View Full Version : Coffee happiness
Ladytrekker
10-02-2009, 09:00
I walked into my favorite Starbucks on the way to work and happiness is they were giving out samples of their new line of instant coffee.
They come in very small packs about the size of a sugar packet but elongated and tastes very good.
Solves my coffee issues.
I agree 100%. In my opinion, it is far and away the best instant coffee on the market such that it is hard to distinguish it from fresh brewed.
Tasters Choice has had the instant stuff for a decade.
If you want your Tasters Choice to taste like starbucks, put it in a metal spoon and "cook it" with a lighter like a junkie would heroine.
/not a joke.
Ladytrekker
10-02-2009, 09:49
I agree 100%. In my opinion, it is far and away the best instant coffee on the market such that it is hard to distinguish it from fresh brewed.
OK I have to go there when I saw where you are from. GO GATORS. lol.
john gault
10-02-2009, 09:58
Just took my first sip of coffee, still not happy.
I guess I'll have to swing by SB to check it out to see if it is better than Bustelo Supreme, which is my mainstay when traveling light.
Ladytrekker
10-02-2009, 11:33
I guess I'll have to swing by SB to check it out to see if it is better than Bustelo Supreme, which is my mainstay when traveling light.
I drink alot of Bustelo also, like my coffee strong.
faarside
10-02-2009, 12:26
I love coffee, and have ever since I first tasted it when I was eleven y.o. I would take a fresh brewed cup of diner coffee, or lacking that, a fresh brewed pot Maxwell House or Chock-Full-Of-Nuts any day over Starbucks. Sorry StarBuckers (no offense intended)... I cannot justify the extra expense in exchange for an irritated stomach lining! The "bucks" isn't in their name for nothing...
Starbucks=OverPricedOverRatedOverlyAcidicOverHyped OverTheEdge!
On long hikes, I will use Folgers instant coffee packets and/or tea bags. For shorter hikes, I may bring my mini-percolator and fresh perc a pot. Nothin' like the smell of a fresh pot of coffee percolating on a cool Autumn morning!
ShelterLeopard
10-02-2009, 12:46
Tasters Choice has had the instant stuff for a decade.
If you want your Tasters Choice to taste like starbucks, put it in a metal spoon and "cook it" with a lighter like a junkie would heroine.
/not a joke.
I've done that (except technically it's "roasting")- kind of like Turkish coffee.
mmmmm... coffee, i want some now, so much for sleeping tonight
Nearly Normal
10-03-2009, 03:43
How much is Starbucks charging these days for 10 cents worth of coffee?
about 30 cents more than gas station coffee, it's the specialty drinks they rob you for...
I put a reusable drip filter (1/2 oz.) in my metal cup, put my choice of grounds in it, fill the cup with boiling water, let it steep for 3 min. or so, swishing it a few times, remove it, and drink coffee just like at home.
Link:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&source=hp&q=reusable+coffee+filter&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=897218985310205423&ei=L1jHSoDcFY6V8AaD25HiCA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=5#ps-sellers
Jonnycat
10-03-2009, 12:06
Free Nescafe Singles (http://smartchoice.tasterschoice.com/#/Try_It_On_Us/)
I've been using the Montbell OD Compact Dripper for great coffee. At 0.18oz it was worth the $16 investment.
7097
Secret Squirrel
10-04-2009, 05:58
Another vote for Starbucks Via. It's not quite as good as brewed, but far better than any instant I have found. For the convenience, it is worth it. Individual serving packets are about 80 cents each if you buy them by the dozen.
Surplusman
10-04-2009, 06:33
I love coffee, and have ever since I first tasted it when I was eleven y.o. I would take a fresh brewed cup of diner coffee, or lacking that, a fresh brewed pot Maxwell House or Chock-Full-Of-Nuts any day over Starbucks. Sorry StarBuckers (no offense intended)... I cannot justify the extra expense in exchange for an irritated stomach lining! The "bucks" isn't in their name for nothing...
Starbucks=OverPricedOverRatedOverlyAcidicOverHyped OverTheEdge!
On long hikes, I will use Folgers instant coffee packets and/or tea bags. For shorter hikes, I may bring my mini-percolator and fresh perc a pot. Nothin' like the smell of a fresh pot of coffee percolating on a cool Autumn morning!
Right on, right on, right on! For several years I used to do living history demonstrations that included roasting green coffee beans in a frying pan, grinding them up in a tin can with the butt of a musket, and brewing the results "cowboy" style. Yes, it was some heady stuff that you could have floated a splitting wedge in, but nothing like the nasty battery acid from Starbucks.
Tuckahoe64
10-04-2009, 08:14
Right on, right on, right on! For several years I used to do living history demonstrations that included roasting green coffee beans in a frying pan, grinding them up in a tin can with the butt of a musket, and brewing the results "cowboy" style. Yes, it was some heady stuff that you could have floated a splitting wedge in, but nothing like the nasty battery acid from Starbucks.
Surplusman, use to do the same exact thing and had a greater appreciation for the end result. I recall it as some of the best coffee that I had ever had.
Doing WW1 now, which for historical accuracy calls for instant coffee...:(
Hikes in Rain
10-04-2009, 09:31
I used to do the same thing, Surplusman, but found the musket (actually, I used a percussion CVA rifle, instead) to be a bit heavy for backpacking. ;)
Now, I just roast the beans at home, and depending on the length of trip, either grind them before I leave or use my little backpack grinder from Campmor. Once, I didn't notice that the bottom of the grinder, the bin that holds the coffee and more important, stores the crank, had dropped out while packing. (Found it when I got back home, thankfully). In that event, I used two flat rocks. Sort of a coarse grind, I think I should have taken more time.
Either way, fresh roasted and ground cowboy coffee, preferably somewhere with a view, makes morning worth the effort.
Chenango
10-04-2009, 10:02
Free Nescafe Singles (http://smartchoice.tasterschoice.com/#/Try_It_On_Us/)
Thanks, Jonnycat.
Wise Old Owl
10-04-2009, 11:31
Just took my first sip of coffee, still not happy.
You are very picky.....:p
Wise Old Owl
10-04-2009, 11:37
Surplusman, use to do the same exact thing and had a greater appreciation for the end result. I recall it as some of the best coffee that I had ever had.
Doing WW1 now, which for historical accuracy calls for instant coffee...:(
So you keep a bottle of hootch out of sight in your ditty kit...
https://store.nexternal.com/armynavy/images/kakadu-backpack.gif
GrubbyJohn
10-04-2009, 11:46
just did the starbucks it's not to bad doesn't have the after bite of there brewed coffee. but god it's costly at 3 dollars for 3 packs and 10 dollars for 10... give me a fresh ground 8 oclock brand 100% colombian and my little millita brewer
GrubbyJohn
10-04-2009, 11:48
oh yea and a shot of good whiskey will make any coffee great
Wise Old Owl
10-04-2009, 11:50
oh yea and a shot of good whiskey will make any coffee great
exactlY:banana
Why attempt to improve something of poor quality by adding something better? Better to pour bad beverages on the ground far from potable drinking water and enjoy what was meant to be enjoyed as intended rather than squander it.
Ladytrekker
10-04-2009, 12:51
Why attempt to improve something of poor quality by adding something better? Better to pour bad beverages on the ground far from potable drinking water and enjoy what was meant to be enjoyed as intended rather than squander it.
A good trail after dinner enjoyment is the minatures of Wild Turkey Honey straight up out of the bottle. Off the coffee subject just a little.
GrubbyJohn
10-04-2009, 13:28
haven't tried the wild turkey honey yet.......... and i do mean yet
Wise Old Owl
10-04-2009, 13:38
Why attempt to improve something of poor quality by adding something better? Better to pour bad beverages on the ground far from potable drinking water and enjoy what was meant to be enjoyed as intended rather than squander it.
Hmm where do we start -- Huge can of worms here....
Ok Emerald - The last time someone made Pancakes from scratch did you put Mrs Butterworths on it or did you put fresh blueberrys and real Maple Syrup?
Did you know there are real premium smoked bacon hidden in the Butcher Case at most supermarkets?
When You get your coffee from whereever, do you toss the little halfs & halfs or do you enjoy real shlag or cream in your coffee? For me a cinnimon stick stirrer.
How many times have you seen a clunker car downtown with spinner rims on it?
I can go on but you get the point.
Surplusman
10-05-2009, 06:43
The only time I lace a cup of joe with booze is when I have a head cold. A good stiff shot of Jacques Daniel from Lynchbourg in black coffee does wonders. Great toddy. :)
Lone Wolf
10-05-2009, 06:52
didn't know mr. daniels was french
JaxHiker
10-05-2009, 10:34
just did the starbucks it's not to bad doesn't have the after bite of there brewed coffee. but god it's costly at 3 dollars for 3 packs and 10 dollars for 10... give me a fresh ground 8 oclock brand 100% colombian and my little millita brewer
Glad there's no after bite. Does it still taste bitter in general, though? SB always seems over-roasted to me.
$1/pop? Highway robbery. I think today is the last day they're handing out samples. How many do you get?
Just a Hiker
10-06-2009, 22:25
Just back from the Target here in Augusta, where there's a Starbucks......the girl at the counter gave me a sample pack. I'm drinking it right now......I have to say it's pretty good instant coffee.
Wise Old Owl
10-06-2009, 23:08
awkward isn't it, the thought of instant coffee.... Instant milk, instant tea, instant soup, instant rice, instant sex,,,,,, I Forgot - what was the problem?
awkward isn't it, the thought of instant coffee.... Instant milk, instant tea, instant soup, instant rice
I was thinking - should we go back to the hippie days when backpackers cooked lentils and brown rice in camp? Can you imagine building a fire and then spending a good hour before you even might eat ?:D:D Hehheh! Makes all that instant stuff look good! (Ok, maybe except fer the instant sex part....lol!)
Dicentra
10-07-2009, 13:22
I was thinking - should we go back to the hippie days when backpackers cooked lentils and brown rice in camp? Can you imagine building a fire and then spending a good hour before you even might eat ?:D:D Hehheh! Makes all that instant stuff look good! (Ok, maybe except fer the instant sex part....lol!)
Ack! I've done that! LOL.
ShelterLeopard
10-07-2009, 14:27
I personally am going for real coffee on trail, but out of curiosity, does anyone know how the caffeine levels in the Starbuck's instant coffee compares to that of the regular? Probably less... Not that I measure coffee by how much caffeine it contains...
Saw them at Starbucks too. Hope they are worth the weight!
REI had a Cup-pour-ri, that looks it would be used for loose tea and stir in a cup of hot water.
I decided to try it.
I used Peet's Arabica Java Mocha Sanani coffee. Great coffee.
The only way I can figure to have fresh ground coffee at the trailhead is either to have a small amount ground or use a small manual vacuum pump to keep the air from deteriorating the coffee. The other thing I might try is making small packets of fresh ground coffee.
If this seems excessive effort, I have actually purchased the GSI coffee grinder, to prepare the coffee at the trailhead.
I tried the freeze-dried coffee packets. It just isn't good coffee.
Maybe chocolate covered coffee beans may be a better answer, at least for me.
I do not drink a lot of coffee. I do like coffee to be really flavorful and not hurt my stomach.
Anyway, I thought it was worth mentioning the Cup-pour-ri and chocolate covered coffee beans. Gu packets have a caffeine option. But I don't really have coffee for the caffeine.
I love to "smell the coffee". Two, I appreciate the full-flavor of a peaberry coffee and a few other full-flavored low-acid coffees.
When I am out on the trail more than about 5 days, I really start to wish for really good coffee.
The Cup-pour-ri and perhaps coffee beans are the only answers I have found so far.