Best overall
Swift Coffee
Mainstay Blend Instant Coffee
8.2Great
Specialty-grade instant from the company that makes many roasters' instants: sweet, balanced and pricey at about $2 a cup.
4$1.99 / cup
Alpine Start
Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)
A climber-founded Colombian instant in feather-light sticks: smooth and easy for the backcountry, at about $1.25 a cup.
7.5
Good
Coffee Reviews score
See the breakdown →
Community
—/10
- Roast
- Medium
- Origin
- 🇨🇴 Colombia
- Caffeine
- Regular
- Price per serving
- $1.25 / cup
Non-GMO Project Verified
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Last reviewed October 17, 2026 by the Coffee Reviews editors · How we score
A climber-founded Colombian instant in feather-light sticks: smooth and easy for the backcountry, at about $1.25 a cup.
Eight 3.1 g sticks of medium-roast instant made from 100% Colombian Arabica, intended for hot or cold water or milk. Alpine Start is Non-GMO Project Verified and a 1% for the Planet member. OutdoorGearLab named it its Top Pick for instant coffee in 2021 after blind tests, though an earlier 2018 review was less impressed.
Best for
- Backpacking, climbing and ski touring
- Readers who want mild, smooth instant
- Iced coffee on the go
What we like
- 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
- Outdoor-minded brand with 1% for the Planet membership
Watch-outs
- About $1.25 a cup, pricier than bulk instants
- Caffeine content is not published
- OutdoorGearLab's earlier 2018 review rated its taste low
How it scored
The breakdown.
7.5Good
Cup score out of 10, weighted across five factors.
- Flavor & cup quality30%7.6
Smooth, mild medium roast; OutdoorGearLab's 2021 blind tests ranked it above other instants, though its 2018 review rated taste low.
- Quality & freshness20%7.7
Single-origin Colombian Arabica in sealed sticks, Non-GMO Project Verified, with no roast-date information.
- Value20%7.2
About $1.25 a cup, mid-pack for premium instant.
- Sourcing & transparency15%6.8
Country of origin is listed and the brand is a 1% for the Planet member, but no farm-level or coffee-specific certification.
- Community love15%7.8
A longtime REI and backpacking staple that still gets named in recent r/CampingandHiking threads.
Creator video reviews
Watch it in action.
2 positive
Independent creators, verified with YouTube and TikTok. We don’t pay for reviews and creators don’t pay us.
What people are saying
From the forums.
Verbatim from Reddit, forums and long-term owner write-ups — linked so you can read the full thread.
“In our blind taste tests, our testers ranked the Original Blend much higher than other instants in our review.”
“There's also a brand called Alpine Start, which I like.”
“it just wasn't as good as our Top Pick for Instant, First Ascent.”
Details
The particulars.
- Origin
- 🇨🇴 Colombia
- Species
- Arabica
- Format
- Instant
- Caffeine
- Regular
- Ingredients
- 100% Colombian Arabica instant coffee
- Best brewed as
- Just add water, Iced / over ice
- Certifications
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- Typical price
- $9.99 for 8 × 0.11 oz (3.1 g) packets (checked October 2026)
- Servings
- 8 single-serve sticks; 1 stick per 8–10 oz of hot or cold water or milk
Community
Member tasting notes & discussion.
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Discussion
No discussions yet.
Own Alpine Start Original Blend Medium Roast Instant Coffee (8 packets)? Ask a question or share your recipe — you’ll be the first.
FAQ
Good questions.
How do you make Alpine Start instant coffee?
Pour one stick into a cup, add 8–10 oz of hot or cold water or milk, and stir. For hot coffee the box recommends 195–200°F water.
Where are Alpine Start's beans from?
The Original Blend is made from 100% Colombian Arabica instant coffee, according to the box.
Sources (6)
- alpinestartfoods.com/products/original-blend-instant-coffee-packets
- colorado.edu/business/deming/news/2020/01/07/instant-coffee-actually-tastes-good
- outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/camping-coffee/alpine-start-instant
- outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/camping-coffee/alpine-start
- amazon.com/dp/B01LY5RF8R
- reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/y9cjhe/are_there_any_good_instant_coffees/it5dyz2/
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