CS Instant Coffee Review

[Denis D]

I am going to have to try a few brands mentioned in the comments…I think coffee is one of those personal things..

[John Seward]

Cowboy coffee: One or two scoops of Bustelo per dose,  boiled for a few seconds or more.

With  “espresso grind”  the bits of coffee are less noticeable on the tongue (and stuck between the teeth). It’s just one of my habits — not “better than.”  The dregs make an innocuous form of litter.

This is essentially “Turkish coffee” (or “Greek” — a generally middle-eastern style). Traditionally taken with a sugar cube held between the teeth, as a cowboy I never put sugar in coffee.

 

[AK Granola]

Coffee grounds strewn about campsites are not really “innocuous” litter. I would find it pretty annoying to be camping and finding people’s coffee, toothpaste spit, or anything else. Pack it in, pack it out. At the very least, bury it in your cat hole.

[Tom K]

“Pack it in, pack it out. At the very least, bury it in your cat hole.”

Or take it away from your campsite, carefully sprinkle it inside the dripline of a bush with overhanging branches and scratch it into the litter.  A little extra organic matter and nitrogen from the breakdown will make the bush’s day, while eliminating a source of strong odor from your carried garbage.  There will be little, if any, significant effect on the environment.

On a tangent, I’ve also come to feel that Starbucks Via Italian Roast is the best of a bad lot.  I tried Bustelo for a couple of seasons and gave it up due the acidity.  But I attribute that to its Latin American sourced coffee beans.  I prefer the richer, earthier flavors of beans sourced from Indonesia, South India, or Yemen, but that is strictly a matter of personal taste.  I can see where Bustelo will work fine for those who prefer the “lighter and brighter”, more acidic flavor of Latin American coffees.

 

[Brad W]

I concur Bustelo is too acidic and lacks some body. Italian Roast Via and the Christmas  Blend Via-if you can find it is good. The later really packs a punch.

[Michael B]

I recently tried Alpine Start, and found them to be “not good” by my standards – it is on par with the generic Trader Joe’s instants at a steep markup. I am beginning to think instant is just its own thing, and it is not reasonable to compare to fresh brewed coffee. I will probably try Swift and CS soon just to be thorough in my evaluation. As for coffee grounds being left as opposed to being packed out; if someone left grounds at their site in such a way that it is a detraction to subsequent hikers, they did it wrong.

[Roger Caffin]

instant is just its own thing, and it is not reasonable to compare to fresh brewed coffee.
In fact, don’t even call it ‘coffee’.

And if someone leaves their coffee grounds where they are even visible, they are littering. But they ARE organic and will decompose and add to the leaf litter.

Cheers

[AK Granola]

My feces are organic too, but you very likely don’t want to see them. At least I hope you don’t! If you do, please don’t tell me. lol

I just use instant coffee-flavored beverage for trips. It’s like the fake cheese – “cheese product” – similar but not really the same.

[Michael B]

Except that fake cheese is more tasty than instant coffee.

[JCH]

“Except that fake cheese is more tasty than instant coffee.”

You know, I could agree with you…but then we’d both be wrong.

Quoting @hobs, “I think coffee is one of those personal things”.

[Michael B]

You know, I could agree with you…but then we’d both be wrong.

I’ll own my sickness :D. I still think most fake cheese is more tasty than most instant “coffee-like drink” I’ve had so far.

 

[Daniel Oxnard]

I used to think that instant coffee was  sacrilegious, but after 1st semester of med school I believe it is manna straight from heaven to help me survive. Nescafe gold is my favorite, but reality dictates Nescafe clasico for cost efficiency, and I am going to try Bustelo soon.

For camping I use deli-whacks paper for almost all my food packaging (rolled up like a fatty, or burrito,  then double wrapped for strength. Weighs a little more than ziplock baggies, but can be burnt after use, and makes a great fire-starter)

My preferred camping power drink recipe is

1 spoon Nescafé

2 spoons cocoa powder

2-3 spoons heavy cream powder (milk powder is weak, clumpy, and bland)

nutmeg, cayenne pepper, cardamom and cinnamon powder in a wild range of proportions based on the day I make it.

High in fiber, flavonoids, fat, and flavor!

Flavonoids are plant metabolites that are beneficial via cell signaling pathways and antioxidant effects.

[JCH]

“deli-whacks paper”

Spit my coffee out all over the screen…

[Daniel Oxnard]

I actually prefer reused pastrami on rye deli-wacks paper, but a good Rueben wack  imparts a great flavor too :)

If I run out of used ones I use the Handy Wacks GreenWacks Dry Wax Deli Paper

Wax has been reformulated by reducing the amount of the petroleum makeup by adding soy.

[Brad W]

@danieloxnard soy in wax paper now? Jeez.

[Daniel Oxnard]

@Brad W

Yeah, I know, It is pretty great. Petroleum products are used in a lot of food applications, and even straight additives, like making chocolate firm enough to eat, and the ubiquitous plastic baggies that everyone uses for camping. I am pretty excited about this greener alternative (aside from the massive amounts of glyphosates used for soybean cultivation, but hey humans don’t have shikimate pathways! But what about our gut biome???).

All in all, there is very little wax on deli-wacks, not at all like actual wax paper, and not having to use disposable plastics makes it worthwhile to me, especially when I get to the end of the trail with almost zero garbage weight.

[Roger Caffin]

And it comes with a choice of Republican patterns and Democrat patterns.

[Author]

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