What do you think of instant coffee?

if I'm hiking where weight and volume is a concern, black tea is my preference, but instant is palatable. (heck, I used to drink the stuff in MREs - few things compare badly to that!)
if I'm tent camping, I'll grind up beans before packing the truck and my cowboy percolator is in the kitchen box along with the cast iron cookware, so brewing it fresh is not a problem. The kitchen box has also seen use during winter power outages along with the oil lamps.
 
:barf: :barf: :barf: :barf:

Instant coffee is right up there with decaf and Lite beer.....it's not that you like the taste of beer or coffee, it's just that you like to pee a lot. ;)


I might be tempted to pack a "good" instant coffee :confused: in a survival kit (just as soon as they offer a "good" instant water to mix it with). (Yeah....That'll be the day Danbo and I learn to "roast" our own flavor crystals...Yeah, that's the ticket.)

:barf: :barf: :barf: :barf:* - But I repeat myself......


* Brought to you by your Natural Department of Redundancy Department



j



Seriously though; the closest I come to instant is cold brewed coffee that you have to add water to to bring back to normal strength. I have used Folgers crystals in cooking and rubbed on steaks before grilling if I don't have beans that I roast nearby for grinding into a powder/rub. As for drinking instants....Malaysia actually has some interestingly acceptable instants that have butter infused in them (unusually dark and smooth tasting) and Thailand distills/reduces an incredibly dark and powerfull version of cafe yien (with and without nome (milk)) that has some swarthy wake-up enzymes without the sucky burnt undertones of Starbucks regular and instant. Wish it was easier to get those in the States. (Thanks Samo!)
 
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Naw, decaff is in a whole level of its own. Decaff is nothing more than an insult to the real thing. I accidently bought a jar of the stuff thinking it was regular. Made one cup of it, and it just didn't have any kind of taste or soul to it.

I dumped the rest of the contents of the jar into the trash and picked up the phone, and told Maxwell house that they need to make the label look different from regular coffee. I was in a hurry when shopping. They sent me a coupon for a replacement.
 
This thread reminded me of something that I researched a year ago. Liquid coffee concentrate. It seems that some restaurants use it instead of brewing coffee from grounds and it is very good. In reading the reviews of Douwe Egberts, the biggest complaint is that it doesn't taste the same as the coffee that they had in a restaurant. It seems that the restaurant used the liquid which is only available in large quantities.

Java Juice is available in single serving packs, but it's pretty expensive. $90 for 60.:eek:

http://homecoffeeservice.com/java-juice.php
 
UffDa said:
This thread reminded me of something that I researched a year ago. Liquid coffee concentrate....
Click to expand...
We used that stuff many years ago when I worked in a kitchen. A vague resemblance to coffee, at best, and you sure didn't want to spill any on yourself. :eek:


For camping I don't mind the Folgers Singles that someone else mentioned.
On the good side, it tastes like regular Folgers. :thumbup:
On the bad side, it tastes like regular Folgers. :barf:
 
Douwe Egbert's (mentioned earlier) and Kenco are ok, can make quite a pleasant drink in fact. Not the same as real coffee but drinkable nonetheless.
 
I ordered some Java Juice on Amazon at only $1 each. :eek: (Hey! Shipping is free) I'll post a review when I get it.


My memory cells seem to remember that I saw a bottle of liquid coffee concentrate in a Japanese market several years ago. I never tried it. The instructions were all in Japanese. If I ever see it again, I might try a bottle.
 
I've completely switched to VIA. As good as Starbucks regular brew (providing you like their strong coffee to begin with) and it's just plain easy. Cup of water, 100 seconds in the nukeawave, add packet, stir, and drink. I hate making coffee, when I wake up I want it right-freak'n-then...No, I NEED it right-freak'n-then, not later. Smitty
 
I was at Safeway about 2 hours ago and just for the heck of it I went over to the Starbucks counter and asked about Via. The nice young lady gave me a sample packet of Colombian. I am drinking it now and I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised. It's good, but not great coffee and it still has a bit of that instant coffee taste, but it is much better then the usual restaurant coffee and much to the 10th power better then gas station coffee. I'll have to try the Italian roast.

I could get used to this stuff. To bad that it's kind of expensive. (About 60 cents to a buck a cup depending on how much you buy)
 
I received the Java Juice today and just tried it. :barf: :grumpy: $10 down the drain. :grumpy: It sucks! It tastes like run of the mill instant with the extra benefit of coating your teeth and tongue. Did I already say :barf:?

Via in much, much better. Your results may vary.
 
Starbucks via is the only instant coffee I will drink.

Yes it is a tad pricey but you get what you pay for and it is millions of miles better than the big name brand instant engine cleaner IMO.

The Via Dark Roast is pretty darn tasty , I really recommend it.

Tostig
 
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