Within each packet, the amount of coffee and cane sugar combine holds about 70 percent of the packet volume. The packet only provides a little opening from the top when you tear it off. So, the packet is very well designed in terms of usability and functionality because it prevents you from wasting coffee when you try to pour it in to a water bottle or other containers with small top opening. The instruction on how to make an instant iced coffee is also easy to follow. Well, since I did not read the instruction, I made the instant iced coffee by using two containers: one for ice water and the other one for actual drink. Got to read instructions! The color looks very rich and you can tell it’s from high quality coffee.

When you open the stick size packet, there’s a fresh roast coffee aroma coming out and it’s similar to the instant coffee from the first VIA ready brew product line. After you pour out the coffee in an empty bottle, you can see the mix of coffee and white little particles. Since it’s says lightly sweetened, I believe those are the cane sugars that they use for sweetness. The dry roasted aroma kind of decreased a little after you pour in 16 fl. Oz of iced cool water. For the first sip, I thought it’s not sweet at all and it still tastes like the previous instant coffee, which is bitter. However, after couple more sips, you get the little bit of sweetness taste in the coffee, but not much and it tastes totally different than the iced coffee that they sell in Starbucks store. Maybe because I don’t have ice cubes in it. Well, it is still very refreshing and for me it would be better if its bit more sweetened. I guess you can put less water in there next time. I really like the smell, and not so much of the taste. I can’t believe this little stick size packet can keep you up all day long!

What can you get out of this coffee drink in terms of health benefits?

One of the benefits of drinking this coffee is that you get to control how much water, milk, or other ingredients that you want to add on to this instant coffee. A lot of times, different stores give you different taste of the drink even thought it’s the same drink. Human error is what they call it. Also, you can experience with others elements added to the coffee if you want to get a different taste. Unleash your creativity is what this instant coffee is about. I digg this VIA ready brew iced coffee!

Information

Price:  $5.95

Size:  5 Small Packets

Flavor:  Lightly Sweetened Iced Coffee

Aroma:  Roasted Coffee

Nutrition:  See above picture

Calories:  100 for each packet

Where:  U.S. and Canada Starbucks store

Website:VIA Twitter Facebook Youtube

I haven’t tried any new beverages from Starbucks for a while and lately I heard everyone is talking about how good the Starbucks Dark Cherry Mocha taste is. So, I thought I stop by the Starbucks store near where I live and pick one up to see if it’s really that delicious. Well, this beverage is an espresso drink from Starbucks and it’s combined with bittersweet chocolate sauce, dark sweet cherries and steamed milk. The drink is topped with sweetened whipped cream and few chocolate chips. Also, it is a high calorie drink for those who are concerning their health when comes to what they intake in their daily diet.

The first sip gives me an impression that it’s going to be a very sweet drink and you can’t really taste the dark sweet cherry flavor in the drink for the first few sips because the taste is not obvious or you can said its not the dominate flavor in this drink. You have to really taste the drink to get the essence of the cherry flavor. If you try to smell it, then you need to have a filter nose in order for you to smell the cherry flavor. I was expecting a strong cherry flavor in this beverage, but instead it’s a mix of bitter and sweet flavor with addition of steam milk. The dark chocolate in this drink is the dominate flavor and the aftertaste is really bad because it makes you thirsty. If the drink is less sweet and add more cherry flavor into it, then it will be perfect. I love the milk chocolate flavor.

I think the drink is not bad at all, it’s just a bit too sugary for me and not enough of cherry flavor taste in the beverage. If you would like to know more details about this drink, please visit here. Also, you can pick up a “Nutrition by the cup” brochure in your local Starbucks store for all the nutrition facts listed in every Starbucks drink from cold to hot.  Wondering when will be the best time to drink this beverage? Do you like Dark Cherry Mocha from Starbucks?

Information
Price: $3.95
Size: Tall, 12 FL OZ 354mL
Flavor: Dark Cherry Mocha
Smell: Chocolate Aroma
Nutrition: Website
Where: You local Starbucks Store
Website: Starbucks Facebook Twitter

Just recently, Starbucks featured a new holiday beverage and it’s called the new Caramel Brulée Latte. According to Starbucks, the drink is a decadent espresso drink. It’s made of fresh Starbucks espresso, steamed milk, creamy rich caramel sauce, and whipped cream with pieces of crunchy caramel topping. They make it sound really good and it’s a must have drink for those who are coffee addicts. Now the question is does it really taste as good as it sound? Well, I heard from people who have tried the drink, they were saying “OMG, Ever since I tried, I’ve been having it daily” “Oh my gosh, it tastes so good” “It’s Amazing” I guess they went wild with this drink?

So I went to Starbucks and bought a grande Caramel Brulée Latte.  The drink was a bit too sweet for me since I’m not a sugary drinker kind of person. However, it’s very easy to drink and after you mixed whipped cream with the drink, you will see a lot of creamy stuffs attached around the cup after the drink gets cold. Also, it’s hardly to smell the fresh coffee aroma coming out of the drink because of the creamy rich caramel sauce and the smell actually makes the drink better. The drink was also a bit oily, but not as much as the Hot Pumpkin Spice Latte drinks.

I wonder how much time did Starbucks spent on to come up with this drink. It is a good drink, but not that mind blowing. It seems very popular among coffee drinkers and they even have a Facebook page for the drink.  For those who have tried and don’t like this drink, what changes would you make to this drink so that it will taste delicious?

Information

Price:  $4.50 – $5.00

Size:  Grande -16 oz

Flavor:  Caramel Brulee Latte

Smell:  Creamy Rich Caramel

Nutrition:   350- 450 Calories

Where: Your local Starbucks store.

Anyway, I tried out the VIA ready brew Medium Colombia coffee. When I opened up the package, there’s a very strong fresh coffee aroma coming out of the package. The coffee was really dark and smooth. I was very excited and couldn’t wait to taste the coffee. When I sip the first taste, it’s really bitter and the coffee was mixed up really well by using their micro grinding method. It was little too bitter for me and I do not know how much water I should add or what size of the cup I should use. So, I added milk, sugar and peanut butter Skippy. Call me crazy, but with Skippy added to the coffee gives you a whole new different taste and it was a lot better than the pumpkin flavor. The reason I added Skippy into the coffee was that I wanted to try something different and it turns out to be great.

For consumers to save a little money, since a 3-pack VIA will sell for $2.95, why not just buy the package and get a cup and water from the store. The down side of this instant coffee would be the need for People to access hot water and a cup all the time. I think it would be better if those VIA instant coffee were packaged like those small juice box because people do not need to look for water or cup all the time and you can bring them where ever you go.

Information

Price:  Sample

Size:  Medium

Flavor:  VIA Ready Brew Colombia Instant Coffee

Smell: Fresh Coffee Aroma

Nutrition:   Calories

Where: Your local Starbucks store.

Other Reviews: bloggingstocks.com huffingtonpost.com walletpop.com

The weather is getting cooler and Students are back to school. The fall has arrived and so are the seasonal flavor drinks from Starbucks. One of the signature drinks from Starbucks that caught my eyes was the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I never had it before and I’m very curious about how the taste would be when pumpkin mixing with the coffee. So, I figured I’d give it a try.

I’m a big fan of hot drinks. So I ordered a grande Hot Pumpkin Spice Latte with no Whipped Cream. When you open the drink cover, you will see the top surface of the drink is covered with a thick layer of yellowish pumpkin syrup and it appears very oily. When you taste it,  it has a vey light taste of pumpkin flavor and not so much of the pumpkin smell. Now the question is why it’s so oiley?  If you stir the drink a bit and you will notice  as if your drink has combine with curry! The drink is not so sweet and you can smell the fresh aroma of the coffe. It’s a very smooth drink.

After all, the drink is not bad and I’m not too impressed with the flavor. It’s just too oily and the taste of pumpkin flavor is not strong enough. To me, it’s just a regular coffee drink from Starbucks and I’m not sure if I will order it again next time when I go there.

Information

Price:  Between $3 to $5 and depends on what size you order and where you live

Size:  Grande – 16 oz.

Flavor: Pumpkin Spice Latte

Smell: Fresh  Coffee Aroma

Nutrition:  300-470 calories

Where: Your local Starbucks store.

I went to a Starbucks store last weekend and I noticed that they change their menu board again. It seems true for all other Starbucks stores around where I live. Each store has its own unique menu board design with many different drinks to choose from. Well, I ordered a Grande Iced White Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream under their signature drinks rather than the usual Tall Hot Chocolate or Tall Hot Green Tea that I always order.  It was my first time that I ordered a coffee drink from Starbucks.

The beverage has a unique creamy milky bitter cigarette flavor. The drink tastes a bit lighter at the top than the taste at the bottom in terms of their bitterness and sweetness. After you sip few times, you will feel the bitterness in your throat. The white chocolate syrup and milk blend really well with the coffee because they created a unique combination of sweet and bitter flavor. If you mix whipped cream with the drink, it will add more sugary taste to it.  Also, if you view from the top of the cup, it looks like someone has just thrown up. A better way to taste the true flavor of the drink is by gargling it in your mouth like the way you do in the morning with Listerine. After you finish the whole cup, you will feel you have been smoking sugary cigarette all day.

Overall, it’s a good decent delicious coffee drink for those who are sugar and coffee addicts. If you think it’s too sweet, then what you need to do is to let the ice in the drink melt a little bit so that it will reduce a portion of that sweetness. Another option would be to tell the person who makes the drink for you to put less pumps and if you are a newbie like me then you should read the guide on how to order drinks from Starbucks. It took a while for me to finish it because I want to drink it at the rate that is proportional to the melting rate of ice cubes so that I can enjoy it thoroughly.

If there aren’t any Starbucks stores around where you live or feels like your wallet is dying from Starbucks every day, then you should do a Google search for the recipe on internet and you will find many different ways of making it. Also, there are a lot of feedbacks or reviews from those who have tried and if you haven’t taste the Iced White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream, give a try and you might like it!

Information

Price:  Between $3 to $5 and depends on what size you order and where you live

Size:  Grande – 16 oz.

Flavor: White Chocolate Coffee

Smell: Fresh Chocolate Coffee Aroma

Nutrition:  470 calories

Where: Your local Starbucks store.

I’m sure there are many excellent coffee drinks out there.  If you have other recommendations, let me know! Cheers!