachets per box. There are smaller boxes containing 6 sachets too.
These boxes or packaging often have the word Via Instant printed on the packaging. These boxes are shaped to look like paper bags as well.
The Premium Instant packs the coffee powders into small aluminum cans. Each can contain about 3.17 oz (90 grams) of instant coffee, enough to brew up to 40 cups per can.
The coffee powder is kept fresh and dry with a thin aluminum foil at the top, visible once you open the lid. With the Premium Instant, you may not see the wordings immediately since the largest word on the can is the roast level.
Flavor
The Via’s flavor range is wider and is based on Starbucks’ popular coffee roasts. Some of these include:
- Pike Place Roast
- Italian Roast
- French Roast
- Veranda Blend
- Colombian
Starbucks promised that the Via instant coffee will recreate similar tastes to the original roasts served to you by your Starbucks barista. I would not say the same, although I think they taste close enough.
The Premium Instant is not based on Starbucks’ existing roasts but is developed separately. The Premium Instant uses a blend of Arabica beans from Latin America. Starbucks then roasts and brews coffee before turning them into dried powders.
You can get the Premium Instant in three flavors only, Blonde Roast, Medium Roast, and Dark Roast.
Additional Flavors
Starbucks’ Via is also offered in more than just black coffee. There are also additional flavors. This means you can actually make your latte, iced coffee using Starbucks Via sachets. There are also options for decaf coffee.
These flavors include:
- Vanilla Latte
- Sweetened Iced coffee
- Decaf roasts
These flavors however, may not be offered everywhere.
No such thing is available in the Premium Instant range. All you get are the three levels of black coffee. You will have to add your own flavorings to change how they taste.