Coffee

Recent Coffee Reviews

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew

What a pleasant surprise from someone who used to pack a small coffee pot, Folgers tea-type bags, and instant powder in earlier times. About 10 years ago on a backpacking trip here in Colorado, the friend who I took to a very remote area happened to have VIA packets (in addition to eggs and bacon in the morning:), I was just amazed at the taste at 11,000 feet. Now a part of my trips and even used a few times on car camps. Great product, if something is even better...will certainly consider as a… Full review

CS Instant Coffee

CS Instant coffee is competitive with products like Starbucks Via and Alpine Start instant coffee. It's growing in popularity because it's rich in flavor and simple to brew. Featuring compostable packaging and arabica coffee, it's the perfect companion for any backcountry experience. Life is hard for backcountry goers who are also coffee fanatics. There aren't many coffee options that are efficient for backcountry use. No one wants to pack out a bunch of coffee grounds. And most instant coffee brands… Full review

Nature’s Coffee Kettle Colombian Coffee

Camp coffee is required for my mornings. I usually do a pour over when car camping or instant coffee when backpacking. Nature's Kettle is an alternative that produced a good cup of coffee with a straightforward brewing process I received the Nature's Kettle coffee from another site in return for an honest review. The brewing process was straightforward. Put the coffee pack in the top, add hot water and let steep. I needed to pour the coffee through a second time to get the strength I wanted. The… Full review

Nature’s Coffee Kettle Colombian Coffee

Great coffee, clunky process. As a member of another website, I am sometimes given products to test in exchange for a review. This time it’s something that I always start my day with, wherever I am. Nature’s Coffee Kettle is a lightweight and reusable coffee brewing system suitable for a variety of situations. What I like about this product: The coffee is tasty and NCK offers a variety of blends. I prefer the Columbian and French Roast—the darker blends have a richer flavor. The kettle takes… Full review

Nature’s Coffee Kettle Hazelnut Coffee

Camp coffee is a staple of almost every backpacker. We try and find the most compact but useful gear to bring that perfect cup of Joe on the trail with us. Nature's Coffee Kettle has taken all the guesswork and expense out of getting that perfectly filtered cup of coffee, or four, on the trail and they've also taken out the weight of fancy coffee equipment. Our first morning waking up on the trail was made all the better by our camp coffee. Received for free as compensation for reviewing we tried… Full review

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew

Excellent, easy to use. The VIA packs are perfect for backcountry coffee. Tiny packaging—simply add to hot water, stir, and enjoy. Not a ton I can say other than it's good and much appreciated on a cold morning.   Full review

Mount Hagen Organic Fairtrade Instant Coffee

About as good as instant coffee gets, at a reasonable price and lower weight-per-cup than the main alternative. A good choice for extended backcountry trips where real coffee isn't worth the extra weight and hassle. Backcountry coffee is a perennial topic on the TS foums, with threads running on for weeks if not months, and many members weighing in with their own idiosyncratic preferences. Here’s another log for that long-burning fire. Here's the search image: And the backstory: A while back when… Full review

Trader Joe's Pour-Over Coffee Brewer

I've tried it and even added two to my bug-out bag. I did not find the taste to be artificial, actually tasted like honest brewed coffee. I was surprised. A good backup for ski houses, etc. I was pretty impressed. As far as quick on the fly coffee brewing is concerned, I liked it. The coffee tasted pretty good. You have to remove the plastic cap on the plastic pouring spout when you add the hot water. Be careful, resealing the pouch after the hot water is added can be dodgy. Full review

Trader Joe's Pour-Over Coffee Brewer

I have used this twice on camping/backpacking trips. Blah. And blah again below average coffee and lots of waste to carry out. Then there is the little plastic cap that is easy to lose and bad for the environment once you do. Starbucks or any other powdered coffee is better than this. I have used this twice on camping/backpacking trips. Blah. And blah again below average coffee and lots of waste to carry out. Then there is the little plastic cap that is easy to lose and bad for the environment once… Full review