Weigh-in On Starbucks New Via Instant Coffee

While waiting in line for my bi-weekly venti, non-fat, pumpkin-spiced latte sans whipped cream, I was offered to try a shot-sized sample of Starbucks' new vanilla instant coffee. Although I'm not a huge fan of instant coffee, I decided to give it a try. It smelled like real coffee and upon first sip it tasted like real vanilla-flavored coffee too. However, it was a bit strong and possibly stale, which could be the cause for my acid-reflux now ten hours later.




My final verdict: Although I'd like to give Starbucks' Via Instant Coffee a good rating, I have to give it only two out of ten stars.

The Birth of the Contessa

Welcome the the Confessions of the Coffee Contessa!

The posts on this site depict a woman's loving relationship with a hot cup of joe and other life lessons learned with coffee.

These stories will hopefully entertain you but as Puck once said,

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended:
That you have but slumbered here,
While these visions did appear;
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.

...only there should be no excuse for slumbering because of the caffeine, but you get the point.

Also, if you have coffee-related stories, please feel free to share them!!!!

Yours,

CC

Why America Runs on Dunkin

If you look around an American city or university campus in the morning, you'll notice people everywhere carrying some sort of coffee cup. Thermoses, Starbucks cups, Dunkin' Donuts, plain wax cups, green eco-friendly carafes ... you get the picture. Obviously, America has a major coffee culture. However, did it occur to you that this might not have been the case?

While studying a course on US Women's History in college, I came across an article that demonstrated what I believe to be the genesis of America's love affair with coffee. This relationship dates back to the Revolutionary period. As you may be aware, the Thirteen American colonies had strong ties to Great Britain. You might also be privy to the fact that the British are known for there love affair with tea. Naturally, as a subculture of the British Empire in the 18th Century, early Americans also drank tea. However, that habit changed when the infamous Tea Tax was ratified. The article I read suggests a shift from tea to coffee as a morning drink as a way to boycott English tea. One could argue, and I certainly might, that the Tea Tax is the reason that Americans today "Run on Dunkin'."

Think about it.


*The prior blog is solely the opinion of the author and has not been proven as historical fact...yet.