Stick Coffee -> Anything better than Starbucks Via?

Stick/powdered coffee is usually not the best option. But, drip etc is not doable for one of my workplaces.

Is starbucks Via the best option? I have tried quite a few Japanese brands, all disappointing…

by Choice_Vegetable557

23 comments
  1. That’s just instant coffee packed in sticks. Btw I struggle to imagine a workplace where you can make stick coffee (meaning you have access to hot water) but can’t make a drip coffee. Why is that? And could drip bags be the answer? They’re about as easy as sticks but will give you a step up in quality.

  2. Have you tried pre-packed drip packets? Starbucks Origami light blend is not too bad.

  3. This can’t be real, can it..?

    You’re literally drinking the lowest quality possible, Starbucks Via is the same shit as all the other ones.

    Drink drip bags, they’re much better.

  4. How do you like your coffee? Just black?
    If you like milky&sweet then the Starbucks latte mixes are the best, also most expensive.

  5. Don’t know if you edited the post or something, but I am sorry everyone is recommending drip when you explicitly stated that isn’t what you are looking for.

    I worked at a place once that made me take the drip bags home with me, wasn’t allowed to throw them away at work. It was a pain. There are plenty of reasons why people do sticks and other freeze dried coffee. As you said, that is why they exist. lol

    I am curious if there are any good ones too.

  6. Why not just prepare your good stuff at home and bring it in an insulated container?

  7. Blue Bottle’s instant coffee is pretty good but pretty overpriced imo. I haven’t tried Starbucks instant coffee but was pleasantly surprised by Blue Bottle.

  8. I prefer Blendy, usually the 大人のほろにが but the espresso au lait is good too. Never tried their black coffee, I only do black coffee from the pot lol

    Price is reasonable, ¥300-400 for a pack of 30. If you’re making a regular size cup of coffee I recommend 2 sticks at a time, I think they’re only made to be blended with like 4-6 ounces of water lol

    Edit: just checked the box, yeah it’s 180ml/stick.

  9. If you can get any of the European brands they’re the best. They do premium instant which has ground coffee mixed in. Nescafé Azera, stuff like that.

    Coffee *bags* are also very good if you can find them.

  10. Try Nescafe Gold Colombia. May not come in sticks but obviously you can re-packet in smaller bags from Daiso

  11. https://www.inic-market.com/
    INIC coffee
    I was surprised when I had this first.
    Didn’t taste like instant coffee.
    Has nice aroma.
    Usually I can’t stand instant coffee or canned or bottled. This one is good. No mess.
    Perhaps a bit pricey compared to what you can find at supermarkets, but definitely worth the price.

  12. Blendy stick is **THE ONE!!** I especially love the black one, but go to any large supermarket store and they have **LOADS** of variations!!!

    I take them with me when I go out of Japan

  13. I haven’t had Starbucks Via in a long time, so I can’t compare to those, but as far as stick type instant coffee goes, I like the blue sticks ちょっと贅沢な珈琲店 by AGF best. I usually take them on trips when I know the place has a water kettle, but not much else.

  14. For stick coffee, in my opinion, Korean brands are better. I used to have a big box of Maxim Mocha Gold. It’s in a big yellow box and if you have access to one of those Korean import shops, pretty easy to find. Now I drink Kanu Maxim Mini Mild Roast. I can’t find it in person, but they sell it on Rakuten, except it takes a week to arrive since I think they’re shipping it straight from Korea. I even converted my wife from Nescafe to those sticks haha.

  15. In my office, we have AGF Black in Box for when the real coffee runs out. It’s 4 different blends of black coffee. I would rate it as the best instant I’ve ever had.

  16. If it has to be instant, I like AGF Black in Box; 2 sticks at once though, I find one is weak unless you are using tiny cups

  17. I would consider myself a little bit of a coffee connoisseur, I often roast and grind my own beans nut dabble in instant coffee as well and I would recommend Trung Nguyen G7 Instant Coffee. You can get it black, expresso or with cream and sugar since it’s easy to constantly find, cheap and good tasting. The black version has a lot more volume than a lot of other instant coffees with no additives so it gives more of the impression of drinking an actual brewed cup of coffee IMO. You can find it on Amazon or in Vietnamese stores. Pretty sure it’s cheaper than Starbucks via too.

    To be honest honest, Vietnamese robusta coffee beans are some of my favorite and it’s hard to go wrong with trying a few different brands even if they are just instant coffee.

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