Coffee.

That warm drink, enlivens the soul or as has been pontificated in literature:

I went out to the kitchen to make coffee ---- yards of coffee. Rich, strong, bitter, boiling hot, ruthless, depraved. The lifeblood of tired men."
Raymond Chandler, "The Long Goodbye"

Car camping enables a certain luxury, coffee grinders, French presses, beans, the stuff of coffee legend. Backpacking, requires a certain weight consciousness. One which I haven’t let intrude on the bike related activities of the past. But then, I have never had coffee “on the trail” while partaking of the two wheeled trailed activities. It has always happened pre- or post- bike riding.

A quality cup of coffee is an amazing thing. Of the places I have been, only a couple places in this country have the setting, the flavor, the people.  Crema in Portland, Cafe Dawn in Salida, Stone Cup in Lyons, and the one I compare all others to - Lux in Phoenix.  

That being said, in the backpacking scheme of things, weight carries a certain “weighted” average of importance. So, trying to find a good cup and a lightweight method of creating a good cup, has been a challenge. Instant coffee sure has a draw from a lightweight standpoint. But as always, good things take time (or weight).

Rating - Not Bad.

Rating - Not going in Pack.

Rating - the Standard: