The 9 Best Instant Coffees For Camping

With summer right around the corner, it’s almost time to unpack the thermos, granola, and gear up for our favorite weekend getaways. Whether you’re the type that likes to head out for the entire two-day stint, or for a random day-hike here and there, few things compare to a cup of fresh-brewed coffee on the trailhead. Unfortunately, it’s not really feasible to take your entire french press with you whenever you leave the house.

Then, there was the innovation of freeze-dried coffee — a proposed “game-changer” for hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts who were looking for that fresh-brewed, homestyle taste, without all of the cumbersome equipment. The promise of a hearty, robust cup of joe at your leisure sounded too good to be true — and in some ways, it was — leaving many coffee connoisseurs with a bad taste in their mouths (literally and figuratively) toward manufacturers who were advertising true-tasting alternatives. Luckily, the industry has reevaluated the way they look at indulgence and things are finally looking up for instant coffee, as a whole. Below, we’ll outline the finest caffeinated beverages to bring along on your next big outing. Trust us, they’re sure to revitalize your faith in freeze-dried fluids.

How Is Instant Coffee Made?

Typically much finer than coffee grounds, instant coffee is essentially dehydrated coffee, achieved through either freeze-drying or spray-drying. Companies take their beans and see the coffee-making process all the way through to actual brewing. That brewed coffee then has its moisture completely removed to create a powder that can be added back to water for a new cup later on.

Types of Instant Coffee

Freeze-Dried: Freeze-drying preserves the flavor of the brewed coffee, which has been frozen at -40º. Crystals are then created after the solid is broken up. These are often placed in single-serve packets or bags where you can scoop your own.

Spray-Dried: As opposed to freeze-drying, spray-drying uses heat to evaporate the liquid, thus letting the coffee remnants dry quickly so as to form into a powder. Just like freeze-dried coffee, these granules are then put into packets or bags.

Packets or Containers?

If you like to adjust the strength of your coffee accordingly, we highly suggest avoiding packets, which hinder any sort of involvement you have in your coffee-making process. However, single-serve packets can take up a lot less room, especially if you’re not a heavy coffee drinker and are just willing to take the bare minimum for your trip.

Can You Make Instant Coffee with Cold Water?

Unlike regular coffee grounds, which require either hot water or time (for cold brew) in order to make, instant coffee can also be made with cold water, although it may take a little longer. And since hot water isn’t always available when camping, these packets become a great option, especially when packing light.

Starbucks Via Instant Coffee Pike Place

Most Accessible: Starbucks’ Pike Place roast has become one of the most ubiquitously known coffee profiles in the country. Now, the brand’s Via packets bring the quintessential taste of the famous Seattle chain to the outdoors, giving enthusiasts a quick, on-the-go coffee solution that feels right at home on the trailhead. Just pour it into your favorite mug, add hot water, and relish the brand’s famous taste without waiting in a lengthy line.

Alpine Start Premium Instant Coffee

Best Budget Coffee: Alpine Start is made for the early risers, the individuals who embark at the first crack of dawn, and the ones who blaze the trail ahead of their counterparts. Each pack is made with 100% high-altitude Arabica beans from Colombia, so you can rest assured knowing that you’re getting more than a typical cup of makeshift coffee.

Swift Cup Mainstay Blend

Best Overall: Depending on your preference, Swift Cup’s Mainstay Blend brings instant coffee to a new level with cocoa, caramel, and red fruit — carefully chosen ingredients that are sure to give you an exemplary cup of morning joe. Whether you want to purchase 6 cups at a time or buy in bulk bags of up to 50 cups, these single-serve packets complete with 4.5g of freeze-dried goodness, primed for a chilly morning on the trail.

WAKA Instant

Best Low-Caffeine: WAKA’s exceptionally-crafted instant coffee is made with 100% high-quality Arabica beans that have been freeze-dried to preserve their natural aroma and flavor. Each packet boasts a well-balanced, medium roast blend that’s both smooth-bodied and pure — giving enthusiasts a taste of the home without all the additives of a traditional cup of coffee. While not remotely decaffeinated, WAKA’s coffee has about half the caffeine content of the average instant coffee on this list at around 70mg per serving.

Verve Instant Craft Coffee – Buena Vista

Best Dark Roast: Based out of Santa Cruz, California, Verve makes some of the finest small-batch coffee on the planet. Each day, it uses a combination of vintage roasters and modern-day energy-efficient roasters as part of its brewing process. It has several amazing blends, all coming from either one or a combination of different Central and/or South American countries, but its Buena Vista dark roast is a definite standout, with some dark chocolate, red apple, and maple notes on the palate. Housed in Earth-friendly packaging, the water-soluble coffee is sourced from Colombia and is Direct Trade.

Cascadia Mountain Sunrise

Best for Caffeine Addicts: If you’re used to a lot of caffeine each day, don’t drop down in numbers just because you’re camping in the wilderness. Hiking headaches are no fun. Instead, opt for Cascadia’s Mountain Sunrise coffee, which boasts a whopping 300mg of caffeine per serving, which is among the most you’ll find anywhere. Available in either 6, 20, or 33 servings, the freeze-dried medium roast is sourced from a combination of Ethiopia, Central America, and South America and has tasting notes of chocolate and coffee.

Mount Hagan

Best Responsibly-Sourced: As one of the first to spearhead the fair trade movement in the coffee world, Mount Hagen’s history dates back to 1986. And its premium single-serve packets embody all of the best attributes of an outdoor-oriented coffee, including organically-grown highland Arabica beans that have been carefully sourced from the best shade-strewn areas for quintessential flavors. Following a hearty roast, these beans are freeze-dried without any additives and preservatives, giving you peace of mind when it comes to a pure cup of coffee.

Kuju Coffee Angels Landing Pocket Pour Overs

Best Light Roast: Kuju’s Pocket Pour Overs are the perfect solution for procuring a gourmet cup of coffee on the trail, giving you access to a great blend as long as you have hot water. Fair-trade and organic-certified, its Angels Landing is a light roast pour-over blend that’s sourced from farms in Thailand, and blended with some coffee from Central and South America. Each single-serve packet is filled with 100% Arabica beans, providing an ethically-sourced mixture that’s full of floral, nutty, and citrus undertones.

Four Sigmatic Mushroom

Best Mushroom Coffee: Four Sigmatic’s Mushroom coffee blend might sound a little bit outlandish, but it fosters some of the best-tasting beans to ever hit a freeze-dried packet. Each pouch is filled with 100% organic Arabica coffee beans and mixes well with the company’s Lion’s Mane mushroom or Chaga mushroom blend for an outstanding taste that can only be described as “robust.” According to the company, the addition of foraged mushrooms helps boost your immunity, energy, and mood, and with significantly less caffeine.

The Best Camp Coffee Mugs

It’s pointless to bring along some of the best instant coffee if you don’t have a suitable vessel to put it in. Head over to our guide on the best camp coffee mugs to find the quintessential companion for your morning brew.