Road Trip Instant Coffee That Actually Tastes Like Coffee
Instant coffee, bloomed properly, with milk powder and a pinch of salt. No press, no filter, no grounds to pack out.
- calories
- 90
- weight
- 0.8 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 1 min
- cook
- 4 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 300 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Drink
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Bikepacking
- Canoe / raft
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant coffee | 2 tsp | freeze-dried or specialty single-serve; the cheap spray-dried stuff tastes like the jar |
|---|---|---|
| Whole milk powder | 2 tbsp | full-fat, not nonfat; the fat is what makes it read as coffee with milk |
| Salt | a small pinch | |
| Sugar or brown sugar | 1-2 tsp | optional |
| Cinnamon | a pinch | optional |
Method
- Boil 300 ml of water and pull it off the heat. Let it sit uncovered for about a minute so it drops off a hard boil.
- Put the coffee, milk powder, salt, and any sugar in the mug dry. Stir them together before any water goes in.
- Add about 2 tbsp of the hot water and stir it into a smooth paste. This is the step people skip and it is the whole recipe.
- Pour in the rest of the water slowly, stirring the whole time.
- Let it stand 30 seconds, stir once more, drink.
Two things separate camp instant coffee from bad camp instant coffee, and neither is the brand. The first is water temperature. Water straight off a rolling boil scalds the coffee solids and pulls out a burnt, bitter edge, so give the pot a minute off the heat before it hits the mug.
The second is blooming. Dumping powder into a full mug of water leaves undissolved clumps and a gritty layer at the bottom; making a paste with a splash of water first dissolves everything and gives you an even cup. The salt is not for flavor exactly, it suppresses bitterness, which matters more with instant than with brewed. Full-fat milk powder replaces the creamer no one wants to carry a cooler for.
Packing
Premix coffee, milk powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon into single-serving bags at home. One bag per morning, no measuring in the cold. Keep the bags dry; milk powder clumps hard once it takes on any moisture and then it will not dissolve.
Variations
- Swap the milk powder for coconut milk powder to make it dairy-free.
- A spoonful of cocoa powder turns it into a mocha and adds calories worth carrying in winter.
- Stir in a tablespoon of olive oil or ghee if you want it to count as breakfast.
https://lunolife.com/blogs/journal/how-to-make-killer-instant-coffee-on-the-road