Growing up, my dad was a Sanka drinker ... instant coffee! He always had a teapot going at a low heat where he could grab a spoon and some boiling water and have a cup. I used to ask him why he didn't drink "regular" coffee and he said that this was "the best there is!"

Later in life after I became a police officer, I drank whatever was in the bottom of the glass pot at 7-Eleven, Mini-Mart, QuickStop, etc. Didn't matter to me ... if it was coffee, I drank it. We used to joke that when we stopped at the Dunkin' Donuts, we would have a "real" cup of coffee to clean the sludge out.

Well, in the past 10-15 years, after much study and contemplation, I have determined that if I am going to drink coffee, it will be the best there is as I don't use sugar or cream in my coffee. I've bought beans and ground them, I have purchased from Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Peet's coffee. I have purchased online from Boca Java and Happy Feet Coffee ...

Here's what it boils down to; My favorite bean can only be found in November and December at Starbucks — Christmas Blend. I buy enough to freeze a bunch and it lasts the whole year. Don't get me wrong, I will drink other coffee but this has to be the best blend/roast there is.


But, to see how I have come full circle, Starbuck's has announced a brand new instant coffee called Via. They claim you can't tell the difference between their brewed coffee and their new instant. I took the test at 3 different locations and I identified the instant every time. But it was good.

The beauty of Via is that you can tuck a tube or two of the instant in a shirt pocket if you're on the road and don't want to drink the"hotel coffee" when you get up. It is truly good, but you can still tell a difference. The best taste test would be between Sanka and Via. Via wins hands down.

Well, enough about me ... what it your favorite coffee? Do you grind your own beans? Buy it already ground? Instant? Or worse yet, do you still use Folgers, Chock-Full-Of-Nuts, Maxwell House, or another store brand. Let me know. Leave a comment. It's time for me to brew another cup of coffee!