Here's a little confession: we're a bit of a coffee snob. We're sure that the hot brown stuff they sell at 7-Eleven, McDonald's or the grocery store kiosk is just as good as Starbucks, but we still won't take any chances on it. So, when it comes to instant coffee, our answer is normally "H--- No." But now that Starbucks is offering up an instant coffee blend called VIA Ready Brew, we might just have to reconsider.

We're pretty satisfied with the bottled Starbucks drinks at the supermarket, and with the packaged coffee beans the company offers, so we have high hopes for this new, instant coffee. From their website, VIA is still pure 'Bucks with 100% arabica beans from coffee bean meccas like Colombia.

If you live in Seattle or Chicago, you can get a preview taste of VIA at your neighborhood Starbucks shop. For everyone else, the VIA packets are currently available on their website in 12 serving boxes for about $10.

-- Whitney Teal

How do you feel about instant coffee? Would you pay 10 bucks for 12 packets of instant coffee?