Instant coffee sticks taste test

Instant coffee has been around for a long time, but lately companies are trying to make it more appealing to consumers by making it a little easier to use. Namely, they’re packing it in single-serve portions that you can take to-go, in addition to the big shelf-stable jars of the stuff. This week, the Chicago Tribune held a taste test comparing Starbucks VIA Ready Brew stick packets with Nescafe Taster’s Choice packets. Starbucks VIA runs about 4 times the price of Nescafe, so seeing which came out on top could add up to big savings for consumers.

For the test, the two brands were compared with regular brewed coffee – Colombian, since both VIA and Tasters Choice use Colombian coffee. The brewed coffee was the most popular, but VIA was only a hair behind, while Tasters Choice trailed way down in the ratings in third. The VIA was close to fresh brewed and, because the crystals of it are so fine, it dissolves easily in hot and cold water, so you can use it for iced drinks, too.

Fresh Raspberry Latte

It’s easy to put fresh fruit into cold, blended coffee drinks. Bananas and other fruits simply blend up into the drink as they would in a milkshake. It’s harder to get fruit flavors into hot drinks, however, as pureed fruit doesn’t combined well with hot coffee. Generally, you have to use pre-made, sugar-based syrups to get the effect.

This raspberry latte uses fresh raspberries, incorporating them into the drink in the same manner that they are incorporated into some cocktails. The raspberries are muddled (mashed) with some sugar at the bottom of a coffee cup to release their juices. A shot of hot espresso – or some hot coffee – is poured in on top of the raspberries, dissolving the sugar, and topped with steamed milk. I finished mine with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

The drink was delicious, and the fruitiness was subtle, unlike the fruitiness of drinks made with thick, fruit syrups. The raspberry went pretty well with the coffee and made the drink taste very fresh and perfect for spring.

More

Tricks for your coffee

I’m always looking for new ways to spice up my coffee. I like it black, but just like all foods, it’s nice to mix it up a little bit sometimes. Brownie Points put together a list with some great ideas, some of which I’ve tried before and some of which are new to me. Her “give the beans some friends” trick, which is where you grind up some spices along with the beans to infuse some extra flavor into your pot of coffee, is exactly the trick used to get the spicy, warming flavor into one of my favorite winter coffee blends.

The other ideas sound really interesting, and all well worth a try, too!