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Ultralight Coffee Options
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Ultralight Coffee Options
- This topic has 191 replies, 98 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 7 months ago by Rodney Ackerman.
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Jun 14, 2015 at 11:14 am #2207126
Bustelo single serve packets. In Florida a box of 6 is a couple bucks. Good flavor…but not as good as Via.
It's a good alternative if the price of Via offends you.Jun 14, 2015 at 2:24 pm #2207163"The starbuck VIA is available in 4 flavors: Columbia, Veranda, Italian, and French Roast."
I hit my local store today to stock up on my favorite coffee. I thought I would see if they have that French Roast Via. She said, "We used to, but we haven't had it for a long time now." Apparently it wasn't such a big hit. They did have the other 3 flavors, though, but not the French. No matter, as I rather like the Italian Via.
Hmmm, Doug…that Taster's Choice run through a French press idea sounds exactly like an Idster impish way to get me to buy a jar of Taster's Choice that I'll end up throwing into the trash.
Jun 15, 2015 at 10:09 am #2207365Then there's this (if you want an option where one serving weighs as much as some shelters):
Jun 15, 2015 at 10:40 am #2207374Wasn't the OP about "ultralight coffee options" :)
If I'm packing cans of beverage, pretty sure it's gonna be Ballast Point Sculpin.
Jun 15, 2015 at 4:13 pm #2207501I use one of those too. It is very durable. I use paper filters in it. That makes cleanup easier, but you do not have to use them.
(I do love that seal-a-meal version, what a great idea!)
Jun 16, 2015 at 9:32 am #2207668""Oh, it is horribly expensive, but for a few days in the backcountry, nothing really beats it for portability and ease of use."
One word: NoDoze
You did not mention "for taste" after all.
Back to the OP's original question: I use both, as one cup of via isn't sufficient caffeine for me.
This past weekend I skipped my morning cup of hot coffee and mixed the Via in my water bottle. Probably got on the trail 30 minutes faster. I think I'll do it this way from now on, except perhaps on really cold mornings. Best idea from BPL in a couple years. Thanks.
Jun 16, 2015 at 9:42 am #2207672I tried the Cafe Bustelo ones a few months ago. I think it may actually be the same stuff as Folger's instant coffee – tastes about the same, smells about the same, and looks the same. But that's okay, as I find Folger's tastes better than Starbucks Via.
Jun 16, 2015 at 10:29 am #2207683I've tried a number of methods. Tried Turkish coffee and it is OK but lots of fiddle factor and without practice I never got it really grit free… so that's out. Just don't like gritty coffee.
Other methods:
Snow Peak Ti French Press – makes a good cup of coffee but arguably a single use item (6.3 oz)
Aeropress – great cup of coffee. Sort of fiddly but the heaviest option (7.9 oz)
VIA – OK coffee – what I use most of the time just for weight/bulk and convenience.Jun 16, 2015 at 10:58 am #2207688Jun 16, 2015 at 11:14 am #2207694Jun 19, 2015 at 8:24 pm #2208634Growing up in Europe, the only coffee I really drink is espresso. I usually don't while hiking but I recently got this little gadget for travel: http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Express-1-Cup-Stovetop-Percolator/dp/B000PEQBJK/
At 10oz it's not super light but it's a pretty good espresso.
Jun 27, 2015 at 10:44 am #2210480In FL, Bustelo is $0.99 for a box of 6. At 1/5 the cost of Via, it's good enough that I intended to abandon Via for it.
Recently noticed Pilon on the shelf right next to Bustelo. It is $1.49 for a box of 6. Same manufacturer for both, Rowland Coffee Roasters in Miami FL. The Pilon is, IMO, *much* better than Bustelo…richer, darker, more like fresh coffee. Don't get me wrong, you know it's instant, but pretty darn good instant. And Cheap!
I still think Via tastes better, but perhaps not better enough to justify the price difference.
Jun 27, 2015 at 1:16 pm #2210503Why do all the Starbucks drones on this site seem to think the only reason why people dislike Via is the price?
The flavor sucks, too,IMHO. Via may be the most sterling example of brand blindness amoungst consumers you can find.
If you want the flavor of actual coffee -Nescafe Classico is as good as any flavor of VIA and each serving costs about 1/10 as much..
Jun 27, 2015 at 1:37 pm #2210505I don't know about brand blindness I've only been in a Starbucks once and that was with my grand daughter (things we do for our grand kids). My opinion of Starbucks is it"s just a high price cup of coffee. Trust me I'm not a fan boy of nothing. BUT I do like VIA better than any other instant.
Jun 27, 2015 at 2:19 pm #2210511I realise coffee, like wine or any other beverage is a matter of personal taste.
I guess my problem is when you read most posts about Via by the Starbucks fairthful here, they assume Via is some sort of " benchmark" for taste when in fact,it is only a benchmark for outragiously high price.
Jun 27, 2015 at 2:39 pm #2210518"I guess my problem is when you read most posts about Via by the Starbucks fairthful here, they assume Via is some sort of " benchmark" for taste"
Is it possible you are reading too much into this? I'm no SB fan, in fact I avoid it if at all possible. But when it comes to instant coffee *I* think it is the best *tasting* option. It is, as you say, quite ridiculously overpriced. But bashing those that like the taste of SB is a bit like admonishing someone for not liking the latest (often trendy) IPA.
I enjoy reading what coffee options other people like…it has spurred me try things I might not have. And as I have posted, there are other things out there that taste good and do not feed that particular corporate monster.
FYI, I think the Nescafé product you recommend tastes horrible, so as you say, it's all about personal preference.
Jun 27, 2015 at 2:53 pm #2210519There is an actual, factual difference between VIA and the other instant coffees suggested in this thread:
Bustelo, Nescafé, etc. are "just" freeze-dried coffee (so, coffee beans that were ground, mixed with water, then freeze-dried.)
VIA is a mixture of super-fine ground coffee beans (roasted, but never brewed) and "standard" freeze-dried coffee (see description, above). So VIA is actually a different product from the other instant coffees.
Whether this makes it "better" or "worse" is entirely up to your taste preferences; but it IS "different".
That said, I'm one of those people who tastes "burnt" in Starbucks coffee…so I rarely go there — except backpacking, when I use VIA and the other types of instant interchangeably.
Jun 27, 2015 at 2:58 pm #2210522I was not talking about your posts specifically..
And not just this thread specifically. My observation is after reading about a half dozen different instant coffee threads on BPL over the last few years.
VIA to me is pretty much the "Emporers new clothes" of instant coffee.
Jun 27, 2015 at 2:59 pm #2210523I too find SB coffee to be bitter, sometimes "burnt" tasting, and generally just not appealing. I was very surprised to find none of these qualities in Via. It is my understanding that they worked on it for 3 years before bringing it to market. Maybe they simply gave up trying make it gross :)
Jun 27, 2015 at 3:01 pm #2210524No worries, just pointing out that arguing taste is rather pointless :)
Jun 27, 2015 at 3:44 pm #2210539Are the coffee "tea bags." But then you have to carry the wet soggy bag out. Folgers also makes a version of via, much less expensive and I much prefer it.
Jun 27, 2015 at 4:02 pm #2210544I would just bury wet tea bag in cathole with my human waste. It decomposes in a short time.
Jun 27, 2015 at 4:16 pm #2210547Re: Folgers singles Posted 06/27/2015 17:02:59 MDT by jerry adams (retiredjerry)
"I would just bury wet tea bag in cathole with my human waste. It decomposes in a short time."the bag is non woven plastic so it should not be buried.
Jun 29, 2015 at 6:32 am #2210897"Why do all the Starbucks drones on this site seem to think the only reason why people dislike Via is the price?
The flavor sucks, too,IMHO. Via may be the most sterling example of brand blindness amoungst consumers you can find.
If you want the flavor of actual coffee -Nescafe Classico is as good as any flavor of VIA and each serving costs about 1/10 as much.."
Never said VIA was great. I said it is the best backcountry option. I've tried plenty of other freeze dried options and, to my apparently ignorant palate, they are not as good as the Via Italian Roast — and Nescafe Classico is at least third on my liset of freeze dried (behind Mount Hagen and Trader Joe's Colombian).
Brand blindness? I suspect the opposite is in play here and that you are a knee-jerk bed-wetting big brand basher. No one out here has shouted from the rooftops as to how awesome Starbucks and Via are. Instead, I've seen measured praise for the convenience and quality, with an almost universal criticism of the pricing. Very much like those who purchase any other backcountry specialized food option.
I cannot testify that I've never set foot in a Starbucks, but I can tell you that I never buy Starbucks coffee beans, use an Aeropress at home, and have a cup of Starbucks out of convenience maybe 4-6 times a year at airports or on road trips. I understand Via and Starbucks are not great — but I find Via to be the best of the options out there (even as I wince at the price).
Jun 29, 2015 at 7:06 am #2210900Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso Coffee. I found this in an ethnic market. I think it's better than other instant coffees. Worth a try. Cheaper than Via, better than Folger's crystals.
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