I'd like some input from forum members on the ultimate "ultralight camp coffee" solution...

In order to get a great cup of coffee in the backcountry, I've been using an insulated cup/coffee press unit with the handle cut off, but, at 6 oz., it weighs as much as the rest of my entire kitchen. Does a lighter/better solution exist?

Edited by TimChauran on 04/05/2005 14:22:32 MDT.

Timothy,

Let me second your appeal for lightweight solutions to good coffee. I used to bring a plastic melita filter holder (2 oz.), melita filters, pre-ground coffee, and a pre-mix of powdered milk and sugar. The coffee was quite good, certainly good enough. However, the weight! It isn't so much the melita holder and filters as the wet, used coffee grounds that you then carry with you in your garbage bag for the rest of the trip. Since I do all of my backpacking in the Grand Canyon, I have no options for disposal or burning other than carrying it out. As a result, this last trip I discarded the melita and went to a -- for me -- novel solution. I combined some very exotic hot chocolate powder/chili/other ingredients (from an individual in Taos)with the best freeze-dried instant espresso (Italian) I could find. I dole out about 4 spoonfuls of this mixture, add hot water, stir (a lot), and the result is an intense, actually very intense mocha drink. It certainly provides the morning lift. There is nothing to carry other than the mix. There is no garbage produced. And it is sufficiently different from ordinary coffee that I don't find myself wishing it were a little more this or that. It just is what it is. Different from the morning capuccino I make at home every morning.
So that's my current solution. But as I wrote above, I am wide open for other alternatives.

David

I've done coffee a lot of ways:

1. Buy gourmet coffee bags (like tea bags). Works pretty well, pretty light but pricy. I usually leave the coffee grounds buried next to a plant since they are a good natural fertilzer. burn or carry out the paper.

2. Buy self sealing tea bags and make my own gourmet coffee bags - same as above but cheaper and I can use my favorite coffee (sorry don't have url with me right now for site that sells these, but I'll post again later).

3. little plastic coffee spoon-like thing with built in filter. works good, but harder to keep water/coffee warm while it steeps since handle sticks up out of cup. cheap, light. they have these at REI and other places.

4. similar to above but is small cone that fits over top of cup with screened cone below inside cup - not as light, still pretty cheap and easier to cover cup while coffee steeps.

5. long time now since I've used this one - those one cup plastic cones that take paper filters and sit on top of cups. cheap, but falls off easily, water cools too fast, and you still have paper to dispose of.

6. cowboy coffee - put coffee right in pot and then pour or scoop out coffee. you eat a few grinds, but it is cheapest and lightest option. also makes pretty good coffee and best option for full hot coffee aside from the coffee press methods, which are too heavy.

The MSR coffee filter works great and doesn't weigh 2 oz. But for a truly great cup just throw some Starbucks into a cup of hot h2o and let it steep for a while, then scrape the grounds of the top and drink.....can you get lighter than that?

All the options posted so far are good as far as the ultralight requirement is oncerned, but most miss the mark for me in the "good coffee" criterium.

The mocha mix sounds pretty good, who makes the freeze-dried instant espresso you mentioned? I've never seen it....

Obviously everyone's standards for "good" coffee are different, but for a while now I've been packing General Foods' Cafe Vienna powdered coffee. Tastes good (to me) and nothing to pack out except the container you brought the powder in.

I was going to recomend a one cup filter system that I use at home and weights 2 1/2 oz. But then I read the post above about disposal. Good point. Therefore, I would recomend making super concentrated espresso and then watering it down with hot water in camp. This wouldn't work on a long trip but for a weekend it would work fine.

Ok, now that you have us wondering about your intense mocha drink, what is the recipe?????

Wow. Do we all have coffee issues? For the entrepreneurs out there, the responses to this thread suggest there's a ready market for ultralight coffee solutions.

Here's the "recipe" for the intense mocha drink:

The instant expresso is the Medaglia D'Oro brand, which is often sold in speciality food stores. It's ubiquitous enough that you could probably also find it online. There are probably also some other equally good brands out there.

The chocolate drink powder is made by a company (individual) in Taos called Xocoatl (Mayan for chocolate). You can order the powder online from www.chocolatecartel.com. It's pricey, but the drink is truly heavenly, whether you're watching the sunrise in the Grand Canyon or in the comfort of your home.

Mix the chocolate and espresso to your own taste. Add enough water to make it the consistency you like. Traditionally, this chocolate is served very thick.

If necessity is the mother of invention, our collective need for coffee in the morning should produce some truly creative solutions.

David

My rankings for good coffee (in my opinion, good coffee comes from increased contact with the grinds):

1) french press (best) - downsides are carrying the extra weight, cleaning and disposing of grinds

2) cowboy coffee - downside is grinds in your teeth. Maybe you can strain with a filter.

2) MSR mugmate (tie) - good contact with grinds, but only fits some sizes of mugs


3) Cup-pour-ri - okay contact, requires lots of seep time and swirling to increase contact, cleaning is a little messy

4) Re-usable tea bags - the kind I've tried didn't get much water flow through the bags and made really week coffee.

These days I usually settle for the Cup-pour-ri or mugmate. I may have to try the one poster's idea of freeze-dried quality instant expresso mixed with hot chocolate. As long as I'm not expecting my regular coffee taste that may work fine.

I've settled on using the Mugmate myself, but am still up for new options. Has anyone tried liquid coffee concentrate, either home-brewed or store-bought?

I've found that the coffee in tea bags works best if I put it in the pot before heating, not in the cup afterwards.

Timothy-

Medaglia D'oro brand freeze dried espresso is available on the internet at various retailers. I just happen to be able to get it locally. This and chocolate covered espresso beans are the only fast and light options for coffee IMHO.

Medaglia D'oro espresso is much better than regular freeze dried coffee (Folgers and others), but it is still not the real deal (no crema in your espresso). It is very good for instant as some folks may even be fooled into thinking it was fresh espresso. It is certainly good enough for this coffee aficionado.

For a few shots to get rolling on an alpine start, it meets all my criteria for "true" fast and light. I am shocked more of us aren't using it.

Peace.

The secret with cowboy coffee is to use eggshells to get the grounds to sink. One eggs worth in a ziploc last me through several days.

Many thanks to all who posted replies --
I think my next trip will feature both instant espresso and chocolate-covered espresso beans, which should feed not only my coffee jones, but also my dirty little chocolate habit...

In the past I've justified the coffee press as my sole "luxury item," in an otherwise 7.5 -lb. 3-season kit, I'd rather save the ounces!

Ditto Tim. I've been experimenting with the MugMate and different bags. For an upcoming hike of the Buffalo River Trail, I'll be reverting to a quality instant espresso. My next challenge is carrying enough alcohol to heat the water for my 2 pot a day habit!

Medaglia D'oro is the official coffee - in both instant and ground variants over here at BPL HQ in Bozeman, and it's also my coffee du jour for the backcountry these days.

Nescafe also makes some excellent instant coffees.

Nescafe: They make some great instant coffee. The stuff to get, but hard to find, is Nescafe Espresso. This stuff blows away Medaglia d'Oro (which is good stuff). The only place I have seen this stuff is in Germany (though it is probably available in other European countries and Chile. This is different from Nescafe "classic" and its variations. The stuff is awesome, it even produces crema.

I too am still searching for a lightweight trail coffee solution. What I used last year gave me the best trail coffee I've ever had but I didn't consider it lightweight. But it may be lighter than some of the solutions posted here.

I use "Toddy" coffee (a cold brew system) at home, and last year on the trail. From a rather overpriced system of carafes and filters one makes a coffee concentrate (at home). The concentrate makes very smooth, non-acidic coffee...just add hot water. I find that 1oz of concentrate makes 1cup of coffee. This means 4oz (plus squeeze bottle) will get me through a weekend backpack which seems pretty heavy. But with each cup of coffee, the pack weight drops another ounce until I'm down to the sub-ounce of the bottle. Theres no trash to deal with and nothing to carry out other than the squeeze bottle. See the system here: http://www.toddycafe.com/shop/product.php?productId=67
Shop around online for a better price.

Is this the stuff?

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/dcimports/nesesin25bag.html

I am curious, does anyone know if there are additives to Nescafe Espresso to give it its crema? Is it true crema with all the flavor and aroma? I might have to buy a box of this stuff to test it out. The photo on the box was more than I could resist.

Peace.

In my humble opinion I have the BEST coffee solution! It's camp coffee without the grit. No coffee making apparatus required. Buy turkish coffee and mix with sugar in a baggy for each morning; just enough for your pot size. It works because turkish coffee is ground finer than anything you can normally buy in the states. The coffee is strong and delicious and there is no grit until you get down to the very bottom of the pot.

My favorite coffee is Cafe' Najjar which you can purchase through www.natashascafe.com. It has cardamom (a spice) mixed in which may be overpowering at first but you'll love it from the first cup. In fact, I've never met someone on the trail who doesn't love it.

I made a search through the local co-op and an ethnic food store looking for the Medaglia D'oro instant expresso. No luck yet, but I did find this "Elite Instant Coffee". No idea where this comes from:







It does taste better than other instant coffees I've had, but still has that instant taste. It would be tolerable, but I think I'll keep looking for the Medaglia D'oro or give the Turkish coffee a try.

Edited by amcfarre on 04/07/2005 14:09:12 MDT.

Adam,

well obviously from the Hebrew characters it could be made in Israel. sorry, i never had a bar-mitzvah, so i can only read a very few Hebrew words and can't translate the label for you. there are also 4 lines of Arabic characters (again, sorry, can only speak a few phrases in Arabic & can't read any).

reading on, the label says "...at Safed Plant".

taking these words at their face value, it IS made in Israel and imported. Safed is an ancient city in northern Israel (in Galil or Galilee). Safed is, perhaps, primarily known as a center for Jewish mysticism focusing on the Kabbalah.

since it's sold in Israel that could explain having some Arabic on the label since Palestinian Arabs make up a large percentage of the regional poplulation.

that's all i know 'bout this matter. hope it answers your question about where it's from.

shalom a lachem.

Edited by pj on 04/07/2005 15:06:13 MDT.

Hi. I drink Nescafe Espresso.
Its the best instant coffee. Also as Espresso american way :-)

Dont know why its not sold in US.?

Here in Scandinavia its very common.
Actually nearly all instant coffee is Nescafé.

The Espresso comes in cans about 2oz powder or must better as small individual package 0.075 oz each.

If anyone is interested to try I could send some samples for a nominel fee.
email me at kim@email.dk. (Or swap for original US Gardini Ceasar dressing, as this no longer is sold in Europe and Im addicted to it.:-)



They also have instant cappucinno in individual servings.(with or without sugar)

Edited by skaarup on 04/07/2005 18:13:59 MDT.

Rick,
This is the stuff:
http://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/britishfood.asp?id=DC0107

It's for the british market, but I am sure it is the same as the stuff I've tried since the container looks identical. I checked the Chilean nescafe I have and it was imported from France. I suspect that the European ones are all the same.

I'd bet the link you provided to the Dutch nescafe is the same stuff. In fact, that one is pretty cool since it comes in individual servings.

For flavor, cowboy coffee (boiling water and grounds) can't be beat. But it's the very devil to get the grounds to sink at altitude (7000 feet seems to be the marker), and I end up using a bandana (what else, it's official use #56) to filter. Does anyone know the mechanism which keeps them afloat? Since cold water (my favorite) or (reputedly) egg shells or (sometimes) a tap on the pot make them sink at lower altitude I suspect it's surface tension; BPM recently suggested centrifuging the pot (there's a visual!). If it's surface tension, perhaps a little Kahlua would "break" it (but who wants alcohol at altitude?)?

I confess, I've always just scattered, as long as I'm not in intense bear country, and just skipped the coffee (take 2 excedrin) if I am. Is this wrong from a LNT perspective? I'm open to the possibility that it is...

As a newcomer to hiking light, I followed this thread with great interest. I was really excited and started to order a bottle of Nescafe Espresso. When it came time to check out, I found out the tariff is over $35 to ship from Great Britain to the US. Guess I'll go back to drinking tea in the mornings instead of coffee.

Hi Verndal.

I would be happy to ship you some espresso or cappucinnos if you could ship me some Ceasar Gardini original Ceasar Salad Dressing as itis not anylonger on the market in Europe.
(its a British substitute they are selling now!)
Contact me at kim@email.dk if interrested.

Edited by skaarup on 06/27/2005 13:23:10 MDT.

Kim -

Thanks for the offer. It's not that I can't find the Nescafe Espresso - it's simply that the tariff (import fee???) was 6 times the cost of the Espresso.

However, I will look for some Ceasar Gardini dressing for you the next time I go shopping. I don't recall ever seeing it at the store - but I've been stuck on Paul Newman's for a while now.

Newman's Own Caesar Dressing - simply the best, nothing else comes close.

Some restaurants serve it (but they don't tell the customers that they are serving off-the-shelf Caesar Dressing).

Kim, give it a try if you can find it in Denmark (you live in Denmark right?).

Best of all, ALL of the profits go to benefit Paul Newman's "Hole-in-the-Wall-Gang" Camps for children with terminal illnesses. [Note: Just in case anyone is wondering, the camp name comes from Mr. NewMan's old movie "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid"]

Edited by pj on 06/27/2005 23:08:54 MDT.

Ups.

Edited by skaarup on 06/28/2005 17:33:10 MDT.

Hi Poul.
Yep. I live in Denmark.
(Just for the records. Poul; in Denmark, as in China and other places, Kim is only a boys name. :-)

The problem with the dressings is atually a geopolitical one. If a food from USA can not be guarantied not to contain GMO (GenModified) it should be marked as possible GMO if to be sold in the EU. The company which distribute the Caesar Gardini products say that they dont think they can sell the products with this marking on it. In a few years they however expect the EU consumer to be used to the idea of GMO products, but for now its a no-no here.

Caesar Gardini was the original inventor of the Caesar Dressing and Salad. I think it was 1929 at Hotel Astoria, New York.

However I will look for the Newmann dressing when Im in Caribian Just want to taste it. :-)

Edited by skaarup on 06/28/2005 17:32:23 MDT.

Newmans Own is simply The best dressings made. Would love to replicate it but have not been successfull. Kim this is The best dressing and his Ceasar dressing is out of this world. Also the best thing about the dressings is that all the profits go to worthwile charities.

Try Minimint coffee filters. You can get a trial package cheap. They are based in Canada. Here is the link...

http://www.miniminit.com/index.html

I use Mount Hagen Organic Cafe when I'm on the trail. It's a freeze-dried instant coffee I found at my local coop - it's not too expensive. I enjoy a strong cup of black coffee every morning - on the trail or off - and this does the trick! What I like best about it is that it dissolves in water very readily even if the water is not heated. I've taken to not even pulling out the stove for breakfasts anymore.

My friend just recommended Javette coffee concentrate. It's a single-serving coffee concentrate that makes a good cup of coffee and you can alter the amount to make your coffee strong or mild. It lightweight and pretty pressure resistant and looks, smells, and tastes like good coffee. I've made hot coffee and great cold frappacinos with it.

It's will definitely come with me on all my backpacking trips!

Have any of you other coffee heads tried Greek or Turkish powdered (stone ground) coffee? You just stirr a spoonful into hot water, wait a minute and decant the coffee - or just drink it down to the grounds. If you want hair on your chest, keep it stirred vigorously and drink grounds and all. Really good stuff. Keeps well, beats instant, no filters or equipment to mess with. Espresso grind is almost as good as official Greek or Turkish coffee.

I have taken turkish coffee with me before. It tastes great, but if you don't want to drink the grounds they are hard to clean out of the pot. I used the bring to an almost-boil three times method, but I will try just mixing with hot water next time.

I used the Najjar brand that has cardamom, and the smell is POWERFUL. Even through three layers of ziploc I could still smell it (and all my mango slices tasted like it). An OP Sak or a foil lined bag is a must with this stuff.

Edited by archeopteryx2 on 10/21/2005 16:26:16 MDT.

Yeah, the cardamom knocks my nose off. I wonder if it attracts bears. As you noticed, you can't seal it off.

Frankly, I got sick of the flavored stuff, and now just go with the plain Turkish or Greek -- Turks and Greeks get all irate, but the coffee is about the same.

there is a lot of similar behavior between various species of animals. as i've recently read about bears (both here in the BPL Forums and on some links to authoritative web articles), i see so much similarity between certains aspects of bear behavior and dog behavior (which i am rather familiar with). yes, there still are diffs., but a lot of similarities.

i'm guessing that, like dogs, bears will investigate a "new" scent, e.g. cardamom, out of curiosity just for a closer sniff and possibly taste to see if it's edible. bears, being omnivores, might even be more curious about these non-meat scents than carnivorous dogs are (and dogs are still curious about them). they also have a much better sense of smell than even blood-hounds (3x the nasal passage surface area with olfactory related nerve endings, and a larger pct of their brain devoted to olfactory than dogs).

to me, cardamom smells like it could be food. imagine how a bear might perceive it!

however, i know nearly nothing about bears, so i'm just guessing here. better to err on the side of safety. remember, if a bear finds out, upon closer investigation, that it doesn't like the cardamom, there is always the nearby human!!! that's why i also hang the food far away from the night's bivy area and hope that i can remember where and find it the next morning! [prob. naive - if a dog could track me from the "hang" to the bivy, a bear certainly can too - but, still a good thing to do.]

Edited by pj on 10/22/2005 01:45:19 MDT.

Paul,
You're dead on. No one knows much about bears. Just when you think you have them figured out, you get gobbled up. That's the point. Bears and dogs can smell stuff - and smell it so well - we can't imagine it. Then they can act in unpredictable ways.

That's why anything with a hint of odor goes in the hang bag - and in : toothpaste (for those who carry it), citronella/ment/of any other non-DEET insect repellant, soap, all toiletries (for those who don't just go with the stink).

>>"the stink"

Vick, what do you think? perhaps even "the stink" smells like food? i've seen dogs (not mine) gobble down stuff that i couldn't get near my nose. perhaps the worst (but by no means the only) example, some dogs low on certain nutrients may resort to coprophagy to obtain some. also, for hours afterwards our breath, and glands can exude many diff. types of food/chemical odors - not just things like garlic, onions, broccoli.

OOOH! Let's hope secondhand broccoli and onions are not attractive to bears.

May I offer, for you coffee efficiandos, the primo way to have your drip, filtered coffee on the trail in a light, easy-to-pack system.
onefreshcup

Yes, it's not cheap. The mug size works really well..I can even get it to spread and hold over my Bistro coffee press (I like the size of the mug)

The coffee is excellent and it's worth every penny, IMHO...I'm used to European coffee..strong, not bitter, smooth..this stuff is pretty good and, by far, the best for Backpacking I've ever found.

Edited by Mataharihiker on 11/19/2005 07:26:54 MST.

Instead of using eggshells to make the loose grounds to sink after brewing, sprinkle/throw a little cold water on the surface of the coffee. It only gets a little chewy towards the bottom of the pot/cup.

Edited by catamountain on 11/24/2005 13:56:29 MST.

I'm really getting tired of the cowboy coffee bit. I ran across a coffee press that fits inside a Nalgene bottle - www.press-bot.com. Looks fairly light and might beat the whole cold water and egg shells magic show.

I've used a single-cup coffee maker at home for years, and it would also work fine on the trail:

http://baldmountaincoffee.com/page/BMCC/PROD/Swissgold_Coffee_Filters/SWISS-KF300

The one I bought in 1992 is still in working condition. Picked it up an espresso place in Shasta City, CA.

I find that the Filtron system (www.filtron.com) is easier to use than the Toddy brand.

I've been using the cold-brew for my daily coffee for a few weeks now and can't wait to try it on a trip.

vv
J.O.

Try a small dribble of cold water around the edge to settle the grounds. If you grind your own coffee any large grinds will float in the first cup. Best results are from grocery store grinder set on expresso. I take it no one has munched on choc covered coffee beans.

Only dark choc. covered beans - "hi-test", not decaf beans.

Stir espresso grind, or turkish or greek stone ground coffee into almost but not quite boiling water (180F is fine). A few drops of cold water settle the grounds. Toss the sludge when you get to the bottom. Make another cup if you can keep your hands steady enough. Goooood!

Yes...that is the stuff...in the individual packs. The import tax will KILL you though.

Because I am a coffee fiend...I have tried just about every method of trail coffee. I am getting tired of cleaning and fussing with extra tools in order to get coffee. The folgers bags (like tea bags) was where I started...and although the flavor is just awful, I was about to go back to them, until I saw this thread. I went hunting for the holy grail of freeze dried coffee. That really is the easiest, lightest way to do the coffee thing. I found it available via an Australian import site based out of Texas....and it is in the jar so you don't have the extra packaging. It is still expensive and you have to pay shipping, but no import tax. I would try it and tell you what it tastes like...but I am saving it for a longer trip and once you break the seal...it is only good for a month and a half.
http://about-australia-shop.com/advanced_search_result.php?osCsid=24f5afe1d6aa551c460ce1e35ac90d44&search_in_description=1&inc_subcat=1&keywords=nescafe&categories_id=&osCsid=24f5afe1d6aa551c460ce1e35ac90d44&pfrom=&pto=&x=0&y=0

Shortened Link Nice...

I found a shop in town that carries Nescafe Espresso, I still need to get around to getting some (last time I went by they were sold out but confirmed that they usually kept some on hand)

Any one try this yet?
The BPL add does not list a shelf life.

I've got some on order and should receive it some time next week. I ordered 10 packs to try out. I'll post a taste test.

My standard camp coffee at this time is Nescafe Espresso in the individual packs. I'm going to see how this stuff compares.

Dan

Here's the LightWeight drill CoffeeLovers ...

At the store, grind your beans to "Turkish" grind (the finest, smallest grind)

Then when a "cupajoe" is wanted, simply spoon in the amount you want for the desired strength of coffee. Add HOT water and simply wait for the grounds to sink.

This method is "Turkish" coffee.

Can't drink completly, but when nearing the grounds, simply swish out and rinse the cup for the next use.

HEY, it doesn't get any ''lighter'' than this!

DP,
I'm with you - but watch out for cardamon flavored Turkish... you might like it, but it can get old. But if you use the Turkish grind with unflavored coffee, the result is fiiiine.

The turkish style sounds good. I am not sure it is lighter than freeze dried...since in essence, the heavier liquid components have been removed.

I looked at the Java Juice, and while it sounds tastey, seems expensive at a $1 for 16 ounces. But then again, I pay nearly $2 for a large Peet's, so who knows. Perhaps Java Juice would seem more useful in a small bottle.

Have you ever tried reheated day or two old coffee? The nasty taste is due to oxidation.

JJ in a bottle would likely suffer a similar fate (unless it was very cold out, as oxidation rates will approximately halve with every temperature decrease of 10 deg F)...

Got mine in today. If you like the taste of Starbucks, it's your coffee. Couldn't tell the difference if you tried. Starbucks ain't really my flavor, so I probably won't buy anymore.

anybody tried this stuff. it's a concentrate like java juice.

www.javette.com

I am addicted to the Starbuck Espresso blend beans that I use in a french press or sometimes use to make espresso.... can I get some confirmation from other Starbuck drinkers that "JavaJuice" taste like the Starbuck Espresso?

Lee Deavers

JJ is NOT at all like the overroasted swill they serve at SBs.

I thought it was really mellow -- not bitter or acidic. I like it a lot.

I like a good strong cuppa jo and hauling a Melita and filters or a French press is a pain. I found myself using more water to clean the press than I did making coffee. I've used Folger's coffee bags, which I've classed as a coffee-flavored drink, but not really coffee-- a better-than-nothing-at-all option. The Java Juice leaves just the little foil bag to haul out and it is *quick*. All I need is a Platypus full and just let the hose drip in the corner of my mouth-- I'll change my trail name to RoadRunner.... BEEP BEEP :)

I made some muslin bags just a bit bigger than a tea bag for my coffee. Very lightweight (I carry 2) and I just give them a good rinse. I like that they are reusable and that I can have a decent cup of coffee in the morning. I also have a set for my loose teas.

I’ve gone the whole route for the perfect cup of backpacking coffee from packing a small French Press, to paper filters, cowboy coffee, compact drip filters or various kinds, muslin bags that actually worked fairly well, and even used my handkerchief one trip as a filter.

I recently purchased a dozen packets of Java Juice and did a taste test by adding about 10 ounces of boiling water to one packet. Good enough for the trail, very smooth cup of coffee, and no fuss or muss with the clean up.

I just found some pretty decent freeze dried instant at a World Gourmet store. It is the brand "Jacob's". It doesn't have a strange aftertaste that you find with most instant javas. I found it much more palatable than either Java Juice or Javette. That being said, I am a coffee snob and would not dream of using instant anywhere but on the trail. I tried all the usuals: MSR Mugmate, Big Sky Bistro mug, coffee bags, the filters that are suspened on a little stick. I think that for on the trail, I will stick with instant.

Here is the URL to a USA location for purchasing this Nescafe Espresso Coffee 5oz = 9.95 shipping for ground is $8.61. About Austrlia is located in Texas.

Enjoy

http://about-australia-shop.com/product_info.php/products_id/450

I have used this fir some time. I like strong but not bitter coffee. This is simple andlight weight.

Nescafe Espresso Coffee

http://www.dcimports.com/nesesin25bag.html

Edit: as i read the entire thread, i see this has already been shown.

Edited by djjmikie on 05/25/2008 11:03:17 MDT.

This morning I had a non-scientific cup-to-cup shoot-out between Starbuck's new Via™ Readybrew Italian Roast and Medaglia D'Oro brand Instant Espresso. (Medaglia D'Oro is reviewed numerous times on the site; do a search to see those reviews.)

The Readybrew (Starbucks instant) was provided free by my local Starbucks. It's not yet available in the stores in my area, but may be available via their website. I bought the Medaglia D'Oro at a local Whole Foods Market several months ago.

Both products were dissolved into identical ceramic cup containing between 7 & 8 oz. per cup of fresh hot water from my espresso machine.

The Medaglia D'Oro dissolves fairly quickly, tending to stay on top of the water. When the rounded teaspoon-ful was stirred in, it leaves what appears to be a micro-foam of "creama" on top, like you would expect if you added a shot of espresso to the water. It leaves the water a rich dark-brown. The liquid has good aroma and tastes good, with only a "hint" of the metallic flavor associated with freeze-dried instants.

The Via™ is packaged in a one-cup mylar/foil packet 98mm X 24mm (under 1 inch by under 4 inches). The product is dry, and dispenses easily but I had to squeeze it out from back to front. It seemed to want to stay in the pouch and is attracted to itself like it was charged with static electricity. It sank to the bottom of the cup and dissolved very quickly, forming a deep black liquid with no foam on top. The aroma was good, but maybe slightly less than Medaglia D'Oro.

I first tasted each cup "black". The Medaglia D'Oro has a very slight "instant" quality about it, a taste that is slightly "metallic" to me. Beyond that, the flavor is very rich, rounded and a bit "fruity" to my taste. This fruityness intensifies when I add my customary 1.5 teaspoons of sugar.

The "black" Via cup is closer to a cup of french-press-brewed Italian Roast than the cup of Medaglia D'Oro. The aroma may be slightly less, and the flavor is somehow "flatter" but there is no "instant" or "processed" taste, and you can taste the coffee solids that you would encounter in a cup of french-press brew on your tongue. This further re-inforces the "brewed" vs. "instant" quality of the product. Adding sugar took away the very slight "acidic" taste and made the coffee surprisingly good. It's better than any "instant" I've tasted and closest to a brewed cup. The empty cup even displayed some of the "micro-ground" coffee solids on the sides of the cup when empty.

I found both cups to be very good and drinkable, each with their own qualities. No clear winner for me as I found things to enjoy about each. It may take field use to sort out which one I ultimately enjoy best. I was unable to differentiate between the caffeine contents of either cup, having drunk both. I did feel a kick appropriate to 1.5 to 2 cups of italian roast or espresso roast coffee, however.


I'm a Starbucks and a Medaglia D'Oro customer, but not otherwise associated with them.

For trail and camp coffee, I've used "cowboy sock" methods, lexan french press, lexan pump-style espresso maker, gsi stove-top espresso maker, jetboil press, Java Juice and finally (as my pack-weight has fallen below 15 lbs,)Medaglia D'oro instant.

I'll be trying the "Via™" readybrew on my next trip if available along with the familiar Medaglia D'Oro.

Keep in mind that taste is pretty much a matter of personal preference.

Tried both the Italian and Colombia VIA and was kind of disappointed. The Italian tasted way over roasted to me, didn't really like the taste, though I have to admit it didn't have that instant taste. The Colombia tasted better to me, but I still detected a bit of that instant coffee taste.

I'll be sticking to my standby of Nescafe instant espresso or an MSR mugmate.

Amen to that. I never liked coffee until I was introduced to Espresso in my mid-twenties.

For me, Italian roast (3rd darkest roast behind "Espresso" and "French") is about as "light" a roast as I will drink. I found the VIA Italian matched up pretty much to the standard "Italian Roast", so if you don't like dark roasts, you certainly wouldn't like it.

Another thing to point out is that the darker the roast, the less caffeine will be present. If you're used to a "green roast" like most American coffees, you may not get the buzz you're used to when you're drinking the darker roasts.

Edited by barth on 03/10/2009 17:47:07 MDT.

at rei...

http://www.rei.com/product/784659

i saw a DIY version of this sometime ago, but i like it! thought id share

I just dont understand, why people need to carry any specific machinery just to brew coffee?
My choice is turkish coffee. You just need ultrafine-grineded coffee, your mug and alcohol burner. (Actually, I'm making coffee at home only on alco-burner, because it allow to brew coffee close to ideal)
This is good tutorial, I think. I'm doing cofee at home with cezve(ibrik) and in usual mug on the trail.

http://www.ineedcoffee.com/04/turkishcoffee/

Hey anton, that's pretty awesome. So when you use your normal mug it still doesn't boil with the coffee on top? How much coffee and water do you use? I think I might give this a try. seems pretty spiffy.

I've been making cowboy coffee, or sometimes in my MSR Titan the little lip is close enough to catch 99% of the grounds if i just pour it out into a cup.

I had my first cup of "Turkish" cowboy coffee in Poland a few years ago. Espresso grind brews and sinks to the bottom when it's ready to drink. Sip it down to the grounds, swirl and toss the biodegradable fines. If you really need to keep your cup clean, try emptying tea bags and refilling them with espresso; reclose them with a stapler. Good coffee is good coffee not matter how it's brewed.

Edited by pjstarich on 05/26/2009 21:42:05 MDT.

Tried my first cup, very similar to the Turkish coffee in previous posts as far as texture, however without the residue or straw whisk associated with the Turkish coffee. Prior to this coffe my preferred had been Java Juice @ 1oz per package, cost are compariable, big difference is that individual packs of VIA are .1 ozs, works best when 8ozs of very hot not boiling water.

My wife is Greek so whenever we go to see her parents we drink Greek style coffee (identical to Turkish without any spice). I love it, tastes great, but after about 2 weeks in Greece, I'm ready for a good ole cuppa joe. In fact, i never make it the full 2 weeks and end up getting some at a restaurant. So I like the idea of using it backpacking, as long as I'm not out for more than a few days.

I like the idea of the java juice, but am not crazy about such an over packaged product. I think I'll stick to the Greek coffee or figure out how Laurie makes those reusable bags.

Interestingly, Nescafe is also huge in Greece. I don't think it's the Espresso kind, but they whip it into a cold frothy drink they call a frappe. One of my favorite past times while i'm there, frappes and people watching :)

Just found some ready-to-fill tea bags called "t-sacs tea filters" at a local coffee shop. They can be filled with your favorite tea or espresso and closed with a staple. If you mill your coffee extra fine, some of the fines may sift through the bags. They are available online at Amazon, 100 to a box for about $5. Weight per use: negligible.

Edited by pjstarich on 06/09/2009 23:10:49 MDT.

Well it’s a mater of taste.

The instants all tend to lack aroma (but the caffeine is still there and anything is good when it’s cold out). In Australia at least the coffee bag “revolution” was an attempt to return the aroma and earn more money. They mixed a “tea bag” of coffee grounds (for aroma) with instant (for a quick brew) in a 50:50 mix. It is a compromise.

Over than last years the connivance market here has moved out of the coffee bag zone into sachets as a way of value adding.

They tend to be a better instant coffee grade often mixed with a skim milk powder and packed in individual half oz tubes. As you guess the skim milked dissolves better than full fat and allows the claim of “low fat” to be applied. Frothing agents/ flavors/ chocolate led to the myriad of instant cappuccinos and the such to take up supermarket shelf space.

eg. Those clever Canadians drink

http://www.nestle.ca/en/products/brands/Nescafe/mixes_cappuccino.htm

Anything with fresh grounds will smell (hence taste) better then instant. Unfortunately the water needs to be hot. On the Bolivia altiplano water at altitude won’t boil hot enough to make an easy brew. Go instant or take an expresso maker (as it still has to reach the pressure enough to force the water through he compacted grounds).

Anything which allows the grounds to stay in the water will be a thicker brew with more of the coffee oils (if you like that).

The middle eastern way to make “cowboy coffee” was to boil water, throw in the grounds let it foam up/ take it away before it overflows then repeat foaming another 2 times. The idea was to ensure mixing and get the grounds wet enough to hopefully sink away after you let your coffee sit for a while. (too much boiling and it would get bitter hence the magic 3 times). Stirring in milk powder/whitener upset the whole process but gave you something to chew.

A press or a MSR mugmate gave me a similar taste with the latter being a good deal lighter to carry.

A filter sock common in Northern Europe was a stocking and a wire ring. They are light reusable and usually wet and smelly in the wrong climate. It like filter papers would absorb/catch some the oils to give the thinner brew more common in the usa.

Yes a proper expresso is nicer but the pressure need to make a good cup meant that anything you used to make it was strong to be noticeably heavy or complicated.

I will usually tolerate the weight to get some aroma.
If I am alone and lazy I take a MSR mug mate.

If I am with “the german wife” it is usually a filter. A filter paper weighs about a gram. I have done the collapsible filter holder in the paste but they are a little over engineered/heavy. While traveling I would flatten a foil lined juice/milk/wine box (the right type helps)and just cut off a filter paper sized corner. Make a hole in the bottom and open it out to make a filter cone/holder to balance on a cup (you can be more complicated and leave a bucket handle if preferred). An old drink container should be water proof so they don’t absorb much water. It will normally take weeks of use, be replaced if smelly and doesn’t fill up your pack on the way home in a plane.

The MSR site uses the terms envirofriendly and wasteful when talking about filter papers but there is a lot more paper discarded in the newspaper that you read with the morning cup so you don’t need to believe them.

Yes it produces coffee grounds. If you are hiking somewhere that will let you light fires these grounds are not much different to than the ash you leave or the dead leaves around you (this is the line the tea drinkers use when they throw out the tea leaves). Coffee grounds in a fire will eventually burn if it’s hot enough but it’s work to build this sized fire.

If it is a long hike through a frequently used area or a definite “leave nothing behind” zone I think those little sachet things are not sounding too bad.

Perhaps the guys at BackpackingLight could do a world wide search, order a selection and do a blind taste testing of sachets. I can afford a change in ultra light coffee more than in ultra light tents.

I purchased some cheese cloth and I boil some water in my pot, put the grounds in the cloth and pour the water over the cloth over my bottle or cup. makes a good cup of coffee with practice and is reusable. If you cant find cheese cloth, go to a home brew store and get a grain bag. pre ground coffee needed of course.