Alpine StartOriginal Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)7.5
Death Wish CoffeeDark Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)7.0vsAlpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) edges out Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets), 7.5 to 7.0. It wins on flavor & cup quality, quality & freshness, value, while the Dark Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) is stronger on sourcing & transparency.
Flavor
How they taste.
Alpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)
Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)
Side by side
Every detail, compared.
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- Dark Chocolate
- Cherry
- • Backpacking, climbing and ski touring
- • Readers who want mild, smooth instant
- • Iced coffee on the go
- • High-caffeine mornings on the road
- • Iced coffee with milk
- • Fans of Death Wish's ground coffee who travel
- Tiny 3.1 g sticks that weigh almost nothing in a pack
- Dissolves in hot or cold water or milk
- 100% Colombian Arabica, Non-GMO Project Verified
- About 300 mg caffeine per packet
- USDA Organic and Fair Trade certified beans
- Single-serve packets for travel, camping and offices
- About $1.25 a cup, pricier than bulk instants
- Caffeine content is not published
- Far more caffeine than many people want in one cup
- Some tasters find the aftertaste harshly acidic
FAQ
Quick answers.
Which is better, Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) or Dark Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)?
Alpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) edges out Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets), 7.5 to 7.0. It wins on flavor & cup quality, quality & freshness, value, while the Dark Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) is stronger on sourcing & transparency.
Which costs less per cup?
Alpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) works out to about $1.25 / cup and Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) to about $1.50 / cup, based on typical retail prices when we last checked.
How do you score them?
Both are scored on the same five-factor rubric — weighted for flavor or performance, quality, value, sourcing or build, and community sentiment — using public specs, verified creator reviews and community consensus.