Camp Coffee

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.

http://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.

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.

at rei…

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

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