Mister Crew

Over the past two years, Starbucks has been slowly rolling out Clover coffee machines to its stores nationwide. Before they purchased the company that made them, the little machines sold for $11k each, and they produce only one cup of coffee at a time through a fancy vacuum method that’s always fun to watch.

The coffee it produces is pretty good (it will taste similar to what a french press can produce), and I’ve been enjoying the small specialty batches of roasted beans that Starbucks has been making just for it – if your local Starbucks has it, try the Kona blend.

Further reading: Tasting the Future of Starbucks Coffee From a New Machine

Going into Christmas my work days become longer and my time available to do other things, like prepare coffee, disappears. Starbucks developed a great new instant coffee for people like me which they’re calling VIA, and unlike other instant coffees it actually tastes good (I would say that it’s even better than their regular drip coffee that they serve in their stores).

If you’re someplace where good coffee is not easily prepared or are on the go like me, give this stuff a shot. Packets of three are available for $3, and boxes of 12 for $10.