The Swiss brand is a little peeved at Starbucks for stepping on their instant coffee territory; also, an interesting African blend with a sweet little name.

First it was Dunkin’ Donuts, then McDonalds. Now Nescafe has thrown their hat into the ring among coffee companies eager to take on Starbucks.

The company has put up a series of billboards in the Seattle area aimed at comparing Starbucks VIA instant coffee with the instant offerings Nescafe currently has.

One reads: “Starbucks introduces instant (sic). Discovering what we’ve known for 70 years.” Another takes Starbucks to task for charging high prices for the packets of coffee, reading “Starbucks makes great instant. We make great instant. So why does theirs cost 400% more?”

In an email to The Seattle Times’ Melissa Allison, Nescafe beverage division manager Pam Krebs said the brand produces “a great-tasting, high quality cup of coffee, with a wide variety of blends and flavor options at the right price,” while pointing out that “other competitors” charge more.

Fueling the fire is a taste test the Chicago Tribune recently held in which Nescafe won out over Starbucks VIA.

I have to say though, I think this round goes to Starbucks. It’s an interesting effort by Nescafe, which, honestly, isn’t a brand I typically imagine being involved in the so-called “coffee wars”, but the ads seem to point to Starbucks more than they do Nescafe’s products. However, if Nescafe starts putting George Clooney in their American, anti-Starbucks ads, I might just change my mind.

A cool find with a cute little name

I made a bit of a find yesterday that I thought I’d share with you: Tanzanian Peaberry coffee. I was running late and didn’t have time to fire up my own pot, so I stopped off at a place near my house and was surprised and intrigued by this blend. Yes, even coffee bloggers sometimes get surprised!

At any rate, it turns out Tanzanian Peaberry is a very unique coffee. It’s grown on Mount Kilimanjaro and comes from a coffee cherry that has grown only one coffee bean instead of two once it matures. It creates a rounder, smaller bean and occurs naturally in about two to three percent of coffee cherries.

One website I dug up to find this information described the flavor as having a heightened focus and brilliance, a certain joie de vivre, if you will. That sounds more like qualities you’d want in a motivational speaker, but I have to agree. The flavor was bright, a little fruity, and definitely not run-of-the mill.

Pick some up next time you’re in the mood for a truly unique coffee or just want to impress your coffee snob friends with your new-found knowledge of Tanzanian Peaberries.

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