Starbucks introduces VIA iced coffee. How are customers responding?

A Starbucks press release says "the introduction of the new iced coffee builds on the popularity and momentum of the Starbucks VIA® product line." Any interest in it from your customers? (And will customers who read this blog try out this VIA?) Read Starbucks' press release and the Associated Press story. || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[SBUX123]

You can get Via iced coffee from starbucksstore.com for $1 off plus free shipping.

[Erik]

@is it so hard to be civil
"I was told when I started we would never do instant coffee."
Yeah, sure. But I also remember a billboard in the early nineties that proudly boasted "We will never make a light beer." That was a Samuel Adams billboard.

[Chris]

I just read the back of the Iced Via box and it says a serving size is 1/2 a packet. What the hell am I supposed to do with the other half? What if I'm a single person and I buy it for myself? I just use a whole packet for now. The regular Via is 10 packets to a box. Why didn't they make the Iced Via in smaller packets. I don't understand.

[RR]

I wait with baited breath for Starbucks to be Disneyland's official coffee sponsor.

I wouldn't buy the iced VIA because of the sugar. Hate sweet iced coffee. I do like the regular VIA for travel.

[Crema_the_crop]

The reason it's "specially designed" and "works better" with cold water is because all the sugar that's mixed in with the actual powdered coffee helps it to dissolve rather than clumping together.

[Noah]

Lara: a teaspoon ( 4 grams) of sugar is all of 15 calories. You nailed right on. A Iced Via with 5 teaspoons is walking death.

[Erik]

Actually RR just gave me an idea for a use of VIA - being a season passholder to Disneyland, I will just pack a couple with me. It is far better than anything there.

[kathy koffee]

how is the coffee cadence working in the stores? i have baristas from other stores tell me they haven't used it for some time. Whats up?

[spence]

kathy koffee,
we are sort of doing cadence. yes, we switch the coffees every 8 minutes. No, we do not rinse after each use and we certainly do not grind for each use. We grind a couple pounds at a time. Cadence didn't work at my store because we don't have the labor to do it in the morning. Cadence was a line stopper.

[kathy koffee]

spence,

what do you do in the pm. do you brew all three, two or just pike?

[usorthem3]

@kathy koffee We do eight minute cadence from open(4:50am) till noon, after that pour over, brew to order, americano is the choice. We adjust half and full batches between 6am-11. we grind every batch.

[Mrs. Tillinghamshackles]

Chris,
The serving size on a nutrition label is not an official dietary serving size. It is determined by the manufacturer. Thus they will often use an off serving size so that if someone quickly glances at the nutrition info they'll think it's healthier than it actually is. Sad, but true.

[jetblue711]

Cadence works semi-well at our store, at least in the mornings. We brew three coffee's (Pike, Bold, and Decaf) on 10 min rotations until noon. Then we stop brewing Decaf and offer it as a pour over. We continue to brew Pike and Bold because of the demand for it in our store and if we have to go down to one urn for some odd reason we only brew bold (shh, don't tell our DM). In the evening we stop the rotations because it is too hard to keep track of and just put timers on the urns we are using and have them on a rotation so that there is always a coffee offered but it may only be Pike Place for about four minutes or only the Bold for about four minutes while the other coffee is brewing. We always grind fresh as well, every batch, every time (it took some time getting used to it because our grinder is built in far away from our brewers, but now that we have the cadence down, it is incredibly easy). The information for the Coffee Cadence said to customize it to your store and we did.

You think its bad? Try having to be the one standing behind the counter trying to get customers to try and then buy it - we can't give it away! So please don't be mean to us! We're told what to say and have rediculous sales goals to meet for it! :(

[RR]

I had the chance to sample this today. I was getting my after work green tea lemonade and saw the new iced VIA package. Asked about it and the barista offered to open some to sample out.

Verdict? Made as instructed, it's way too weak. He agreed and said he'd pass on my feedback.

I did really appreciate that he offered the sample so I could try it.

[Gloria]

This product is perfect for me, because my usual Starbucks drink is a Venti Double Espresso Frappuccino. All I have to do is put a cup of 2% milk, a packet of via and lots of ice in my home blender and it tastes just like my Starbucks drink. Only thing is now I don't really have a reason to buy drinks at Starbucks. Oh, I have an Oster Fusion blender that works really well at making icy drinks and only cost me $65, on sale at Target. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to make at home Frappuccinos.

[me, myself and I]

So far I only had one customer buying it from me, but this one was really nice. I gave him a $1 off coupon, he used it and then threw the saved dollar in the tip jar. :-)

[herbertprerry]

via is da bomb! so good and easy

[coffee-chick]

on the topic of being 'forced to sell'...as a current partner, and being the one put 'in charge' of doing the sampling, it REALLY took away from our morning rush...instead of being on the floor where I needed to be, I was FORCED by my store manager to stay in the lobby/patio walking around with a tray like a damn waitress instead of helping out behind the counter...my manager even threatened to write me up for not sampling and trying to expedite our line that was out the cafe door...so yeah...my time and abilities could have been MUCH more useful doing something else instead of sampling a 'new' product that, in my opinion are below starbucks standards. 'bux is beating a dead horse with 'iced via'...the only way i've been able to sell any is to tell people that it is perfect for their hurricane kits.
on Limu: I think it tastes like battery acid. do not like.
on gazebo: i cannot wait to get my markout to make my iced coffee 'sangria' :)
-off soap box-

[Javaqueen]

Right on, Coffee-chick. I had a line to the door the other morning, a new partner on the register and my best barista sampling stuff nobody was tasting instead of helping out. I gave out coupons like a mad person and found them on the floor, on tables and crunched up in the trash.
So don't tell me this is a good idea until you've been there. If you don't work for Starbucks, you can't possible know what you're talking about. Some people like it and some don't; it's not the product but the way Corporate is handling the selling of the product.

[Ruthann]

I had a sample at my local Starbuck's today and although I don't use sugar it wasn't bad at all. It was rather enjoyable.

[latteteadah]

Not a fan of SB's regular roasts - I go elsewhere for my preferred brew unless time is a factor, I get an Americano.

But I get tired of the complaining about Via sales - there ARE people out there who like it. The new Iced blend is actually something I've looked forward to - there's not always access to hot water everywhere, but you can always find cold water and ice somewhere - definitely more travel-friendly than the original. Sure, you can put regular via in cold water, but it isn't the same. Cream, if it's available.

Hot coffee I drink black with no add-ins, but cold coffee for me has to have sweetener or it tastes "skunky" imho.

And the price point for the Iced is a bit easier to swallow - even though 'per unit' it's no different - you're getting more mileage/bigger serving out of one packet, and $5 is easier to justify than $10.

[Ella barista bella]

I personally sold 5 boxes of this stuff since it came out. Ive had the same 'how is it different than regular via?' question and the same response to my answer. Personally, for being somone who doesnt drink hot brew or iced coffee unless its really sweet (aka mcdonalds iced coffee) i kinda like the iced via. Like people have said some like it some dont but i hate hate HATE that were so hard pressed to sell this stuff all the time. It gets on my nerves. And yeah, those of you who dont work at sbux do NOT know what its like on the other side of the counter. Wanna know? Go to hell and stay a while.

[Rerto Jordans]

Wow that's interesting. Good news though, they make easy to use bikini hair removal creams. They work just as good as a wax for women who still want to be clean down there.

[Volup Via]

pretty much every customer wants it sugar free. They also want regular iced coffee sugar free. I don't know why the standard is to put in classic however thanks to the new inventory thing no one has any anyway!

[Automated Barista 001]

we, at my old store in north carolina, had a complaint on our customer voice that we were 'harrassing customers to buy Via.' i know for a fact that we were doing nothing more than following corporate guidelines. granted, said customer was probably a typical mallrat bitch, but this speaks volumes about corporate's priorities. Well, my CUSTOMERS have always been my priority, so if i'm going to sell, it's going to be to the right customer at the right time. Go ahead. Write me up.

[spudmknsy]

Conversations with customers...
Would you like to try a sample of Iced Via? No? Okay then, would you like to take a 12pk of Italian Via home (Its just shy of $11)? The flavor profile is Really good! How about a sample of our Caramel Frappuccino for the HOT day? And while I have you at the register, do you have your pound of Gazebo Summer Blend for the weekend? **(I'm so confused)

[Jeremy]

Why did they have to add sugar to it? Why not let the customer choose how/if to sweeten???

[A guy]

No one wants to buy VIA, Iced or otherwise. Our regulars hate it, and our non-regulars don't buy instant coffee. Not to mention it tastes bad, even if we sweeten it.

[J]

I Don't get any of the people that are posting a comment and complaining about everything! First of all... YES via isn't for everyone, so if its not for you DON'T buy it! Second, SB is business and in order to survive in the business word you need to make money! SB can't please everyone and give out free crap all the time! People are so up and down! when a company gives out free stuff, they love the company but when they launch a product everyone just bitch about it!! get real people!
ps. why cant starbucks bring new products when mcdonalds is going coffee? no one is telling them to just stick with big macs!

[Siren's Slave]

What's wrong with the Iced Via is that some poor shmuck in Seattle got worried about losing his job and decided to come up with an idea (execution and quality be damned) in order to not be laid off for lack of ideas. I see the same reaction when I walk onto the floor and my coffee-pouring minions stop holding up the counters and start looking for something asinine just to look productive...

[Partner in Disguise]

As a partner, I think its a great product! Easy to make when camping, or at the office, or even at home. But when there is a Starbucks around every corner, why bother paying when you can have your favorite barista make your latte just the way you like it. Plus, more than 50% of the drinks we make are espresso drinks, not iced coffee.

[Laura]

Well its mighty delicious put in a blender with ice and milk. DELICIOUS!

[Amanda]

I just made myself an iced via at home. I was shopping, they were on sale and I bought a package. I don't care for warm coffee and didn't really think I could use the regular via in cold water. I mean just using instant coffee doesn't really work, doesn't dissolve fast enough/at all in cold water. My only thing is that its not at all like a iced coffee at Starbucks so it shouldn't be marketed as such. I mean its a good option for people who don't want to go to the store and its not horrible. I mixed it with milk instead, and I enjoy it probably better.

[Charles]

Lol @Collin Q commenting on himself