instant coffee?

[4Bears]

IMHO, there is no such thing as an instant coffee that tastes real. That being said the french press mentioned eaarlier, or use a filter with a couple skewers resting on your cup and pour your water over the coffee and let it steep for a few minutes. I do like my coffee but out on hikes and camping I find tea easier to deal with and lighter. I make some to drink right away and if it is a cold night I make a full Nalgene bottle and sleep with it, then in the morning drink half and cary the rest for lunch, just add some cold water to dilute the now very strong tea.

[JAK]

The best instant coffee is when other people offer me a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

So perhaps the thing to do is to get as best you can at doing the same for others, or some alternative like tea, or masala chai, or some natural tea from some trees or plants found along the trail.

[Buffalo Skipper]

I tried Via a year ago. It was tons better than instant, but not perfect. I found that I like the "Columbian" variety, but it seems to be one of the few which only comes in the 8 oz packaging. Two weekends ago, I tried the Via "mocha" flavor. I mixed it with a package of hot chocholate and a spoonful of powdered milk. Very yummy on cool mornings on the trail. This combo may be my new breakfast drink.

[JAK]

I just read some place,wikipedia maybe, that when making masala chai, aka chai, aka chai tea, aka chai tea latte, aka spiced tea with milk, it is favourable to use a different mix of spices for cold climates vs warm climates. More cloves comes to mind, for colder climates like Northern India. Makes sense.

I'm working on mixing in a little Northern White Cedar, Arbor Vitae, for our climate. :-)

[leaftye]

Yes, I tried tea bag-like coffee. Better than instant but not as good as a good brand of coffee in a French press.

Why would it be different than making coffee in a French press? If it matters, I'm referring to putting your own grounds into tea bags on your own, so you get just as much grounds of your own choosing that are just as fresh as what you'd put into a French press.

[Summit]

Why would it be different than making coffee in a French press? If it matters, I'm referring to putting your own grounds into tea bags on your own, so you get just as much grounds of your own choosing that are just as fresh as what you'd put into a French press.

Why would you go to so much trouble to avoid a very light and simple coffee press solution?

http://shop.jetboil.com/index.php/coffee-press.html

It weighs .8 oz! Cleans very easy. Spin the screen on the stem under a trickle and it's clean. Swish a cup of water around fast and toss (twice) and the Jetboil mug is clean. I don't even get my hands wet cleaning it (cold weather)! I package my coffee, creamer, and Splenda into a ziploc sandwich bag so when my water comes to a boil I dump the contents in, stir and cap with the French press attached. If I want a variety, I label the ziploc bag as to what the coffee is.

I guess if you'd rather avoid this effortless method in favor of packaging tea bags, and dealing with the used ones, go for it!

[quilteresq]

I don't drink coffee often, and not at all on the trail, but I might start using it during winter hikes to move my bowel movement from early morning to a warmer part of the day.

Seriously, TMI!

[Kookork]

I spent some quality time learning to make cowboy coffee. Despite it's bad reputation, one can make a most excellent cup of coffee this way. The trick is to never boil the grounds. Boil water, take the pot off the stove, add grounds, stir, put pot lid on, and place in cozy/wool hat/ or wrap in a fleece to keep hot for 4-5 mins. Open the lid, stir to get the last floating grounds to sink, pour and enjoy. All the flavor of a french press without the added weight of a press.

But then, I'd have to pack the wet grounds out. I might do this on a short trip, But I ain't carrying an increasing load of wet grounds over a long hike.

My choice for longer treks is instant. Starbucks via is good, but there's the extra packaging to deal with. Nescafe Taster's Choice is pretty good tasting coffee, and a baggie full of it would be my choice for a longer hike. I might just have to try the Medaglia d'Oro instant espresso tho ...

+1. I love the taste and richness of Taster's Choice. Just I prefer to drink decaf and since I am not a regular cofee drinker it works for me.

[virgil]

In my opinion the distinction is a very fine point. It's an ongoing question. I'm a regular coffee drinker. At home, I brew it in a drip coffee maker. On the trail lately I've been using Starbucks Via instant, I drink it black with one sugar packet. The Starbucks Via is fairly good, Folgers (or generic) coffee bags are fine, but you're left with the spent bags, not a huge deal. Maxwell House (or generic) instant is pretty good. You should try a few different ones. I kinda lump them all together. If it's hot and tastes like coffee, it's good by me. On the trail, I'm mostly payin' for the atmosphere.

[Wise Old Owl]

Just from the thread count - Starbucks instant "to go" with BACON flavor!

[hikerboy57]

Just from the thread count - Starbucks instant "to go" with BACON flavor!

mmmmmm bacon coffee....

[Summit]

mmmmmm bacon coffee....

Might as well add a packet of Ketchup!

[Toolshed]

I still carry fresh coffee and my MSR Mugmate or my good ol' coughlins filters on short trips, but now carry TC tubes on longer trips. the 100% columbian is good, but I now mix a tube of Hazelnut with a tube of French roast for a 12 oz mug. PERFECTION!!! In fact, I'm getting chills looking at the box and thinking about it...

[Sarcasm the elf]

Just from the thread count - Starbucks instant "to go" with BACON flavor!

Where do I sign up?

[Switchback2012]

I use Starbucks Via - they also make it flavored - Vanilla, Cinnamon and Mocha if you like them that way. We've also done cowboy coffee and it works just fine too.

[leaftye]

Why would you go to so much trouble to avoid a very light and simple coffee press solution?

http://shop.jetboil.com/index.php/coffee-press.html

It weighs .8 oz! Cleans very easy. Spin the screen on the stem under a trickle and it's clean. Swish a cup of water around fast and toss (twice) and the Jetboil mug is clean. I don't even get my hands wet cleaning it (cold weather)! I package my coffee, creamer, and Splenda into a ziploc sandwich bag so when my water comes to a boil I dump the contents in, stir and cap with the French press attached. If I want a variety, I label the ziploc bag as to what the coffee is.

I guess if you'd rather avoid this effortless method in favor of packaging tea bags, and dealing with the used ones, go for it!

Are you saying that it should taste the same? That was what I was asking after all. As for the Jetboil, why do you assume I have one? If you're offering to hike with me while you're carrying the Jetboil I can use to make coffee, then yes, I will happily carry the french press you mentioned.

[Summit]

Are you saying that it should taste the same? That was what I was asking after all. As for the Jetboil, why do you assume I have one? If you're offering to hike with me while you're carrying the Jetboil I can use to make coffee, then yes, I will happily carry the french press you mentioned.

As to "taste the same," I can't answer that and I'm not gonna pack tea bags to find out. Generally speaking however, the French press method (apart from backpacking) is a highly acclaimed method of making coffee. There are other French press solutions for backpacking that do not involve a Jetboil.

[Tinker]

I carry ground coffee and this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...d_i=B000DLB2FI

I boil water in my 1.3 liter pot, put the basket into my cup (actually a small Snow Peak pot with handles), add some grounds (amount varies depending on what strength I want), and pour water over the grounds. I lift the basket several times to wash the water over the grounds and then take it out and add cream (powdered creamer or the individual restaurant servings) and sugar. For several people I can fill my large pot to just below the rim of the coffee basket, add grounds to the basket, and allow it to sink into the pot to steep.
This basket cannot be immersed in boiling water over a flame. I found out the hard way. The basket weighs 1/2 oz.

[Summit]

Looks like the basket in my Cuisinart home coffeemaker!

This discussion, like many on WB on a variety of subjects, produces a wide range of preferences and solutions due to differing priorities and types of hiking. For instance, I might rethink packing up a bunch of baggies with my coffee, creamer, and Splenda if I'm on a thru-hike, whereas it's quite a treat on a section hike. I might even go with an alcohol stove and not take a Jetboil (likely) if I were to do a thru. WB seems to have posters who only think in the thru-hike (UL) mindset about everything, and at the other end of the spectrum, people who are section hikers only and are more about comfort and convenience, approaching everything from that mindset. I know I'm guilty of the later most of the time. That's why we get (and always will, apparently) people screaming at a poster, "what are you thinking, taking product-X on your hike?" Well, they probably aren't carrying it 2100 miles and wouldn't if they were going that far. Sometimes the OP will identify "I'm preparing to do a thru-hike and have a question about X," then the answers should tailor to the best advice for a thru-hiker, but all too often that's not the case. The OP is either vague or says they're doing a section and the thru-hike and section hike solutions butt heads!

I feel better now that I got that off my chest!

[Buffalo Skipper]

mmmmmm bacon coffee....

Might as well add a packet of Ketchup!

Or some Tobasco. That seems to be the other standard for hikers.

Seriously though, I really enjoy my coffee. I am no connoisseur, and I really don't like the flavored coffees. I just like a flavorful blend. Last year, a friend introduced me to a French press, and after trying hers, I thought it was a good way to go. So I picked up a Snow Peak titanium French press. I tried it out a few times before taking it backpacking. Unfortunately, I found that, though it made great coffee, it was narrow and difficult to clean. I have yet to put it in my pack. Shortly after that, I started to really work to lighten my load. I doubt I will ever take it, except maybe car camping, where I have access to good running water for cleaning.

I take Via on my backpack treks now.