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See also: 7 of the Smallest K-Cup Coffee Makers Compared: Which Is Best for Travel?
This is a review of the best backpacking instant coffee of 2022.
Reading: Best backpacking coffee
Drinking coffee on your backpacking trip can give you that all-important pick-me-up that can help you wake up and have energy for the day. Some people like to carry a backpacking coffee maker but there are different ways to enjoy it, which we’ll talk about a little later, but instant coffee is the most common coffee to take backpacking.
Choosing instant coffee for backpacking can be tricky, which is why I’ve reviewed the best on the market and put together a handy buying guide that walks you through some of the key things to think about before you buy.
If you need instant coffee to start your next morning backpacking trip, keep reading.
best instant coffee for backpackers 2022
The best instant coffees for backpackers in 2022 are:
- starbucks via instant coffee
- mount hagen organic fair trade instant coffee
- alpine start, premium instant coffee packets
- house blend instant coffee chosen by the nescafé taster
- starbucks via instant coffee
- mount hagen organic fair trade instant coffee
- alpine start, premium instant coffee packets
- house blend instant coffee chosen by the nescafé taster
did you know you can enjoy some of your favorite starbucks coffees as an instant coffee that you can take on a backpack?
Plus, it’s available in a variety of different flavors, including Columbia Medium Roast, Italian Dark Roast, French Dark Roast, Pike Medium Roast, Veranda Medium Roast, and even Italian Decaf.
i have tried most of the flavors and i like columbia and pike place. but I also really enjoyed the French dark roast, really smoky and powerful.
the coffee is 100% ethically sourced and while it is quite expensive, it tastes great.
While it’s most commonly sold in 8-pack boxes of instant coffee, it’s also possible to buy 50- or 84-packs, which is great if you’re going on a particularly long trip or want to buy enough for multiple trips.
Overall, starbucks via instant coffee is a great backpacking coffee that can be added to hot or cold water. in fact, I loved adding it to cold water in the afternoon when backpacking for that boost that gave me the energy to get through the afternoon. most suitable for coffee lovers who demand good coffee when backpacking and hiking. this passes the taste test as the best coffee.
Now, this instant coffee is derived from an elevated area in Colombia, and the beans have been roasted well to produce a full-bodied, medium roast Arabica.
Like most instant coffees, it can be enjoyed hot or cold. each sachet contains a generous 120.9mg of caffeine. so you can keep track of how much you take, which is important if you want to stay under the 400mg daily limit. but since I’m a coffee lover, that rarely happens!
Instant coffee is non-GMO (genetically modified), 100% vegan and vegetarian, free of soy, dairy, gluten and ketogenic.
It’s available in individual sachet boxes rather than just jars, making it perfect for backpacking coffee.
Overall, this is another really good instant coffee for hiking and backpacking.
See also: The Caffeine Content Of Keurig Green Mountain Coffee
Now, we love the taste of our coffee. It comes from a single origin, namely Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea, which is responsible for its sophisticated and unique flavor.
It has a very smooth and velvety taste and texture. it has a fairly mild flavor compared to stronger coffees, making it a more palatable and enjoyable taste for most people.
Better yet, Mount Hagan Instant Coffee is Fair Trade Certified, meaning it has been audited throughout the supply chain to meet a strict set of standards, covering not only environmental sustainability but it also ensures that everyone involved in its production is fairly compensated for their work.
Although mount hagen organic instant coffee is usually sold in jars, it can also be purchased in individual pack boxes, which is perfect for backpacking. or just add everything you need to a ziplock bag.
each box contains 25 individual packets. but you can save more money per ounce by buying a pack of 4, which will total 100 individual packs.
Overall, this is another good instant coffee for a backpacking trip.
nescafe is one of the biggest coffee brands in the world, and with a name like “taster’s choice” you can bet they’ve put a lot of thought into the taste.
Although it is made from 100% pure premium coffee beans, the taste is not as pleasant as any of the others mentioned above. I’ve made hundreds of cups of coffee with this brand, mainly because I haven’t been able to get hold of some of the other brands mentioned above.
On a positive note, it’s excellent value for money, significantly cheaper than many of the other cafes on our list.
Overall, this is the backpacking instant coffee you get when you need a coffee instead of enjoying a cup of joe. By that I mean you’ll buy this when nothing else is available.
another good instant coffee worth considering:
viola: sadly they closed at the end of 2021 and their coffee is no longer available. it’s a shame. Below are my thoughts on coffee.
This is possibly one of the best instant coffees for hiking and backpacking. it gives off notable notes of dark chocolate, oak, mango and orange zest. overall a great cup of coffee.
It’s better than some filter coffees I’ve tried. if you are a coffee connoisseur then this is the instant coffee for you.
It comes in a box of 5 packs and is a bit pricey. but if you love your coffee, you’ll probably decide this brand is worth the extra cost. but they’re gone, rip viola instant coffee.
buying guide
We’re going to walk you through some of the key things to think about before you buy.
container / storage
When drinking backpacking coffee, many hikers prefer individually wrapped pods. they are very light and incredibly easy to store anywhere in the backpack. but they do create more waste and per leave no trace guidelines, you must take all waste with you.
Many hikers, myself included, like to pack what I need in a zip lock bag. it’s best to use two ziplock bags as some coffee often gets into the ziplock and makes it difficult to seal completely.
Also, keep in mind that coffee has a very strong odor that should be avoided in areas with bears. be sure to use a bear container to keep your food and coffee safe.
See also: A Doctor Explains Why Coffee Makes You Poop
I recommend that whatever brand of instant coffee pods you choose, you should always double-wrap them and store them in a ziplock bag.
amount of coffee
If there’s a group of you backpacking for a week or more, you can easily justify bringing a pot of coffee packed in a zip lock bag on your trip. whereas if you’re only going to be sleeping out for one night, then just a few individual packets of coffee should suffice.
If you go the route of individual packages, you may find that they are available in different quantities per box. As a general rule, the higher the count, the more money you’ll save.
caffeine content
Unfortunately, coffee producers are not required to state exactly how much caffeine is present on their product packaging, which makes judging caffeine content something of a guessing game.
If one of your party members doesn’t particularly like the taste of coffee, they can take caffeine tablets instead. and at least this way, you can better track how much caffeine you’re consuming.
boiled vs cold water
Instant coffee is traditionally prepared with hot or boiling water. you could set up a camp stove to boil the water before pouring it into a cup with some instant coffee. but that is not the only method.
It is also possible to make cold instant coffee simply by adding the coffee to a bottle of cold water and stirring well. Granted, it doesn’t taste the same as hot coffee, but there are those who prefer it. I’m a big fan of cold coffee in the afternoon.
add extras
If you like your coffee black and have plenty of water with you on your trip, then you’re set. but that’s not always to everyone’s taste.
coffee creamer
We do not recommend bringing fresh milk on your backpacking trip unless you plan on bringing a cooler. but coffee creamer is a great alternative for most backpackers, whether added to hot or cold coffee.
adding milk powder may be all you need for your latte. I love lattes, so I take the powdered milk in a double-pouched ziplock bag.
water purification treatment for instant coffee
if you run out of bottled water on your trip and have to resort to getting water from streams or the like, then you’ll probably want to use water purification tablets or better yet, use a tall quality ultralight backpacking water filter.
But, just to warn you, water purification treatment can affect the flavor of your instant coffee, usually adding a slight iodine or chlorine aftertaste.
sugar / artificial sweetener
If you like your coffee sweet and add a little sugar or artificial sweetener to your instant coffee, this can often help to mask any off-flavors. if you are like me, you will never use sugar with coffee. That said, a really bad instant coffee may need sugar or sweetener to mask the bad taste.
flavor
The only way to really know if instant coffee is for you is to try it and taste it for yourself. I would recommend you try all the instant coffee in this review and see which one you like best.
value for money
Fortunately, even the major instant coffee brands are reasonably priced and you don’t have to worry too much about the cost. But the best quality instant coffee in this review is a bit more expensive than the cheap instant coffee found in supermarkets around the world. so be prepared to spend a little more for something better.
For the budget-conscious, you can save money by buying your instant coffee in bulk.
conclusion
I’ve narrowed down the list of the best backpacking instant coffees to just a few of the best. there are more out there, some of which I haven’t had a chance to try, but I’m sure these are the best.
frequently asked questions
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See also: 7 of the Smallest K-Cup Coffee Makers Compared: Which Is Best for Travel?
