Questions, answered

RUME is a powdered café latte. Real coffee, real milk and a touch of sugar, already blended in exactly the right ratio, so all you add is water. Hot or iced, it's ready in about 60 seconds, and it tastes like the latte you'd order at your favorite café.

No espresso machine, no milk carton, no frother, no measuring. One scoop, some water, done.

In the sense that it's ready in about 60 seconds with just hot water, yes. But we don't love the word, because "instant" usually means instant coffee, and that's not what this is.

Instant coffee is just coffee. You still have to add milk, sweeten it, froth it, and hope the ratio comes out right. RUME is the whole latte: coffee and milk balanced in the powder, so every cup comes out café-style. If you've been shopping for instant lattes, latte packets or 3-in-1 mixes, this is the one we'd want you to try.

Most homemade lattes fail on one thing, the ratio. We spent about 18 months getting the balance of coffee to milk exactly right, testing hundreds of ingredient combinations from dozens of suppliers, so it drinks like a real café latte and not like sweetened coffee.

It's also built to be a latte first. Creamy, balanced, a little sweet (3g of added sugar per cup), never syrupy.

That was the whole job. Michael wouldn't let us sell a single latte until it held up next to the ones his own baristas make, and it went through a lot of rounds to get there. Here's how one customer put it: "you'd have no idea it was an instant coffee by the look and taste." We'd still tell you to keep going to your favorite café. On the days you can't, make RUME.

Those are the two complaints we hear most about latte mixes, so we built against both. Each cup has 3g of added sugar, a little sweetness, not a syrup bomb. And because the coffee-to-milk ratio is balanced in the powder, it tastes like a latte, not like sweetened instant coffee.

Yes, plus a creamer base for that smooth café texture. Whole Milk RUME is made with real whole milk powder. Oat Milk RUME is made with organic oats and organic coconut milk powder. Both also include a creamer base that contains sodium caseinate (a milk protein), so both versions contain milk. Full ingredient lists are below.

If you liked having a café-style latte ready in a minute, probably yes, and we'd love the chance to be your new one. RUME is a classic caffè latte (no flavored syrups), so if you miss a vanilla or caramel version, add a pump of your favorite syrup.

No. The milk is already in the powder. All you need is hot water (or cool water and a shaker for iced). That's the whole point.

RUME was founded by me, Cooper, and my cousin Michael, a coffee-industry veteran who refused to let us sell a single latte until it met his standards. Every recipe was taste-tested by baristas at his restaurant, coffee snobs, and plenty of people who just love a good latte. We're a small, independent company based in Mission Viejo, California.

A proprietary blend of Indian and Mexican coffees. We tested hundreds of combinations before landing on it, and this was the one that gave us the taste and body of a true espresso, strong enough to cut through the milk instead of disappearing into it. That's what gets you the ratio people love in a latte from their favorite café.

Every pack is blended and packed in Southern California.

No, and we'll never pretend to be. RUME is a comfort drink: a genuinely good latte, made easy. No mushrooms, no adaptogens, no promises about your gut. Just a really good latte.

1. Heat 8 oz of water.
2. Add one scoop of RUME to your mug with just a splash of that hot water (1 to 2 oz).
3. Mix or froth until smooth.
4. Pour in the rest of the 8 oz to top it off.

That's it, about 60 seconds start to finish.

1. Add 8 oz of cool water and one scoop of RUME to a shaker.
2. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds.
3. Pour over ice.

One scoop (40g) with about 8 oz of water makes one latte, hot or iced. Each pack holds 15 lattes.

Powder hates being dumped into a full mug of water. That's why step one is a splash of hot water: stir the scoop into a little water until it's a smooth paste, then top off. For iced, a shaker does the work for you.

Sure, it's your cup. Less water gives you a richer, stronger latte; more water makes it lighter. If you want to treat yourself, top it off with steamed or frothed milk instead of water, or add your favorite syrup. It's built to be great with just water though.

An unopened sachet is good for one year. The sachet is resealable, so just zip it closed after each scoop and keep it somewhere cool and dry, like a pantry or cabinet. Nothing fussy, just don't leave it baking in the sun.

Yes. It's just a scoop and water, so it works anywhere you can get hot water: the office, a hotel room, a camping trip, your in-laws' house with the sad coffee maker.

Same latte, different milk base. Whole Milk is made with whole milk powder. Oat Milk is made with organic oats and organic coconut milk powder. Both have 200 calories per cup. You choose one each time you order, there's no default, on purpose.

No. Please read this one carefully. Both versions, including Oat Milk, contain sodium caseinate, a milk protein, in the creamer base. Both also contain soy (soy lecithin).

So RUME is not dairy-free, not vegan, and not suitable for anyone with a milk or soy allergy, including the Oat Milk version. We know that at a coffee shop "oat milk" usually means no dairy. Here it doesn't, and we'd much rather you know that before you order than after.

RUME is not lactose-free. Whole Milk is made with whole milk powder, and both versions contain a milk-derived ingredient (sodium caseinate). If you're avoiding lactose or dairy for any reason, we'd recommend skipping RUME or checking with your doctor first.

Contains: Milk, Soy. This applies to both Whole Milk and Oat Milk.

Non-dairy creamer powder (corn syrup solids, hydrogenated coconut oil, sodium caseinate [a milk derivative], dipotassium phosphate, contains 2% or less of each of the following: mono- and diglycerides, sodium silicoaluminate, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, annatto [color]), whole milk powder, coffee, sugar.

Contains: Milk, Soy.

Non-dairy creamer powder (corn syrup solids, hydrogenated coconut oil, sodium caseinate [a milk derivative], dipotassium phosphate, contains 2% or less of each of the following: mono- and diglycerides, sodium silicoaluminate, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, annatto [color]), organic oats, coffee, organic coconut milk powder (organic tapioca maltodextrin), sugar.

Contains: Milk, Soy. (Yes, the Oat Milk version too.)

Fair question. "Non-dairy creamer" is the standard industry name for this kind of creamer base, even though it contains sodium caseinate, a protein that comes from milk. That's exactly why we call it out everywhere we can: RUME contains milk, in both versions.

We can't call it gluten-free. RUME isn't certified gluten-free, and the Oat Milk version is made with organic oats that aren't certified gluten-free. If you have celiac disease or need to avoid gluten strictly, we'd rather you skip it than take a chance.

Yes, the creamer base uses hydrogenated coconut oil, which is what gives the latte its smooth, creamy body. Both versions list 0g trans fat per serving on the nutrition label. We'd rather tell you straight than make you hunt for it.

Per one-scoop (40g) latte:

• Whole Milk: 200 calories, 11g fat, 21g carbs, 7g total sugars (3g added), 4g protein, 55mg sodium.
• Oat Milk: 200 calories, 11g fat, 23g carbs, 5g total sugars (3g added), 3g protein, 25mg sodium.

Full nutrition facts are below.

Each RUME latte has 122.5mg of caffeine, from real coffee. That's in the same range as a double-shot latte at a café.

About $3.33 a latte, and less when you stock up. Right now we're running our Founders Discount, 33% off, on our current stock batch only:

• $3.33 per latte: 15 lattes for $50 (regularly $75)
• $3.00 per latte: 30 lattes for $90 (regularly $135)
• $2.67 per latte: 45 lattes for $120 (regularly $180)

Shipping is free in the US.

You don't buy coffee $90 at a time, you buy it one cup at a time, so that's the fair way to compare. A RUME latte is $2.67 to $3.33 a cup. A latte from a drive-thru chain easily runs $7 or more once you add up the drink, the size and the extras.

Multiply that across a week or a month of mornings and the gap gets big fast, without giving up the latte. We'd still never tell you to skip your favorite neighborhood café. RUME is for all the other mornings.

Because the drive-thru price was never really about the drink. Big coffee chains have convinced everyone that it's normal for a fast-food latte to cost $7 or more. A great neighborhood café, where you can sit, read and catch up with a friend, is worth every dollar, and we still go to ours. The quick, everyday cup shouldn't cost that much. We didn't set out to be cheap, we just set out to be fair.

A good espresso setup means a machine, a grinder, beans, milk, a frother, and a learning curve, easily hundreds of dollars before your first good cup. If you love that hobby, go for it. If you just want a great latte every morning without becoming a barista, RUME is about $3 a cup and needs a kettle.

You don't need one. The Founders Discount (33% off, on our current stock batch only) is applied automatically, so the price you see is the price you pay.

We ship anywhere in the United States, and shipping is free on every order, applied automatically at checkout. We can't ship to P.O. boxes or APO/FPO addresses yet.

We process orders within 1 to 2 business days (Monday to Friday). Orders placed after 3:00 PM Pacific, on weekends, or on holidays go out the next business day. You'll get a tracking number by email as soon as it ships.

Right here at makerume.com. We sell direct, so we can keep the price fair and actually talk to the people drinking it.

Yes. If you don't love your first order, email admin@makerume.com within 30 days of delivery and we'll refund it. No need to send anything back. It's a one-time, first-order promise, one per customer, so you can try RUME without the risk.

Email admin@makerume.com within 14 days of delivery with your order number and a photo, and we'll make it right. You won't have to ship anything back. We read and answer every message personally.

We think so. It's a small daily comfort that lasts weeks, and it works for anyone who loves a latte but can't (or won't) get to a café every morning. Just double-check milk and soy allergies first.