Alpine Start Instant Coffee Medium Roast Original Blend from High Altitude Arabica Beans, Enjoy Hot or Cold, Dairy Free, Soy Free (0.11 Oz) Pack of 8

I live in Seattle, which unfortunately means I'm a de facto coffee snob. Until Alpine Start, there really was no drinkable instant coffee to enjoy on long weekend in the surrounding Cascade and Olympic mountains. Glacier climbing at midnight? Easy. Week-long section hikes on the PCT? No problem. Bad coffee? HUGE CHALLENGE!! My husband and I used to wince, plug our noses and try to choke down the bitter sludge of the best instant coffee we could find, but it was only barely passing as a tolerable experience. Fast forward a few years to a trip to Boulder where we heard about this new instant coffee called Alpine Start. We decided to spring for it and subsequently had our minds blown. We have been loyal fans for years and haven't looked back. I had no idea instant coffee could taste this good! We take it everywhere now, even on day hikes, because it's better than rural espresso stands or gas station coffee. It's seriously on par with a good cup of coffee you'd get in the city, and when you d the math, comes out to be MUCH cheaper. Coffee is such a huge part of our routine that we have come to rely on this morale boost when backpacking or mountaineering. When you strip away the clutter of life, and you get back to basics, knowing you can still have a good cup of coffee is just so important. It dissolves quickly and easily, has none of the bitterness or acrid taste I used to associate with instant coffee, and manages to be both full flavored and smooth. I don't know what kind of sorcery they're up to over at Alpine Start, but whatever it is, it makes a fine cup of coffee. Highly recommend!!!

Discovered these instant coffee packs thanks to an Amateur Radio video channel that follow. Very happy that I took a chance. Surprisingly, these do cost just slightly more than a similar product from that well-known whale of a coffee house. In my humble opinion, this coffee is far superior to that more famous brand and it is well worth the extra money. It's just a darn fine cup of coffee. Enjoy!

Used on a recent camping trip, and I was amazed at the flavor that was packed into such a small package. Lightweight and delicious, especially considering it was instant coffee. I would happily drink this at home when I run out of beans, and it is even better on the trail. Update 7/18/18: Well, I ran out of beans at home, and I must admit that this was not as delicious as it was on the trail. By far the best instant I've ever had, but it does loose a few points when standing next to your coffee maker. If your camping, in a hotel, or some other place where coffee is scarce, then this is by far the best instant you can buy. Update 7/25/18: Just took a 3 night backpacking trip. After the 3rd morning this coffee starts to get a bit repetitive and bland. I think after a lot of miles I was just happy to have decent tasting and lightweight coffee. It's still good, just not as great as it originally tasted. Still better than Starbucks or Foldgers, but not as amazing as it first tasted. It will have a place in my pack for a long time, but it looses its allure over time.

So pleased to have found this for camping! It’s delicious with a rich, dark and full bodied flavor even though it says medium roast. It’s certainly easier, quicker and cleaner than most methods. I’d LOVE to eventually see a dark roast, a decaf and one with dairy creamer in the offerings (I tried their one with coconut creamer and the flavor was unpleasant to me as well as it not being nearly creamy enough). All in all I’m very impressed and will continue to buy these and recommend to others! Bravo

I purchased this coffee to try after seeing a good review of it by two campers on Youtube. My daughter and I have been trying all sorts of instant coffee, looking for a good brand to pack for recreational camping, but this Alpine Premium brand is not going to earn its way into our backpacks. The only two pros we thought of for this coffee is that it doesn't taste "terrible" and that one packet is good for 8 - 12 oz of water, depending on how strong you prefer your coffee to taste. We started out with 10 ounces of water per pack and it seemed a bit strong, so for the "strength" test, 12 ounces of water per pack works for us even though the instructions recommend 8 - 10 ounces. Most of the other coffee packets we've tried are designed to to be used with 6 or 8 ounces of water and even with the decreased amount of water, those others taste weak. For the cons though, we have to start with the price. This is called a Premium instant coffee and it has a "premium" price. It's actually the most expensive premium coffee we've tried. In this case, we don't feel we got what we paid for. It tastes strong, but it doesn't have a good "coffee" flavor. We tried it several different ways - black; then with cream and sugar, then only with sugar, and also with sweet and low. No matter how we dressed it up, it didn't taste any better than other instant coffees we've sampled. It is ground very small, so when you try to pour the coffee out of the packet into the water, a lot of it just sticks to the inside of the packet. That's just plain annoying. And for some reason, when we tried a few cups; one after another, each successive cup tasted worse than the previous one. Sorry, Alpine. More hype than taste and the price just isn't worth it.

Good flavor. I used two packets for my large cup, then enjoyed the sunrise from my campsite. 8 packets per box seems a waste of packaging; could be 12 or 16 in same size box.

At first judging by the reviews amd the price, i was expecting a really good cup of coffee... My experience was MUCH less satisfying then anticipated. Coffee had a distinct burnt taste to it, just like every other instant coffee ive tried. Lesson learned the hard way, real coffee is always better.