11 Best Backpacking Coffee [2023 Update]
Do you need coffee to function and are looking for the best backpacking coffee before you take off on your next travel adventure?
There are many health benefits to drinking coffee and more than 60% of Americans drink coffee every day.
If you are a coffee drinker, then you have probably experienced the struggle of making coffee while backpacking and realizing that the coffee didn’t taste as good as you had hoped.
Here is some information to help you choose the best backpacking coffee so that you can have delicious coffee when you travel next:
- The Top 11 Best Backpacking Coffees
- What Is Backpacking Coffee And Why You Need To Know About It
- The Different Types of Backpacking Coffees
- 5 Things To Look For In A Good Backpacking Coffee
DISCLOSURE
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Best Backpacking Coffee: The Top 11
Alpine Start, Premium Instant Coffee Packets Medium Roast Blend is one of the best instant coffee for backpacking.
Many reviewers said that the taste of this instant coffee is the closest to brewed coffee.This is an extremely popular coffee for backpacking and is worth a try.
Made from 100% Arabica beans from Colombia.
Type: Instant Coffee
Pros:
- Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan-friendly, non-GMO
- Portable and lightweight
- Dissolves easily in hot and cold water
- 3 flavors to choose from
Cons:
- Slightly more expensive
- Packets a little hard to open
Laird Superfood Instafuel Instant Coffee is great for people who want a little extra nutrition in their coffee.
Apart from coffee, creamer, and sugar, this instant coffee also contains Aquamin (calcium from marine algae) and organic extra virgin coconut oil which have health benefits.
100% freeze-dried Arabica instant coffee is used in this product.
Type: Instant Coffee
Pros:
- Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan-friendly, non-GMO
- Extra added nutrients
Cons:
- Doesn’t dissolve easily in cold water
- Packaging is not very portable
- Only 1 coffee flavor available
If you are keen to try a pour-over coffee, check out Kuju Coffee Premium Single-Serve Pour Over Coffee.
This pour-over coffee has the same convenience as instant coffee but with that great taste that brewed coffee has.
The packaging anchors securely to your cup to ensure that you can brew the best coffee and it might make you feel that you have found the best way to make coffee for backpacking.
Made from 100% Arabica beans from Ethiopia, Indonesia, or Papua New Guinea.
Type: Pour-Over Coffee
Pros:
- Ethically sourced
- Lightweight and portable
- 6 flavors available
Cons:
- Not suitable to make with cold water
Savio Original Flavor Instant Coffee Cubes are a great place to start if you’ve never had coffee cubes before.
These coffee cubes are as easy to make as regular instant coffee. Just drop one into a cup of hot water, stir it and it’s ready to go.
Made from coffee beans from Colombia.
Type: Coffee Cubes
Pros:
- Lightweight and portable
- 4 flavors available
Cons:
- Not suitable to make with cold water
Another great option for pour-over coffee, Pourtables by Libra Coffee has great taste and is very easy to make.
Libra Coffee helps ensure that 2 people have clean water for every box of Pourtables that is bought.
Type: Pour-Over Coffee
Pros:
- Amazing taste
- Packaging is 100% biodegradable
Cons:
- Not suitable to make with cold water
- Packaging is a bit bulky
- Only 1 flavor is available
- Slightly expensive
The Trader Joes Instant Coffee Packets is worth a try if you are looking for backpacking instant coffee that is pre-mixed with creamer and sugar.
It is very convenient and if you are a fan of Trader Joe’s, then you should check out this coffee and find out if it’s the best coffee for hiking and backpacking.
Type: Instant Coffee
Pros:
- Lightweight and portable
- Comes with creamer and sugar
Cons:
- Not suitable to make with cold water
- Only 1 flavor is available
- Creamer flavor might be too strong for some people
Mount Hagen Organic Instant Regular Coffee is the first certified organic freeze-dried coffee.
It is made from coffee grown without the use of any artificial chemicals. The coffee is also freeze-dried without any preservatives or additives.
This might be the best backpacking instant coffee for people who prefer to have organic products.
Made From 100% Highland Arabica coffee beans.
Type: Instant Coffee
Pros:
- Organic & fairtrade
- Lightweight and portable
- Also available in decaf
Cons:
- Not suitable to make with cold water
Give Tribo Coffee Single-Serve Portable Pour Over Drip Coffee a try the next time you want to buy a pour-over coffee for your backpacking trip.
Tribo coffee is ethically sourced and made by the best roasters so you can expect to have delicious coffee each time.
Made from 100% Arabica beans from Ethiopia, Guatemala, or Papua New Guinea.
Type: Pour-Over Coffee
Pros:
- Ethically sourced
- Lightweight and portable
- Available in 5 flavors
Cons:
- Not suitable to make with cold water
The Mushroom Coffee by Four Sigmatic might be the best instant coffee for backpacking if you enjoy coffee with functional mushrooms.
The mushrooms add additional nutritional value without overpowering the taste of the delicious coffee.
If you are sensitive to caffeine, this coffee contains about half the regular amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee. The added goodness of the mushrooms helps to maintain focus and alertness.
Made from shade-grown, organic coffee in the volcanic soil of highlands in Mexico.
Type: Instant Coffee
Pros:
- Extra added nutrients
- Lightweight and portable
- Available in 3 flavors
Cons:
- Not suitable to make with cold water
- Slightly more expensive
If you love Starbucks, you are really going to enjoy the Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee Packets.
Choose from 8 different flavors for that familiar Starbucks taste even if your miles away from the nearest Starbucks outlet.
Made with high-quality Arabica coffee beans.
Type: Instant Coffee
Pros:
- Lightweight and portable
- Some flavors are suitable to be made with cold water
- Available in 8 flavors
Cons:
- Slightly more expensive
The last coffee on our list, Mondo Drip Coffee, is roasted in the Republic of Georgia and is sourced from reliable farmers.
Mondo Coffee is made with no additives and you can taste this in the pure and clean taste of the coffee.
Made from organic coffee beans grown in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia.
Tip: The recommended cup size is a 4” diameter cup.
Type: Pour-Over Coffee
Pros:
- Non-GMO and kosher certified
- Lightweight and portable
- Available in 5 flavors
Cons:
- Not suitable to make with cold water
Best Backpacking Coffee?
Have you ever been on a backpacking trip and found yourself wishing that you could have a hot cup of delicious coffee in the morning?
You would be one of the many coffee drinkers all over the world who have felt the same way.
Backpacking coffee is coffee that is lightweight and compact and can easily fit in your bag without taking up too much space or weight.
Backpacking coffee is also very easy to make. You don’t have to struggle with complicated equipment or multiple ingredients. Most of the time, all you will need to make backpacking coffee is a cup and some hot water.
There are many different types of backpacking coffee to choose from and they each have their pros and cons.
Once you find the best backpacking coffee, you will find yourself making the best coffee while backpacking without any hesitation, knowing that you are going to have a tasty and aromatic cup of coffee each time.
Having great coffee while you are backpacking will make your trip more enjoyable and memorable.
Imagine enjoying that fresh cup of coffee as you sit surrounded by nature in the morning sunlight, maybe listening to the gentle bird song or the sound of the river flowing nearby.
Backpacking coffee will also help you stay focused and be more aware of your surroundings to be safer and appreciate the beautiful nature and sights around you more.
The Different Types of Backpacking Coffees
Powders
Some of the most popular backpacking coffees are instant coffees that come in powder form.
These coffees are sometimes pre-mixed with dairy or non-dairy creamer and some kind of sweetener. The sweeteners could be different types of sugar as well as other sweeteners like stevia, or even artificial sweeteners.
To drink powdered coffee, just mix it with hot water and your coffee is ready to be savored.
Some types of powder can also be made with cold water.
Read the details carefully as this is not something that can be done for all instant powdered coffees and you will end up with clumpy coffee if you try it with the wrong coffee.
You can find powdered coffee in individual packs for one drink or a packet for multiple uses. While the latter is more eco-friendly, you will need to make sure that you have storage so it doesn’t spill or get wet.
Cubes
Another type of coffee that is gaining popularity with backpackers is coffee cubes.
Similar to instant coffee in powder form, coffee cubes are pre-mixed with creamer and sweetener and then compressed into a cube form.
To enjoy your coffee, just pour hot water over the cube and wait for it to dissolve. Give it a good stir to mix everything up and it’s ready.
Pour-Overs
Pour-over coffees have the convenience of instant coffee with the taste of brewed coffee. If you don’t like instant coffees, you can check out single-serve pour-overs instead.
To prepare your perfect cup of coffee, you will place the coffee bag over the cup and fill it up with hot water. The coffee will drip down into the cup and you will have your fresh cup of coffee.
5 Things To Look For In A Good Backpacking Coffee
Origin
Coffee beans from different origins have different flavor profiles.
Here are some common regions that coffee beans come from and the respective type of flavor profile for each:
- Latin America – nutty, chocolate, caramel
- Africa – floral, sweet, fruity
- Asia – earthy, herbal, dark chocolate
Depending on the type of flavor profile that you enjoy, you can choose the coffee that comes from a particular region.
If you don’t know which flavor profile you like, try coffee from different regions so that you can find the ones that you enjoy the most.
Don’t be afraid to be a little adventurous and try something that you haven’t tried before.
Roast
The amount of time that the coffee beans are roasted will affect the taste of the coffee. Roasts are often categorized as light, medium, and dark.
- Light – most caffeine and most acidic
- Medium – medium levels of caffeine and has a rich aroma
- Dark – lowest levels of caffeine and can taste bitter
Different people enjoy different roasts and may even like different roasts at different times of the day.
As with origin and flavor profiles, if you don’t know what kind of roast you enjoy, try the different ones and find the ones that you like the most.
Fairtrade
If sustainability is something that you are concerned about, then you should look for fairtrade coffees.
Fairtrade coffee is coffee that is produced according to fairtrade standards and helps support small farmers to use their land sustainably.
By buying coffee from brands that use fairtrade coffee, you will be able to indirectly support these small farmers and create better business practices all over the world.
Packaging
Backpacking coffees can come in single-serve packaging or packaging with multiple servings.
If you are conscious of reducing your waste, you may want to avoid single-serve packaging or look for single-serve packaging that is made from recycled or biodegradable materials.
If the packaging for your backpacking coffee is not made from biodegradable materials, you can find ways to reuse or upcycle the packaging to reduce waste.
Add-ins
Some people like their coffee black and some like their coffee with milk and cream.
If you have a strong preference for either, make sure you look at the additional ingredients that are added to the coffee.
Some common add-ins are creamer (dairy or non-dairy) and sugar (or some kind of sweetener).
Conclusion
I hope that you have figured out the best way to make coffee while backpacking and have found the best backpacking coffee for you.
Enjoy that hot cup of coffee the next time you go backpacking or hiking!
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