Confession of a coffee addict

When Starbucks started to aggressively promote its new product—instant coffee in a sachet—I thought the company has to be kidding!

Why on earth would a spoiled Starbucks coffee drinker like me switch over to instant coffee? For convenience? If so, there are plenty and much cheaper options on the market. So why push into that well established instant coffee market with an overpriced product?

Knowing a thing or two about the coffee industry, especially here in the Philippines, I know that the instant coffee business is huge in revenues! I do see Starbucks' agenda to get a piece of this pie. I do not necessarily agree with its product diversification though, which I consider a watering down (literally spoken) of the coffee quality Starbucks is known for.

Or so I thought. The promo sachet which was forced onto me during one of my Starbucks' visits and which I took to the office, smiled at me for the longest time. I promised myself there had to be a state of emergency before I'd touch it, let alone 'brew' and drink it. Well, I guess the time has come today. Staring at my laptop screen, I was in dire need for a caffeine kick.

Since I had run out of ground coffee to brew, I sacrificed myself in the name of science and gave it a shot to try Starbucks’ instant coffee. Expecting the worst I poured hot water from the water fountain onto the dark brown coffee powder. To my surprise, no pungent smell! Alright, I thought. Smell is only coffee cosmetics. It's the taste that counts. However, even on the taste checkbox I was positively surprised! Again, no bitter and acidic instant coffee taste, which ususally lingers on your palate forever. Could it be that Starbucks actually found a way to make instant coffee not only convenient but actually enjoyable?

For all of those who, at this point, fear I went over the instant coffee edge, rest assured I didn't! The ceremony of preparing a coffee--grinding the beans, getting water, the excitement of waiting for the dark brew to be done while coffee aroma fills the room—alone is a joy in itself I wouldn't want to miss! No instant coffee can match the taste of a freshly brewed cup of coffee! Not even Starbucks'.