Sanka and some peers in bygone days (Photo: Pleasant Family Shopping/Flickr)

Sophisticated Sanka?
Starbucks is announcing today the launch of its instant coffee option, Via. Yep, that’s right. Instant coffee will now be available along with your grande mocha latte and chai tea. The price is right (about $1/cup) for these tough economic times, but the taste? I, for one, looooove my morning coffee. The prospect of a cup of instant makes me panic (so does skim milk), but I AM curious about this move by Starbucks from a strategic marketing standpoint. CNN reported the news here.

Coffee Klatch
If Via (above) is not quite your cup of joe, there is a seminar called The Perfect Cup of Coffee being held October 3 at Boston University by Coffee Connection founder George Howell. Among other topics, Howell will discuss coffee cultivation, roasting and brewing. Sounds like you’ll taste some, too.

Douro Valley Wines (Photo: Yvon from Ottawa/Flickr)

Today: Portuguese Wines
Boston Magazine and Vini Portugal are hosting a Portuguese wine tasting event today in Boston, with doors opening to the interested (and thirsty!) at 4:30.  

Musings About Port
Speaking of port, one of our listeners, The Musing Bouche, has posted her experience from a recent evening tasting and learning more about those tawny and ruby reds.

Looking Back to Apples
…and the Friday post on PRK about apples. Here is a terrific-looking Apple Soup recipe posted by Edible Boston, with several other tempting dishes listed in the sidebar.