StarbucksVIA Instant Italian Roast6.5
Waka Coffee & TeaMedium Roast Premium Instant Coffee (Colombian, 3.5 oz pouch)8.0vsWaka Coffee & Tea Medium Roast Premium Instant Coffee (Colombian, 3.5 oz pouch) edges out Starbucks VIA Instant Italian Roast, 8.0 to 6.5. It wins on flavor & cup quality, quality & freshness, value.
Flavor
How they taste.
Starbucks VIA Instant Italian Roast
Waka Coffee & Tea Medium Roast Premium Instant Coffee (Colombian, 3.5 oz pouch)
Side by side
Every detail, compared.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our scores or what we recommend. How we make money
- Dark Chocolate
- Marshmallow
- Caramel
- Dark Chocolate
- Apricot
- Cedar
- • Starbucks dark-roast fans who travel
- • Hotel rooms and offices without a brewer
- • Backpacking and travel
- • Office or dorm coffee on a budget
- • Readers upgrading from supermarket instant
- Familiar Starbucks dark-roast flavor in a pocketable stick
- Sealed single-serve packets travel well
- 100% Arabica per Starbucks' ingredient list
- Freeze-dried, single-origin Colombian Arabica with nothing added
- About 43¢ a cup from the 3.5 oz pouch
- Dissolves cleanly hot or cold for iced coffee
- About $1.46 a cup, expensive for instant
- Roasty, bitter edge that specialty drinkers dislike
- Only about 55 mg caffeine per 2 tsp, lighter than a brewed cup
- Still tastes like instant next to fresh-brewed specialty coffee
FAQ
Quick answers.
Which is better, VIA Instant Italian Roast or Medium Roast Premium Instant Coffee (Colombian, 3.5 oz pouch)?
Waka Coffee & Tea Medium Roast Premium Instant Coffee (Colombian, 3.5 oz pouch) edges out Starbucks VIA Instant Italian Roast, 8.0 to 6.5. It wins on flavor & cup quality, quality & freshness, value.
Which costs less per cup?
Starbucks VIA Instant Italian Roast works out to about $1.46 / cup and Waka Coffee & Tea Medium Roast Premium Instant Coffee (Colombian, 3.5 oz pouch) to about $0.43 / cup, based on typical retail prices when we last checked.
How do you score them?
Both are scored on the same five-factor rubric — weighted for flavor or performance, quality, value, sourcing or build, and community sentiment — using public specs, verified creator reviews and community consensus.