The Best Coffee On The Trail

I hate to admit but Trader Joes instant coffee with cream and sugar hits the spot.

On a recent hike in the Tasmanian wilderness I took a regular-sized aeropress. Ridiculously light-weight, easy to use and easy to clean, it’s now coming with me on every backpacking trip. The benefits of having really good coffee rather than instant coffee is worth carrying a few hundred extra grams.

My aeropress go gets used at home, work and on hiking/camping trips. Easily the best coffee outside of a proper coffee shop.

Aeropress is the zen ritual for me every morning. ☕️

I really enjoyed this return video of the coffee taste test! Thanks for what you do! 🤜🤛

I do the Mount Hagen Organic Instant. I find I like two packs in a cup though, but it tastes great and isn't very expensive.

I use my oxo conical steel bur manual coffee grinder with my stanley french press. Yes it's heavy but I'm not rocking out big trips. I'm a weekend warrior 8 to 10 miles a day so I'm not worried about weight when it comes to my coffee. If I use instant coffee, it's going to be medaglia d'oro instant espresso. Same way with trail comfort I carry a helinox sunset chair as well. It's a beautiful feeling to wake up eat breakfast in your chair while drinking a wonderfully prepared fresh ground coffee while listening to the wildlife wake up in the forest

I’ve used numerous methods, from instant to cold brewing overnight, all were serviceable, but the best is still just camp coffee made sort of like French press, but instead of using a press with a screen, you pour a dollop of cold water on top and most of the grounds sink, then decant the coffee off into a cup. You can use whatever ground coffee you like and not a lot of mess to clean up, and used coffee grounds are biodegradable.

I removed the stir stick, red lid and outer cup of my aeropress go and just bring the center cylinder. I brew directly into my drinking cup which is stable enough since you shouldn’t be applying very much pressure to the plunger anyways. I keep a little plastic bag in the center of the plunger to hold the filters. It brings the weight down to ~200g and still the easiest clean up of all the ground coffee options and the best taste IMO. You could probably drop a few more ounces if you removed the little spoon for portioning the grounds. Nice video. Definitely a fun detour from the usual ultralight content.

Short of taking a full on espresso maker out on the trail, my buddies and I have tried pretty much everything. Instant coffee, fancy instant coffee, aeropress, moka pot, the GSI pourover, plastic French press, some teabag construction, and more. In the end what I like best is making pourer with just a small coffee filter hanging in a cup. You get to pick the coffee, the filters weigh nothing, and depending on where you are you can either pack out the used filters or bury them in a cat hole like your TP. You do need two cups, which if you're hiking with more than one person it's no problem, otherwise a small, lightweight plastic cup that can handle hot water is all you need.

Mt. Hagen organic, fair trade instant coffee is my go-to. It comes in the little packets and costs about .40 cents/cup. It isn't high in acid, which I appreciate.

Aeropress is probably my favorite method for making coffee - even at home..! It gives the best tasting coffee i have tried, and is also very easy to clean. Im guessing they used VERY finely ground coffee in this video, so it clogged up the filter, because when i make it, it flows through the filter with very little effort 👍 I still use the 6 cup Moka Pot when im at home though, simply because its able to make a full 4dl Aeropress Go cup, which is perfect for me in the morning 😊

Definitely loving the nostalgia! One of my favorite videos then and now!

I purchased bulk tea bags and now just make my own by grinding my favorite beans that month and filling the tea bags before I head out. Like the homemade version of those Folgers bags. It’s more work, but it beats instant and is more cost effective. The best part is that I can try all different kinds of beans. I love the aeropress for camping and travel, just not for backpacking.

Number 2 cone filters in the GSI drip helps with cleanup and limiting oil taste. Cleans up the coffee too.

Over the years I went from my old favorite the MSR mugmate drip/immersion with real coffee,, to instant and Starbuck Vias (French Roast only!), but for the past few years I've been using Mt Hagen Instant Organic Coffee packets. A box of 25 is $13 so cheap but still pretty tasty. At home I've been using an Aeropress for over ten years. Makes great coffee!

Long time watcher, big fan, but first comment. I am a coffee enthusiast to say the least. Bustelo is GREAT for espresso at home and for an instant coffee go-to. Personally though, I prefer freshly brewed coffee and is something I do NOT compromise over on trail or even in the field or on deployments when I was in the military. I hiked with my aluminum canteen cup and cook stand for nearly 30 years. I make my coffee cowboy style (grinds in the water and boil), dash of cold water and let settle to drink. I have an aero-press at home and LOVE it, so I am actually considering one for an upcoming AT thru-hike attempt. I would love to hear from other fans of your page if anyone uses it on trail regularly! Loved the vid!!!

I’m with Shug on the Medaglia Doro for some high points. Not an everyday instant, yet it has a nice rich flavor with a bit of crema which reminds me of a Nespresso machine style. Great video Darwin

Darwin I’ve been watching you for the past 5 years and I’m so glad you’re back. You look great and happy and I’m so glad to watch you have fun like that! Keep up the great content and good vibes!

Great video, totally enjoy the bougie side of trail talk and coffee. For us coffee drinkers it’s always a discussion on trail….have a great weekend everyone 🤙🏽