Support the troops with Starbucks instant coffee

By Merrinda Kelly · The Mainstream
Published October 20, 2009

Starbucks on Garden Valley Blvd recently partnered up with the community to send 772 cups of their VIA™ ready brew coffee to troops deployed in Iraq. The ready brew, an improved type of instant coffee that took 20 years to develop according to cnn.com (money.cnn.com/2009/09/29/news/companies/Starbucks_Via/), provides convenient coffee anytime for home, work, school, anywhere.

When word got out that Starbucks had created an instant coffee, many were skeptical of how it might taste according to cnn.com. Determined to keep their good name, Starbucks held a free blind taste test in the first week of October at their locations to see if customers could tell the difference between the new instant coffee and their traditional brew.

UCC student KC Crouse challenged this taste test and said, “I picked the instant coffee as the one I thought was fresh brewed.”

For only $2.95, three servings of Starbucks instant coffee can be purchased at any Starbucks locations in small one inch wide by four and 1/4 inch tall packets. Ready brew comes in two flavors, Colombian or Italian Roast, but more flavors are coming soon. The instant coffee is also sold in packs of 12 for $9.95 and online in packages of 48 for $35.95.

Starbucks VIA™ 100 percent micro-ground instant coffee could be a great addition to this season’s hunting trips and other fall and winter outings. This instant coffee could also make a great gift or care package for a relative or a soldier serving in Iraq.

Starbucks has plans to host future events to support the troops, according to Starbucks employee and UCC student Blake Woolen. Starbucks has supported the troops for many years with Operation Caffeination, donating hundreds pounds of Starbucks coffee to troops both in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to www.herotohero.us.

Starbucks instant coffee is convenient for troops since all that is needed is water, 10 seconds of brewing and something to stir with. “I like it a lot, my wife and I use it all the time,” stated Woolen. He also stated that the instant coffee can be mixed with water hot or cold and even milk.

In the Roseburg area there are four Starbucks locations: the Starbucks coffee shop and drive thru in the Steelhead One Plaza located at 1122 NW Garden Valley Blvd as well as the Starbucks franchises located inside Albertsons, Fred Meyer’s, and Safeway

For further information Starbucks and their products can refer to their website: www.starbucks.com.