For those who didn't have a chance to make it to Starbucks this weekend to experience the Starbucks Challenge, here are my thoughts...

First of all, finding a store which had the Challenge in full operation was somewhat challenging in itself. On my second attempt, at the Short Hills mall in New Jersey, I found a table set up with a barista pouring instant brew and Pikes Place into Dixie cups. There are two options for the Starbucks VIA Ready Brew: Columbia (Medium) and Italian Roast (Bold). Click here to learn more about the Starbucks VIA Ready Brew: http://www.starbucks.com/VIA/.

For this particular Challenge, Starbucks was comparing the freshly brewed Pikes Place with the VIA Ready Brew Columbia. In my experience, the Pikes Place is quite a bit milder than the VIA Ready Brew Columbia, and the barista at Starbucks Short Hills told us that many of the tasters between Friday and Saturday had similar feedback. He told us that his store statistics showed the majority of tasters choosing incorrectly... good news for Starbucks.

My boyfriend guessed correctly. He claims that he can smell the difference between a freeze dried coffee and a freshly ground bean. You can always leave it to a wine conniseur to detect the faintest scent nuances in everything. With that said, most tasters would undoubtedly assume that the instant coffee would have a weaker taste than a fresh brew. The Columbia VIA Ready Brew (even considering that it's the medium option) was still bolder than the Pikes Place.

I give props to Starbucks as I believe this is the best instant coffee I have had. However, I'm lucky enough to live in the New York City area where Starbucks is never more than a few blocks away. When given the choice, I will always choose a fresh cup. Next time I head cross country or plan my next camping trip, I may add some Starbucks VIA to my packing list.

How did you do? What was your initial reaction to the instant coffee?