We may never be able to prove it in a peer-reviewed study, but we believe all food tastes at least 10 percent better when consumed in the backcountry.
Except coffee. Campfire and cowboy coffee kind of suck. Many of us lug French presses or AeroPress coffee makers听around听into the woods听just to avoid it. Sure, we may be fine packing out our own poop听or going days without a shower, but forgoing good coffee? The horror.
The instant stuff is getting better. It鈥檚 been ten years since Starbucks introduced the world to , an instant coffee that, at the time, was so much better than anything else on the market. Because it was the first听to hit the shelves, it became the go-to for a lot of us. But it鈥檚 no longer the best. A crop of small-batch competitors is bringing more single-origin and ethically sourced brews to the instant aisle, and many of them are really, really good.
I tried 13 different instant-coffee iterations in an attempt to find the best鈥攁nd send my heart rate through the roof. For consistency, I made each with eight听ounces of water heated to 195 degrees听and tested them all black, since that鈥檚 how most of us drink it in the backcountry. Amazingly, none were truly bad (though a few were pretty mediocre). Even better: several were good enough that I鈥檇 drink them even if I had access to a coffee maker. Here are my picks.
Best All-Around
First Ascent听Ethiopia Instant Coffee ($19.99 for Eight Packets)
If you need to pack coffee for a crowd, . It鈥檚 nicely balanced, neither too acidic nor bitter, with just a touch of roasty notes in its finish. A few of the brands we tried were just too weak to count as fuel for all-day adventuring, but not this one. It will get you moving, even if coyote howls kept you up all night. First Ascent鈥檚 offerings are, however, on the pricey side. But we think it鈥檚听worth the price.听
Best for Fussy Coffee Snobs
Intelligentsia听La Perla de Oaxaca Crystalized Coffee ($20 for Eight Packets)
Freeze-dried in small batches by Sudden Coffee, a Bay Area startup, this is almost as good as the pour-over from your favorite snooty coffee shop. is floral and has听a tangy finish. Our big beef is with the packaging. It comes in a little plastic test tube, which Sudden Coffee markets as sustainable听since it鈥檚 technically recyclable. However, with , good luck getting that to go anywhere but straight into a landfill.听听
Best for Dark-Roast Lovers
Trader Joe鈥檚 100 Percent Colombian Instant Coffee ($3.99 for 3.5 Ounces)
Do you think all coffee should taste like Starbucks鈥檚 French roast and have notes of burned waffles? If so, . It鈥檚 dark, bitter, and easy to听mix, in a strength that will strip the enamel off your teeth. But hey, some people like that. Best of all, it鈥檚 affordable, and we dig that it comes in a jar, so you aren鈥檛 corralling bits of microtrash as you clean up your campsite.听
Best for Cream-and-Sugar Takers
Alpine Start听Coconut Creamer Latte ($9 for Five Packets)
That nebulous term 鈥渘ondairy creamer鈥 freaks us out, but is made with听powdered coconut milk, not weird听hydrogenated oils. It鈥檚 also not overly sweet, so it feels like a cup of coffee and not a steaming milkshake.听
Best for Those Who Can鈥檛 Commit to Instant
Kuju Basecamp Blend Pour-Over ($8 for Five Packets)
Maybe this doesn鈥檛 belong in a roundup of instant coffees, but these no-filter-needed are so easy that they鈥檙e practically instant. You will have to pack your grounds out, but that鈥檚 a small price to pay for great coffee. Ethically sourced and well-balanced, Kuju makes just about the best no-specialty-equipment-required cup.听