I found myself in a desperate situation this morning. I got out of bed this morning with this plan: read the newspaper, drink coffee and eat some breakfast. The internet was working so I had access to multiple newspapers (good), I'd bought breakfast the day before at the Dutch bakery downtown (delicious) but I'd forgotten to buy any coffee (oh, no).  At seven-thirty on a Sunday morning, there's not a lot that you can do about this giant, horrible, no-good problem.

Then I remembered I have something stored away for moments just like this:

[caption id="attachment_2280" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Starbucks and Nescafe"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/dsc01584.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2280" title="Starbucks and Nescafe" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/dsc01584.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>[/caption]

Nescafe 3 in 1. Now this is not great coffee. In fact, it is far from good coffee but in a pinch it will do. For those of you unfamiliar with this product, which I assume is more or less anyone who has an American passport, it's instant coffee that's pre-measured in individual servings and comes with both sugar and milk in the instant coffee mix. In practice what this means is that Nescafe coffee is similar to the too sugary gas station coffee machines in the States.  It's coffee but just barely.

But at 7:30 am on a Sunday morning when your options are Nescafe 3 in 1 or orange juice and you're dying for a cup of coffee you're in no position to turn your nose down to the 3 in 1.  In fact, the Nescafe 3 in 1 seems like a <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/godsend">godsend</a> (yep, I had to double check that this was actually a word so then I decided to link it for you because I am nice like that or maybe nuts. I think it's probably a pretty fine line).

After my first cup of 3 in 1, I remember that ever since Christmas I've been carrying around in my purse Starbucks Via Ready Brew packets.  <em>What? </em>you may ask.<!--more-->

I know I did. In fact, I did a double take in December. There were these boxes of little packets of coffee at the register. Packets that looked remarkably like Nescafe 3 in 1 packets.  The big difference being that the Starbucks packets are only coffee--no creamer, no sugar--one in one if you will. I thought: <em>Really?!</em> Where am I? And, what is Starbucks doing stooping to the level of instant coffee?! <em>INSTANT COFFEE?! </em>

I'd always thought that an coffee institution like Starbucks was well above instant coffee.  I mean for better or worse Starbucks sets the standard for coffee in the States. They control the lingo, the sizing, the branding, and even the image of the liberal double-shot, skinny latte drinking soccer mom. And here they are selling instant coffee.

After receiving my tall iced Americano with room for cream, I asked the barista about the little coffee packets.  Sure enough they're instant coffee. He gave me a couple of these packets as samples.  The packaging is pretty funny: smooth, nutty flavor any place, any time. Apparently these are for those of us who can't, for some reason, make it to Starbucks fast enough despite the fact that Starbucks is seemingly every where.  I was inside one of the local grocery stores picking up some bread and veggies when the Starbucks stand was calling out my name and I had to stop for an Americano.

The ingredients? Soluble and Microground Coffee. That struck me as kind of weird. I am not really into drinking pieces of ground coffee but who am I to be picky? I mean I've had my fair share of instant Nescafe.

So today after a cup of Nescafe 3 in 1, I gave the Starbucks Via Ready Brew a shot.  It wasn't half bad.  It was a nicely bold full bodied coffee and I didn't notice any of the microground coffee while I was drinking it or at the bottom of my cup after I'd finished drinking the coffee.

I still think it's totally weird that Starbucks is selling instant coffee  I mean it doesn't get much more instant that going into Starbucks and ordering a latte but who am I to complain.  I was in desperate need of a coffee (or two) this morning and happily both Nescafe and Starbucks pulled through for me. <em>Thank-you</em>.

Now, however, I must go grocery shopping and I cannot forget to buy coffee.