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

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....   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...

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!!   

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

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