Anyone have a review?  I'm always looking for a quicker way to the water in the morning.  If   (You need to Login or Register is any good I could leave my press at home.

I'll be very surprised IF any instant coffee is given the thumbs up by anyone who loves decent coffee.
 If your just looking for a caffeine jolt, then it might be tolerable, but if your taste for good coffee is anything like your taste for good Scotch, Starbucks or not, I doubt instant coffee will satisfy?
 I like the Folgers coffee singles for the quick morning get-away, but there is also this item, which I have tried.
 Don't know about price comparisons, but it makes a real good cup of coffee, almost as good as French Press.

  (You need to Login or Register
 

I say, keep the press!  My french press is one of the most valuable items in the pack!  I used to use high-test coffee, but have found for some reason, when out in the bush, a lighter blend tastes wonderful...maybe it's the press?  Anyway, I use Yuban coffee...it does the job for me.  

Way, way, better than any instant.  

Having said all this, no, I never tried the stuff you linked to!

prouboy

I believe in traveling light but make no sacrifice on coffee in the woods. I lug a moka pot (quick and strong) and fill it with Gene Hick's blends     (You need to Login or Register
(Signature blend for lighter roast, Canoe or Fishing blend for darker).

Worth the weight.

---

I won't skimp on coffee either - a good brew is paramount to taking a good dump.  The press has been great in that regards.  I read up on this Via and it is getting mixed reviews - one being a 1st hand reviewer in my bros-in-law in IL.  Flavor - acceptable but virtually no aroma or bitterness.  We'll keep the press.

Isn't the Moka for esspresso?

PhantomJug,

I don't know anything about Via Coffee, but if you're trying to speed up the morning brew, I'd highly suggest getting a JetBoil with the coffee press accessory.

Just my 2 cents,
-JJ

I suppose I am making you all cringe right now :P. Been using the old instant mountain blend for years, yep it is instant....light weight and very taste to coffeeholic....but then again I prefer the irish to the scotch! Make it strong make it scandivian farmer style....what ever you want.....when I am really living large on trail I still do the old standard cowboy coffee methodology-works better for groups as the harmonics are better for getting the grounds to settle prior to decanting ;) PJ the morning thing is not not a problem either, NO @#$%! ;D

PJ-

Close to espresso strength and thickness, not quite there. Similar to the press in that the wrong grind will mess up the brew. I carry the moka pot and a camp stove when traveling by car too, a few minutes in a rest area and great curbside coffee.  Wouldn't trust Via as even fresh Starbucks beans are suspect- they over cook the beans to cover  for marginal beans, due to the sheer quantity necessary to feed the beast.

The ad says that one cup lasts all day. Translation=you can't forget the bad taste all day. Save the $20 and just throw a handful of dirt into boiling water. Same effect...

;D

Ok - this sounds crazy, but instant Asian coffees are really good. Really! And I like to drink coffee.

I haven't found any instant black coffee yet but there are plenty with cream and sugar already added. I prefer cream and sugar and this way I don't have to carry them separately so it's fine with me. You can find them in most Asian stores and of course, on Packit Gourmet  ;)  Here are the one's that I've tried and like:

  (You need to Login or Register


I like G7 and Vinacafe the best. The DeDe's is too sweet for my tastes. The cappuccino and mocha area also very good.

Campgirl....give mountain blend a try....

Maybe my taste buds just aren't that picky, but Folgers singles work just fine for me.  

I bring an insulated coffee mug, fill it with boiling or near boiling water, drop two Folgers Singles into the water and let them sit for 5-10 minutes.  As far as I'm concerned, it's good coffee, and since I'm the only one in our group of six that drinks the stuff, it's perfect.

My lovely wife bought me a 12 pack of Via that sat by the grinder for months. Coffee is really personal to those of us who can't live as well w/o our daily fix.

Last week we were both busy so she picked up whatever whole bean X2 from wherever she thought of it.  Both sucked.  They were aweful! Both were barely roasted and we like dark oily beans (well I always did and she's become worse than me) and neither of us could get that crap to be palatable no matter how hard we tried. I saw what was left in the garbage yesterday and thought awe crap, well, yeah.

So anyway, I tried a Via last Monday just to get the taste out of my mouth and I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty damn good, a whole lot better than instant or even the best steeped grinds. (Yuck!) Steeping for any period of time (re: singles and pressed) just brings / develops a whole lot of ugly flavors that good coffee shouldn't have IMHO.  I like strong if I cant have good. Good and strong is always preferred but I do have standards.

I tried the Colombia / medium but I hear there's also a darker Italian roast that could be better from the sound of it.

I perk rather than press on trips because all of the water hasn't been boiled to death when perking which makes a better cup to begin with and I expect the smoke mingles with the flavors I enjoy as well.

Oh but the math, arrrgh:
Two pounds of coffee lasts me ~10 days. (+I'll add some emergency instant.) The Colombian was good enough and considering I'd save the space of two pounds of coffee plus the percolator so would be easier plus I'd repackage it into thermos size servings (Not a fan of the single serving packaging at all.)  ... so, I could probably shave a pound+ while adding convenience and space.

But wait, Two pounds of coffee is ~$20.00 for 80 - 100 cups. This stuff would cost something like >$50.00 more. That's a deal breaker here. It's good but it's not that good. I'm sure a box will replace my usual odd tea bag and bag o' instant though so it will probably have a place and I'd bet it will even taste better with some smokey, near boiling water and ambiance.

It does have the usual, pervasive Starbucks aroma although to a lesser extent so if you can get past that....  [smiley=thumbup.gif] [smiley=thumbup.gif] And/but this reviewer would like to try the darker roast someday but you can get used to almost anything if it works for you...

DB:   A little extra weight, but quick to boil and deep rich coffee. Much better than perk

---

The best time of day for me is the first hour when I get up before anyone else and have a quiet couple cups of coffee.  Tried many brands over the years and have settled on Cafe' Verona....just tastes better for me.

Usually bring in Folgers Singles on canoe trips, but tested the Via Italian Roast first time this morning.

Only one word to describe it....YUK!!   :P

I've probably said this before, but if I'm the only one drinking coffee (which is actually pretty common), I take my own "coffee singles."  I've purchased the unfilled bags (I use a product called "T-Sac," available from a variety of on-line stores in a variety of sizes) and my normal coffee.  Depending on my mood and amount of available time pre-trip, I'll either take the components or pre-fill and seal the bags.

If I have other coffee drinkers along, I take my coffee press.

In either case, my morning cup(s) are consistent with my normal "back-in-the-world cup(s).  Can't start the morning off right without that cup of joe!

Many years back, I made perk coffee but I dont' have the patience for that any longer ... give me some hot water and I'm on my way!

dd

Intrepid Camper makes a mean/great cup of Joe on the trail!  Easy, simple and at the time I was drinking it, it was fantastic  :)   Maybe she'll give up her trade secret on this thread?

I tried the Star Bucks instants back around Christmas.  They would be ok in a pinch, but I'll still be taking the perker next time.  Kind of expensive and still not as good as perked.  I like a few grounds in my coffee, makes the fish bite better when you spit on the lure.   ;)

qp  

I'm a Via fan. Not as good as perked, but convenience and weight take precedence on the trail (for me).

The Beaver

The JetBoil, the Dunkin' Donuts blend, and the French press constitute a successful formula in my camp.  I'm just not sure I'd know what-to-do next if I didn't go through that daily pre-dawn morning mist get-my-mind-right ritual.

Of course, if KF is located nearby, he's probably up already, too, & I might go bum a cup of coffee from whatever he's perking... or vice versa.  

Jimbo   8-)

PJ - What the hell's your rush?  If it's not broke - don't fix it - unless your adding some whiskey to it....

What's my rush?  I'll tell you my rush.

There are 365 days in a year.  I get to spend 8 of them with Pascannel in a canoe in Quetico.  That's roughly 190 hours out of 8,760.  Subtract 20 hours for travelling, 56 for sleeping, +/- 10 for screwing around in camp with chores etc.. and that leaves 94 hours for fishing or 1.07% of the year to fish Quetico.  Every minute not spent in a canoe fishing in Quetico (while in Quetico) is a minute wasted IMO.

So, if I can get my coffee in 5 minutes vs. 15 thats an extra hour and a half on the water.

There is a greater life lesson in here though; which I would be happy to share with the rest of you.  Canoe camping, like life, is about being efficient, streamlined and intentional.  Those people that simply "let the day happen" end up being the weakest of the herd.  These are the folks blowing out knees on portages, sleeping till 3pm and baking pizza in dutch ovens on top of a BWCA fire grate.  You call that living?!?!?!  They are the same people swapping pink-stew recipes and wondering how and where to hang or hide a food pack or plugging in coordinates into their GPS or trying to balance a tripod.  That's not life my friend.  That's a pity and pray for their souls.  You know how I know this?  Because come May, my PM box is filled to the gills with fishing related questions from every member on the block.  You know why?  I'll tell you why.  Because it finally dawned on them that they just spent the last year trading stew recipes.

That is how I can look myself in the eye and know that I spent my limited time here on earth wisely; no excessive time brewing coffee, hanging my food pack, cooking pizza or snapping nature photos.  No my friend, I spent my day  intentionally and efficiently.

Who are you going to be Pax?  Recipe guy or fishing guy?  The choice is yours.

Wow PJ you sound like me and taxes!

PhantomJug wrote on Feb 26^th, 2010 at 6:12pm:

What's my rush?  I'll tell you my rush. There are 365 days in a year.  I get to spend 8 of them with Pascannel in a canoe in Quetico.  That's roughly 190 hours out of 8,760.  Subtract 20 hours for travelling, 56 for sleeping, +/- 10 for screwing around in camp with chores etc.. and that leaves 94 hours for fishing or 1.07% of the year to fish Quetico.  Every minute not spent in a canoe fishing in Quetico (while in Quetico) is a minute wasted IMO. So, if I can get my coffee in 5 minutes vs. 15 thats an extra hour and a half on the water. There is a greater life lesson in here though; which I would be happy to share with the rest of you.  Canoe camping, like life, is ...... Who are you going to be Pax?  Recipe guy or fishing guy?  The choice is yours.

You can do anything with math!

Forgive me if I'm confused but as I recall Pax is the guy with the aluminum barrel(s). Not my type of trip these days but I'm sure they enjoy the dividends of their effort tremendously.

Some count pounds and ounces while others count minutes, seconds.... Most look at it as a return on investment. It's all about perspective and priorities. Goals, degree of difficulty and efficiency are awful subjective and I really love to see them expressed.

Take the bushwackos jambo for instance. It's, at the very least, a contradiction or (perhaps - sorry) a Snipe hunt depending of course on your perspective. Either way, it's a defined goal where efficiency becomes a major concern at some point. Worth thinking about at any rate and thinken's light, cheap and has little downside. Great to see people who already know what they want and still tweak a few extra electrons in an effort to get to where their going more efficiently.

Some (me for sure) will gladly trade effort for serendipity any day.

I'm with PJ on a lot of that.  Our goals may differ to some extent...fishing's also a big part of the allure to me...but sitting around waiting for coffee to perk isn't my idea of a great use of vacation time either.  

That's the beauty of a french press.  All the flavor of perked coffee with no waiting.  By the time it's cool enough to drink, it's time to push the plunger.  Meanwhile, I'm busy getting other chores out of the way.  Bottoms up!

PhantomJug wrote on Feb 26^th, 2010 at 6:12pm:

There is a greater life lesson in here though; which I would be happy to share with the rest of you.

I don't know how anyone else read my post but if you hadn't pissed yourself laughing by the end of that sentence I failed to make my point.

Confession time. I've made one fish stew in my life, it just happened to turn out pink. It was a PJ original...as in Practical Joke. ;D Had a little smoky taste as I recall...

If you've never had smoked laker in a stew, don't knock it, ever bit as much fun as catching it.

Snow_Dog wrote on Feb 26^th, 2010 at 9:07pm:

By the time it's cool enough to drink, it's time to push the plunger.

You're talking about Potassium Chloride right.  If I had to do camp chores that's the only plunger I'd be pushing.

You know I'm kidding.  We'll keep the coffee press and skip the instant, even if it does mean more time at camp.  Don't expect me to sit on a rock and watch the sunrise with it though.  I'll drink it in the canoe.  My morning dump is almost always 2 miles from my campsite and allows me to answer "yes" to the question of; "Do you bushwhack?"

PJ,
You are an interesting and thought provoking fellow. 1/2 of me understands and supports your views and the other 1/2 does not. I am with you on people who lack clear vision about what they want and end up being aimless and waste time and ultimately are unsatisfied with a great many endeavors in life, not just canoe camping. You are indeed correct in pointing out that our time on this earth is limited and it's best to take full advantage of the gift of life.

That being said, there is also much to be said about being content in whatsoever circumstances one finds oneself. That extra 1.5 hours of fishing time even if it does land you a few extra fish is that then the measure of a good trip? (I'm not saying it is or isn't, let each be convinced in their own mind). And I say this from a hardcore fisherman's point of view. When they allowed bait I had a line out while setting up camp. Usually I run a line on travel days and it is seldom that I wrap it up for the night before 11 P.M. and I often fish until midnight. I fish hard. Life is short. As for that morning cup of Joe. Ah, life is good. I relax, the fish will be there. I write a bit, read a bit and I might even make a second cup!  :)  

Yeah . . . well . . . my wife still thinks I'm funny even if you guys don't.   :P

Rats, I didn't get it. Still, the best cutting humor always has the element of truth. I shall try and be more observant and learn from the master.

PJ gives us brilliant satire and his response is Dr. Phil helping us to live a "contented" life. Tis a cruel world.

I think I will start work on next months beginner fishing tip and leave the entertainment aspects to the experts.

PhantomJug wrote on Feb 26^th, 2010 at 11:03pm:

Yeah . . . well . . . my wife still thinks I'm funny even if you guys don't.   :P

I think your funny PJ, in that twisted " Oh NO he didn't way" ;D
And any guy who sends a picture of themselves "sunning" on the beach with libation in hand and has a wife who laughs at it, should count his blessings over a leisurely cup of camp Joe every paddling morning ;)

Thanks PhantomJug for the laugh ;D.  If some of your statement didn't ring true, it wouldn't be funny.  Different strokes for different folks, but I get ya on the piddling, wasting time, weakest of the herd sorts.  The Jetboil frenchpress takes exactly the same time as taking down my tent, so it works for me.  Two tasks at once.

A good laugh, indeed ;D. Efficient..... 8-), that's why I drink instant. Dont want to cut the tackle box down so the french press got ditched. Cant ditch the Outback cause boy and the I like fish pizza to much, bread and chocolate cake too. So I take pictures to pass the cooking time and let the youngster catch a few more ZZZ's so we're efficient on the portages, and I get some utter silence. We all have our methods of madness. PJ your a lucky man to have gotten it so young, kudos. Here is to the morning cup and all that follows, Skoal! ;)

I just tried some. Italian Roast is much better than Columbia.

AH italian roast ;)

A dan drinking italian roast eating dutch pancakes ;D

Solus wrote on May 19^th, 2009 at 3:51am:

I believe in traveling light but make no sacrifice on coffee in the woods. I lug a moka pot (quick and strong) and fill it with Gene Hick's blends     (You need to Login or Register (Signature blend for lighter roast, Canoe or Fishing blend for darker). Worth the weight.

I tried the asian instant coffees described in this thread and was not overly impressed. I usually use a press at home but wanted something, shall we say, a bit different for trippin. I found Solus's comments stuck with me for a long time so I gave the "moka pot" a try. Impressive indeed. Strong and a tad thick but not bitter. I think I have found a new friend.
  (You need to Login or Register
On a big trip it's a tad heavy and I worry about breaking the handle while in the pack. It also uses a fair amount of coffee per cup............but it's pretty dang good!
Makes one cup BTW

I've broken handles (both in and out of the woods), Bialetti does sell replacements (and replacement gaskets), usually I just make do with a improvised "hot pad" of some sort. I agree the weight is extravagant but the end result makes it worthwhile.. The combination of a Pocket Rocket and a Moka Express 6 is one of the quickest ways to coffee I know.  I carry that combo when I drive too - road coffee without compromise.

Instant coffee is an abomination not to be endured.

Another option for those of you who like good coffee, but are constrained by time or weight restrictions: the Melitta filter system.

You probably will have to pre-grind your coffee, but the result is nearly as good as drip. Since you started with better beans (I hope), the coffee is much better than fresh Starbucks. Takes about 5-10 minutes for a pot once the water is boiled - sort of a manual version of Mr Coffee.

Yet another option is Arabic coffee. There are a number of variations, but all start with very finely ground coffee and cold water, brought to the boil. Then either simmer for 20 mins, or spoon off the froth right away and serve, or spoon off the froth and bring back to the boil and serve. The taste is different, just as perked coffee tastes different from drip which tastes different from French-pressed.

Me? I usually drink tea when canoeing or backpacking.

QPassage wrote on Jan 27^th, 2010 at 4:00am:

Intrepid Camper makes a mean/great cup of Joe on the trail!  Easy, simple and at the time I was drinking it, it was fantastic  :)   Maybe she'll give up her trade secret on this thread? qp

Sorry QP...very slow on the uptake on this thread...but I did finally see your comment.  And I read the thread.  Sounds like some coffee snobs out there in the woods...
My mean cup of Joe :  Lake water of one's choice, about a medium saucepan full.  Folgers Classic Roast Medium coffee, 1/4 to 1/3 cup drip grind.  Start water to heating, about half way to boil put in the coffee and give it a stir.  Watch carefully and when it hits a rolling boil and threatens to boil over, quickly remove from the heat.  Give another stir, set aside a few minutes for the grounds to settle.  Pour carefully off the top into cups or pour through a coffee filter in a small strainer if you want all the solids out of it.  ;)

It is fine. Expensive, yes. Ask for a sample at a starbucks.

Anyone ever tried   (You need to Login or Register.  This link is for a smaller jar, but it is also packaged in single-serving tubes (which is probably more practical for backcountry travel).  I've had this brand as brewed coffee and it is EXCELLENT.  It is sometimes served at better restaurants and specialty shops.  (It is sold in the US by Sara Lee, but the company is Dutch.)

dd