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When everything's perfect a press is great, but there are a lot of variables. VIA is a fantastic substitute and much more consistent. The Folger's dark roast variety (French Roast?) in a similar one-use pack is also very good and much cheaper. This is a big step up from the other Folger's varieties and is worth trying.

Kudos should go to Nescafe Taster's Choice dark roast instant coffee single-serve packs, NOT Folger's. Big difference. My bad.

I was worried about you polychoke cause the Folgers stuff I tried was bad...

Welcome to the fire.

I just go with tea. It depends how long I am going to be gone and how far I plan on going but I will carry a coffee pot and grounds. If lucky enough to find a coffee drinking buddy we can split up the weight. The hard part is finding enough fresh water for the pot. I have Steri Pened a pot before.

Still I carry more tea than anything else.

I'm a VIA convert as well. Add a scoop of hot chocolate mix in with it and viola! redneck mocha!

Jeff

Since posting I have tried the VIA and acquired a MSR MugMate. The VIA is just fine if you don't want any fuss. I really like a fresh brewed cup and the mugmate is easy to use, clean up and I can make a cup to my liking (something dark roast, black, strong and chewable!) I suppose if one were "running and gunning" and not wanting to dink around with preparation and cleanup the VIA would be the way to go.
I sometimes just like to take a break from the hunt or hike during the day and have a fresh brewed cup and therefore willing to mess with the brewing process.

Anyway, I found what I was looking for. Thanks for all the input & ideas. Keep 'em coming!

A snort of Bailey's jazzes it up pretty well, also!

J

Since using the Via on this past falls sheep hunt, I will never go back to carrying ground coffee and a pot. I even use the Via on my wheeler hunts, gives me more room for my bourbon. lol

Since i'm into the mountain man fur trade era for trecking and hunting. I make coffee like the mountain man made it.

Like this:

In those days (1820-1840's) you could only get green coffee beans. They stay fresher that way.

Start off by putting the green beans in a frying pan. Roast the beans until they pop twice. That will be just right.

Put the beans in a cloth, and grind them between two rocks. Finding a boulder with an indent is perfect. Then grind the beans with a smaller rock.

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Pour in the ground beans, and it's ready. Leaving the grounds in the water too long makes it bitter.

Get your tin cup and grab a cup of the freshest coffee you can get.

There's a learning curve to drinking it. You have to drink through tight lips to keep out the grounds. You'll still spit out a few, but this isn't for yuppies.

Awesome! I appreciate your effort and dedication to the mountain man era. I'd like to try coffee that way sometime, but will likely stick to my Via.

Mauser, that's not a cup of coffee, that's a ritual! Very cool.

Ha, you said it! +1

I travel a lot. I always take the instant coffee in the rooms in the foil wrapped filter pouches, I just boil it in the jetboil and let sit for a while. Not starbucks, but way back in the woods, its a coffee as it gets

Somebody should write a book... Or start a magazine...

Cowboy Coffee and Via both suck IMO...

Get a French Press of some sort and enjoy real coffee.

Brad,

I think the Aero Press beats the tar out of any French Press.

And real Turkish coffee made in a copper Ibrik beats them all

Colorado Rock Press works well for me.

Ha!

Going to disagree on the Ibrik. Been there, done that. Turkish Coffee is basically finely ground Cowboy Coffee. Not a fan.

The AeroPress no doubt makes great coffee... but it's bulky and kinda heavy.

The little Jetboil French Press is 1 oz. But it does make a mess in the pot...

Ditto on the finum filter - Amazon. And it is cheaper than the MSR marked up MugMate.

Can't believe this thread is back up, but since posting this originally...

Starbucks VIA is passable, not too bad but not a brewed coffee per se. Probably the best option IMO when necessary to be a weight weenie on backpacking trips where every ounce counts.

I've settled on the Finum or Mugmate. I have both, they are the same thing except the Finum is about half the price of the Mugmate. I've used this and am mostly happy. I like a brewed cup of real coffee in the morning. Nothing like it in the woods! The filter is easy to use, easy to clean...just can't be crammed into a pack as it could crush or the mesh tear. I've also found a coarser grind is better than a drip grind using these filters or else you'll end up with "mud" at the bottom of your mug. Of course, that "mud" is pretty high octane too if you're into that. So you can have your coffee and one big gulp of expresso at the bottom!

Someone back in this thread mentioned a camping mocha. One VIA pack and one packet of instant hot chocolate mixed is fine up on a mountain on a cold day! That is the best use of VIA I've found!