Alpine StartOriginal Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)7.5
Swift CoffeeMainstay Blend Instant Coffee8.2vsSwift Coffee Mainstay Blend Instant Coffee edges out Alpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets), 8.2 to 7.5. It wins on flavor & cup quality, quality & freshness, community love, while the Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) is stronger on value.
Flavor
How they taste.
Alpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)
Swift Coffee Mainstay Blend Instant Coffee
Side by side
Every detail, compared.
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Swift Coffee
Mainstay Blend Instant Coffee
Highest score- Cocoa Powder
- Caramel
- • Backpacking, climbing and ski touring
- • Readers who want mild, smooth instant
- • Iced coffee on the go
- • Specialty-coffee drinkers who travel or backpack
- • Gifting a better instant
- • Quick office coffee without a brewer
- 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
- Genuinely specialty-tasting instant with sweetness and balance
- Works hot or iced in 8–12 oz of water
- Bulk pouch cuts the cost and packaging
- About $1.25 a cup, pricier than bulk instants
- Caffeine content is not published
- About $2 per cup in single-serve sachets
- Seasonal blend, so components can change
FAQ
Quick answers.
Which is better, Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) or Mainstay Blend Instant Coffee?
Swift Coffee Mainstay Blend Instant Coffee edges out Alpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets), 8.2 to 7.5. It wins on flavor & cup quality, quality & freshness, community love, while the Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) is stronger on value.
Which costs less per cup?
Alpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets) works out to about $1.25 / cup and Swift Coffee Mainstay Blend Instant Coffee to about $1.99 / 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.