CS Instant Coffee Review

If a hike is short and I am in the mood I still carry ground real coffee, but on longer hikes or when I don’t want to bother I used to go to a lot of trouble to obtain the european Carte Noir L’Or, but the last two years have switched to Via Italian roast. I hate to admit it but it does seem superior. I will try the CS.

Along with coffee I have experimented with milk solutions. Hoosier Hill whole milk has been a staple, but I don’t love it in coffee. I am experimenting with evaporated milk and Carnation 1/2 1/2, not sure yet which I prefer and I don’t know yet how stable each is if I use my own container. I know, it is heresy to carry any liquids, but I got over that mental block once I started carrying a small flask of whiskey…

One advantage of the Via is that I have been ok just mixing and drinking it cold, it mixes just fine, with the addition of only a small amount of sugar, and ditching the milk altogether. Combined with low fuel/ longer dinner hydration periods, I could potentially get by with one esbit per day.

^^^

If you like sugar and milk with your coffee that’s your choice.  But know that good coffee doesn’t need masking from sugar, flavors, or milk.

It will stand alone on it’s own merits.

But ‘Instant Coffee’ usually does need sugar and milk, and masking.

Cheers

^^^

At home I’m picky enough to grind freshly roasted beans and brew with an aeropress.

Although Café Bustelo instant is not as good, for me it does stand alone.

I believe they are the same thing just different markets

Australia so I don’t know if the foil & plastic refill bags are available anywhere else, but here almost all the large chain supermarkets carry it.

https://www.nescafe.com/my/our-coffees/nescafe-gold-refill-pack

https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/687038/nescafe-gold-instant-coffee-refill-soft-sachet

Looked into this a little bit mostly because I was unaware of this brand, and it seems the best source(s) in the US are sellers on Amazon who appear to be importing the product from other countries.

Many reviews center on “something has changed”, claiming the product is “not as good as it once was”.  Another reviewer claimed to have extensively researched the subject, including contacting Nescafe, and posts “The product was changed and after a large outcry from British consumers, the ‘old’ product was reintroduced as ‘Gold Blend'”.  Many reviewers complain of ordering one and getting the other, so maybe they are different?

Whether any of this is true is anyone’s guess as this wouldn’t be the first time that identical products were labeled differently for different markets.  Buyer beware I guess.

@greg23 Have you tried this? https://www.cafebustelo.com/en/coffee/instant/supreme-style-freeze-dried? It’s really good for instant and price.

Brad –

IMHO, pre-measured packets are a key to success, regardless of your brand preference.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/cs-instant-coffee-review/#post-3678408

There definitely was a change, it was made with a milder roast bean and then re-introduced as “Classic” with the original dark roasted beans so the Nestle range now has at least 3 variations available in the Freeze dried instant coffee in most of the world.

We must be heathens here as we drink our coffee in the Dutch manner, double cream with sugar and very, very strong when using the plunger with freshly ground beans. Bushwalking I do the same but with extra sugar and full cream powdered milk. Just a note on cost, if I used sachets I would need 4 – 6 sachets per cup of coffee and still need to add extra sugar. economically they don’t make sense for me as well as being too much non-recyclable packaging. My coffee cup is either the old SS army kidney cup or the MSR Titan kettle, both of which hold 900ml usable. Some will think this is too much coffee, old chefs would say it wasn’t enough.

Edward – what kind of “full cream powdered milk” do you use?

CS Coffee sounds good, but way too expensive for instant coffee.  Usually go with Starbucks Via.  As others have stated, it’s “good enough.”  Usually drink coffee black, on the trail, mix it with a little hot cocoa mix.

Mount Hagen Freeze Dried coffee is my “good enough brown drink” of choice. Put two packets in a liter of water and shake it up for a good cold drink.

I read this while drinking a delicious cup of Peet’s “Alma de la Tierra” in the comfort of my casita.

I’ll try Alpine Start and CS but have a feeling for the weight and size I’ll stick with Bigbucks Via instant. Maybe I’ll take one of the CS packs with me for an end-of-trip brew.

Posting simply because I haven’t seen it mentioned…ran across Colcafe Classic in our local Publix.  ~$5 for a 6 oz jar.  It’s pretty good (for instant) and the price is right…certainly worth a try.  Might just be your cuppa tea…uh…joe.

Maybe this is a major faux pas, but I pre-mix store brand or Folgers instant coffee with coffee-mate and dump it all into a small zip-lock, which I leave in my “breakfast bag”, trip after trip, until it gets low. Each morning, I transfer two spoonfuls into a cup and add boiling water, then drink. When the zip-lock gets low, I top it off, like my tooth powder. ;-)

@thomas Whatever is on special when I shop. All Australian milk powders are  much the same so I buy the cheapest.

@DylanA I was working in Mt Hagen when there was the talk of setting up that factory, I didn’t know it was a Freeze Dry facility tho; that area produces some of the best coffee I have drunk, worth the extra money when I can find it here

Instant coffee has it’s time and place…specifically I choose it (only) when on a multi-day hike.  Here is an interesting article comparing instant coffees.  I post this because the tasting notes were surprisingly similar to my own.  A shame more options were not tested.

An aside: My local grocery now carries Colcafe Granualted (in addition to the Classic). For less than $3 a jar I had to try it.  I’m surprised at how much I like it and it is now my first choice.

Welp tried the Nescafe Gold in the 2g on the go sticks. Man, I was pretty impressed with how smooth it is. I really enjoyed it.

Brad, source? Amazon?

@pastyj-2-2 Amazon-https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B082R5X9K4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks…thats what thought.

Anyone try or drink Hiker’s Brew coffee?  I just ordered a 6-Pack Sampler to try out all their flavors and the reviews seem really good.  Never really tried instant coffee but this sounds appealing so I might give this a try.  If anyone has a really good instant brew coffee I should try let me know.  I’m more of a ground coffee user and my GSI coffee rocket and Mug  makes a great little cup of coffee and it’s pretty light weight and compact.  It’s also easy to clean and no filter paper to worry about.  Here are some things I like about the Hiker’s Brew coffee:

-Compostable packaging
-Organic & Fair trade coffee
-Yields – (4) 6 oz. cups of coffee per pouch

I figure I:ll order some and a few people offered here on a 5 day trip. Make up my own mind what I like to stay with.

Maxim coffee:
Ingredients
Sugar, Corn syrup, instant coffee, coconut oil

Uhhh…………………….coffee?

No, not coffee.
Just mush.