The results are in, and unsuprisingly, bitter

Okay, I don't know if anyone else has gotten these samples or tried them. I did, and after some hesitation, I tried one. Put simply, I will never voluntarily imbibe this product again. This is not some fancy, new instant coffee to compete with Via. This is their same, old product repackaged in single servings. I'm not fooled, Taster's Choice, this instant coffee is bunk! Like so many other coffee convenience products, the taste is not even remotely close to satisfying. You can tell just by looking at it that something went horribly wrong with your cup of coffee. I'm assuming that mine was a prototype for astronauts since it looks freeze-dried (is freeze-dried I believe). While I appreciate the free samples, Taster's Choice, and I encourage competition with Starbucks, I promise, I will never be desperate enough to drink your product.


Given that I have already made clear my bias against instant coffees, I'd like to add that this view is not mine alone. I brought these coffee samples to a coffee event. The attendees had come to discuss various methods of brewing and preparing coffee. I reasoned that instant coffee is certainly a method worth exploring. After the group sampled, auto-drip, french press, and Melitta pour-over preparation methods I prepared the Taster's Choice as per the instructions. It was unanimous that the instant could never stand up to their preferred brewing methods. The coffee itself appeared ashy; tasted thin. I apologized to the group for my part in this affront to their taste buds. Maybe I'm a coffee snob, but life is too short to waste on instant coffee.

Free Samples

As long as we're discussing the coffee convenience trend we should touch upon the Starbucks Via instant coffee packets. I have never tried Starbucks Via, and I have no desire to. However, I won't turn down free samples either. Nescafe:  Taster's Choice has brought out their own packet and they are giving out free samples of all six varieties.

courtesy popsop.com

So, lets try them together and discuss what we think.
Free Nescafe: Taster's Choice samples

They are claiming their coffee packets are cheaper and better tasting. Maybe they are, but are they better than your regular brew?

I'll let you know in six to eight weeks.

P.S. As far as I can find, Starbucks is no longer offering free samples of Via. Too bad for you, Starbucks, I would've tried both to make it a fair fight.

A trend to defy all trends

So if more people are brewing coffee at home and more people are seeking out gourmet, how do we arrive at the trend of coffee capsules? Apparently it's the logical progression. Coffee capsules make sense where single servings of coffee are needed, whether because of infrequent or minimal consumption. It's been popping up in banks, offices and supermarkets where drip coffee was once offered. I'm not saying that bank-made drip coffee was good coffee; often it resembled primordial sludge which one drank out of desperation or indifference. I'm asking if the its replacement by pods and capsules (sounds like we're in an episode of Star Trek) is better.

I'll admit I was not eager to try coffee produced from a pod. The whole process sounded perverse (must everything be instant these days?). My first encounter came in the form of a K-cup at my internship last year. I faithfully brought coffee from home each morning in a travel mug, but on a particularly long and tedious day I found myself lolling in my chair, with no more coffee. It seemed there would be no way to avoid it if I meant to survive the rest of my day, and so I ventured towards the machine. Everyone in the office was quite proud and fond of the coffee maker;  it was a gift from a member of the board. All day long, people disappeared into the cramped storage room where the machine lived and returned with steaming mugs of coffee. Not wanting to misuse the machine and create a giant mess (or worse damage their beloved coffee maker) I had a colleague demonstrate its operation. It's embarrassingly simple. Open top. Put in pod of choice. Close top. Push button next to picture which closest resembles the size of your cup. Presto! The only question left was would it be any good?

Responding to trends in a recession

Have you ever heard the expression that the only constant is change? If you're a business it's especially true. If you're a business that is trying to figure out how to stay afloat in a disparaging economy you're probably latching on to whatever trends you can with the hope that they'll help you ride out the storm.

In the coffee industry, the trend (according to surveys by the SCAA, National Coffee Association and Experian Simmons) is that fewer people are drinking coffee; and the people who are drinking coffee are drinking less of it. Many consumers are making their brew at home to take with them or have invested in a machine to make their favorite specialty drinks at home. There is a silver lining though:  more people are drinking gourmet coffee.