Starbucks Iced Caramel VIA

If you’ve been reading CoffeeVanilla for a while, you’d know that I’m quite the fan of Starbucks’ VIA line and all the variety of flavors within it. The newest addition to the family of portable coffees is Iced Caramel VIA. It’s the same size of the Iced VIA, but with the hint of a caramel flavor.

First time around making this coffee, I made the mistake of mixing it with 8oz of water versus 16oz. Huge mistake – I thought I was drinking liquid sugar. Second time around (after having viewed the package and making the realization) I still found the VIA to be very sweet. Perhaps it’s just me, but I feel as though this VIA is much sweeter than the other VIAs, including this Iced VIAs counterpart – the original Iced VIA.

I much prefer the Caramel VIA over this iced version. This one is ok, but I doubt I’ll be purchasing it again due to its mouthful sweetness. Have you tried the latest VIA? What’s your take on it?

Starbucks Flavored VIA

First there was VIA. Shortly after came Iced VIA. Now there’s Flavored VIA. Flavors like Mocha, Vanilla, Caramel and Cinnamon Spice are now ready at your finger tips when you’re on the go and need that caffeine fix. So yes, there really is a VIA variety for everyone.

Flavored VIA didn’t release until today, but my local Starbucks barista knew that I happen to be a fan of the product and gave me samples of the Vanilla, Mocha and Caramel beforehand. (Cinnamon Spice review is soon to come.) I’d been excited to try the new VIA for months, so you can imagine how flabbergasted I was to be given samples before the release date.

These new VIA products are a tad different from the other two previous VIA’s. Unlike Iced VIA which is to be made with 16oz of liquid, Flavored VIA are to be made with only 8oz. Furthermore, these are not specifically to be used with hot liquid or cold liquid – an option which is left up to you. I prefer a measure of ½ water + ½ cup milk. For some peculiar season, I prefer milk in this type of VIA. (Why? I have not a clue.)

Mocha is quite different from all the other instant mocha coffee drinks I’ve ever had (believe me, that’s a descent amount). Rather than having a milk chocolate flavor, its dark and has sort of a bittersweet taste. You get a deep coffee taste too. Having sampled the Vanilla and Caramel flavors, Mocha is my favorite out of the three. Although I must add that I tried this flavor iced with a bit of milk rather than hot and with straight up water.

Caramel is sweet and buttery. What’s odd and delicious is that it tastes like Starbucks’ caramel syrup, not the instant, artificial flavor you’d typically expect. By far the Caramel flavor is much better than one of those instant caramel latte products you pick up at the grocery store.

Vanilla is the one flavor I found out of the three to be just OK. It had a slightly vanilla flavor, but not as much as I would have liked. Coffee is the main component I get from this variety – much stronger than I would have thought. Vanilla VIA is descent, but not one I’ll be buying a box of.

Have you tried the new VIA? If so, which is your favorite?