UKC

Which instant coffee sachets come recommended by the ukc collective knowledge base? I know there are plenty of coffee buffs on here who would be repulsed at the idea of instant, but after trying lots of different fresh ground options I've come to the conclusion that it's just too much hastle on alpine one cup trips.

In reply to LJC:

I like to mix an instant sachet with a hot choc sachet and have a mocha in the morning to wake me up when I'm backpacking.

In reply to LJC:

Instant coffee as you well know is disgusting.

If you can't do real coffee then it's tea bags.

I've not tried coffee bags.

In reply to LJC:

These could be worth a try.

http://thelittlecoffeebagco.com/

In reply to LJC: i make my own, i use little plastic weed type bags, as mentioned i add hot choc powder(to mocha things up), tesco finest costarican coffee and a dash of sugar. also some dried milk depending on duration of trip. works for me

In reply to LJC: I like Starbucks VIA or Home growers coffee (There great).

In reply to LennyJ1: The growers cup is good, but not really what I want to take for an instant caffeine hit in the mountains. Ideally after the best of a bad bunch in terms of instant sachets, not overly fond of starbucks via. I've tried the fresh coffee in fold out pods/plastic filters but it's just too much work in a sleeping bag, in a tent, at -10, at 3am.

In reply to LJC: The free ones you find in travel lodges are pretty good, as are the sugar sachets

In reply to Martin1978: and the milk sticks, can't forget those

In reply to LJC:
Carte Noire is pretty good instant coffee, and a lot cheaper than starbucks. You can get it in sachets in France, not sure about England.
Lyons coffee bags don't cost much more, if you're prepared to wait for your coffee.

In reply to LJC: millicano or carte noire instinct are the ones I go for. I take some of this whenever I can't bring proper coffee. They're not the same but they're more passable than other instants.

In reply to LJC:

Japan has a thing called Blendy Stick. Two of the espresso ones nail it, or one plus a starbucks when times are good.

I too tried drips and presses. Too many issues when its cramped and cold.

In reply to LJC:

I find Starbucks Via is a bit heavy, because it contains fine grounds.

For instant I prefer the normal Kenco stuff, so long as you accept that instant and proper coffee just aren't the same drink.

Neil

In reply to LJC: if you like it black +1 for the starbucks jobbies - they are a bit of microgrind and i instant but taste good

In reply to Martin1978:

Too right and now you're talking at my level. I get so tired of coffee experts looking down their noses at me (this is not a reference to the above posters, but to a couple of sarcastic people at work) because I only drink instant coffee [sorry - rant over].

In reply to LJC: How about this thermal cup/coffe press in one:

http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/P~135289~Smart-Cafe-Cafetiere-Hot-Mug

take some fresh ground coffee in some cling film and just add hot water. I have one, and it's pretty good.

In reply to abseil:

spoken like a true addict. i agree totally.

theres coffee and theres caffeine. the good stuff you drink whilst retelling the tales that include drinking the instant - indeed, its been said that if youre poncing around with the fancy stuff youre not climbing hard enough.

its all about knowing the right tool for the job. in a single skin being hammered by gales, where every minute requires attention, i dont f*ck about with presses and other paraphenalia of the soft world - i need caffeine straight to the main vein to get on with things of more importance.

BUT, back in flat land where gravity is my friend and few things matter more than the quality of the grind, what its forced thru comes to the fore.

ther was a time i knelt before the mountain gods for perrmission to enter their abode.
now i beg their forgiveness for the crap i drink there, seeking to balance it with quality at valley level.

In reply to ice.solo:

Thanks for your reply, I really like 2 of your comments:

>...its been said that if youre poncing around with the fancy stuff youre not climbing hard enough...

and

In reply to LJC:
Pocket Coffee....save on gas and general faffing around and still get that caffeine hit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_Coffee

In reply to abseil:

unfortunately i cannot claim either as mine. both are badly paraphrased, the first i think was leo houlding, the latter either aleister crowely or montgomerie.

but yes, coffee and climbing go together. like all junkies, i hesitate to climb with those who dont join in. coffee nazi? unashamedly!

as a quote i CAN remember, gullich one said 'you dont go for a coffee AFTER climbing, coffee is an integral part of climbing'.

In reply to LJC: Whilst coffee filled chocs aren't a bad idea, it really does need to be a hot cup to get going in the morning. Will try and buy some carte noir sachets out in France. Any other brand suggestions before I head to Sainsburys and impulse buy many packets for a back to back scientific comparison?

In reply to LJC: Those sachets of "cappucino" are not too bad as long as you think of them as a hot drink with caffeine, rather than actual coffee.

In reply to Sealwife:

Crappuccino?

I think they're vile. OTOH, black instant with sugar is fine.

Neil

In reply to LJC: Lyon's Coffee Bags!

I've tried everything and these are definitely the best solution. They are also individually foil wrapped which is perfect for outdoor use.

The only real downside is that, as with all fresh coffee, you need a decent amount (i.e. 2 bags) if you want a really large cup of strong coffee.

They get a bit expensive for basecamp use (twice the price of normal fresh coffee) but they are just perfect for going fast and light.

In reply to ice.solo:
If you need a caffiene hit and no one else can help, maybe you can contact:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/

Although surely you can get hold of the excellent BlackBlack gum in Japan?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Black

I've got numerous fancy coffee gadgets but I'm far too lazy to take them up any sort of hill.

In reply to The Ex-Engineer: Ahh, coffee bags. I knew I could trust ukc for the answer. Definitely getting some of them, and helping myself to a bunch of service station milk and sugars.

In reply to LJC: +1 for pocket coffees, they are a bit gross but great at the same time (in the right circumstances). Sold at the counter of nearly every supermarket in Italy.

In reply to LJC:

I use these, but the poster above is correct - you need two bags for a single cup of coffee.

Now - anyone know about lightweight wine options?

Jack

In reply to torquil:

Or just eat chocolate covered coffee beans. A packet of those and I need peeling off the ceiling.

Neil

In reply to LJC:
if you can find a stockist, this stuff is the absolute nuts!
http://www.growerscup.com/eng/

In reply to daveyw:

I just looked at the price - http://www.tauntonleisure.com/grower-039-s-cup/b248 - ouch!

Visiting the best coffee shop I've found in the SW isn't even that expensive!

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:

Isn't that just what Port is?

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:
Now - anyone know about lightweight wine options?

A few years ago I found a 500ml carry handle bag of wine in an Asda that didn't actually taste second hand. I'd purchased it with fairly low expectations (it was an emergency backup for a beach party with a long walk in and I wanted to minimise the rubbish I'd have to carry back) but it wasn't awful.

Subsequent attempts at finding it haven't been as sucessful.

In reply to LJC:

For lightweight wine simoly remove the box bit from a wine box..

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor: I thought that's what cask strength Aberlour was for?

My local B&M Home Bargains (took over lots of the Woolworths stores) does both the Nescafe 3 in 1 coffee sachets and the Cofi 3 in 1s. The Cofi sachets are an absolute bargain at £2.99 for a jar of 40!! They're pretty similar to the Nescafe offering, but far far cheaper. They won't beat sipping a fresh coffee properly made, but when you're laying your sleeping bag and reaching for the Jetboil they're just the ticket!

In reply to LJC:

worth notting that a Clif double espresso shot dissolved in hot water is passable.
x 2 even better.

the rolls royce breakfast is actually 1 x Clif macadamia bar + 1 x double espresso shot in a cup, add hot water, mash and consume.

expensive tho...

In reply to The Ex-Engineer:
agreed it is pricey, but one pack will provide 2 decent size mugs of very good coffee

In reply to LJC: I am not a taste snob, but i really cannot drink instant coffee, even tried the hot drink with caffeine psychology, just cannot do it, it makes me feel sick. I do not take milk in coffee so you'd think it would be simpler, surely in this age of science and wonder someone can make a long shelf life real coffee like a liquid expresso in a sachet for traveling.

In reply to ice.solo: How about some muesli and milk powder with 2 or 3 Viper bars broken up in to it? Still not overly cheap, but works for me with either hot or cold water...

In reply to andrew breckill:

They actually did a while ago - late 90s - Douwe Egberts made a kind of coffee essence type thing (possibly similar to the old Camp coffee essence, though I've never had that) which actually did taste quite good, but sales were low and it soon disappeared.

http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/fmcg/cafinesse-discontinued/59294.article

Neil

In reply to LJC:

Posh coffee (camping with the girlfriend):
http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/growers-cup-coffee-pouch-92210003?id_colour=...

Functional coffee (3am alpine start):
http://www.poundland.co.uk/product-range/a-z/nescafe-original-3-in-1---whit...

In reply to The Ex-Engineer: +1 for Lyons Coffee bags, not even that expensive - a whole box only costs the same as one caffechoccamoccatino at Starbucks.

In reply to Neil Williams: ahh, do I have dim memory of that stuff?... Possibly, yeah I think we did buy it now I think about it. Shame it didn't take off, it might do now as Britain is slowly getting to appreciate or should a say no longer accept crap coffee. Good job on finding it.

In reply to andrew breckill:

Yeah, I think it was somewhat ahead of its time, unfortunately.

Neil

In reply to LJC: Bought some Lyons bags, very happy with them (just don't squeeze too hard..).

The growers cup is tasty, but a bitch to fill if its windy. Can't say I would bother unless I was car camping, and then I would just take stuff for a proper brew.

In reply to LJC:

Nescafe Azera is very good instant. Almost like the real thing.

In reply to SARS: I bought some last time in Ambleside, still had that weird ( only way I can describe it) taste that is what for me defines instant coffee. I am not expert mind, last time I was in harrods wine cellar they had a smell o vision thingy all the smells associated with good wine were there to be sampled, things like leather, cassis etc, didn't manage to recognise any of them. Lol.

In reply to The Ex-Engineer: Oh yay, the Lyons baggies are great. But for the flask filling I do a choccamoccadoodah. Hot chocolate powder reinforced with a heavy dose of instant coffee. Variations include extra sugar and milk powder, if you've got them.

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:
invented by the French mainly for the Marathon des Sables, i think - if you have a limited supply of liquid per day, why waste it drinking water?
www.drinkoftheweek.com/tag/dehydrated-wine
However, it tastes like cak, even after a day's jogging in the desert

In reply to The Ex-Engineer:
Come on, lying in (prices not adjusted for inflation!) a £200 sleeping bag in a £400 tent wearing £500 of clothes with £1000 of boots, pointy things, ropes & gear decorating the floor, can you not justify spending £2.25 on a decent cup of coffee (& don't get me started on Nestle) given that the alarm has just woken you up at a time when most sensible people are returning from a club?

In reply to LJC: if you've got the space then take a bottle of espresso with you and top up each shot with hot water as and when you need it. I do this at work. I fill a Nalgene 500ml bottle with espresso and just make Americano's as I truly can't stand instant. I could get away with 250ml but everyone has those days when you need that little extra to get you through the day.

In reply to LJC: For what I'm thinking of, taking any liquids, bar the bare minimum to get you through to the next water melting stop is, unrealistic. Hence the instant coffee.

If I had my £1000 boots on, the butler would be making a brew for me.

In reply to LJC: Carte Noire Expresso instant powder - great taken black with a dash of sugar. Bring some up in a travel sized screw-top container.

In reply to LJC: if I was really pushed and couldn't carry 8 or 16oz of liquid (I understand that alpine means potentially subzero as well) I'd take either Starbucks or kenko milicano (or similar). I'd go with the Starbucks purely from the point of view that you can buy them in packs of single serve sachets but they are expensive.

In reply to LJC: nescafe 3 in 1 is ok. if you dont take milk or sugar you can get 2 in 1s

In reply to LJC: Can't you just use proper ground coffee but not drink the last bit?

In reply to LJC: Lyons coffee bags are ace if you're on a wildcamping trip.