Yesterday while running errands, I stopped in the local sporting good store to 'window shop'. One of my favorite areas to browse is the camping supplies aisles. As I wandered through, I noticed something 'new' in the camp-friendly food display. Coffee. Not instant coffee, but real, honest to goodness coffee that you brew in a lightweight pouch. I hate instant coffee. To me it tastes a little bit like burnt beef bouillon. I gladly give up space and weight to bring my aluminum camp coffee pot and ground coffee with after having had to endure a camping trip with instant and later, a second camping trip where I literally left the camp in the early morning, drove to the nearest gas station, bought a large, hot, fresh brewed cuppa and returned back to camp to join the rest of the crew for breakfast. That is how much I hate instant... but love my morning coffee.
Always dubious of new things hitting the market, I picked it up and inspected it for myself and read the instructions. It's a heavy duty but thin and very light weight mylar style pouch, like you find Mountain House and other packaged freeze dried foods in, but comes with a capped pouring spout and an opening in the top in which to put your hot water, which flows over the coffee grounds and brews hot coffee. That was a really long sentence. Sorry.
It's called "Nature's Coffee Kettle"
and comes with 1 ground coffee packet included.- Real Coffee for the Real Outdoors. Not instant coffee, brews real coffee in a bag. Simply: POUR, WAIT, and ENJOY.
- Lightweight: No need for French press or other bulky gear. Weighs just 1.2 ounces.
- Compact: Everything you need to make four or more cups of real coffee in an ultra-thin pouch.
- Bold Taste: Made with 100% Arabica coffee beans, the taste will absolutely surprise you. Note: The slower the pour, the stronger the brew. Tip: seal zipper and tilt bag to refilter.
- Reusable:The sturdy bag is reusable and has many purposes. Use our refill packs to save money and waste.
It honestly was very, very light. 1.2 ounces. It brews 4 cups of coffee, and by following directions and pouring the first cup very slowly, I can get a nice, strong brew. Also, while you could reuse the bag for other things or toss it after use, the thing I liked about it was they also sell refill packs. When the coffee is gone, it's back to being a lightweight mylar pouch again (think Capri Sun style) so it can be repacked, taking up little space and the next morning used again with a simple refill pack that is similar to the little packs you see in hotel rooms.
Looking up the product on Amazon this morning I see they also off the Nature's Hot Chocolate Kettle
version. I'm not a fan of hot chocolate myself, but I know every camping trip with extended family results in a lot of happy faces when the hot chocolate packets are brought out. Also, the refill packets are my favorite brew; Columbian! (COLOMBIAN COFFEE REFILL PACK 
)I didn't purchase the Nature's Coffee Kettle yesterday as I wasn't purchasing anything that trip, just browsing. However, I honestly do plan to go back and buy it before our next camping trip. I'm trying to downsize our camping gear and weight - without giving up a few important amenities. Everyone is different and have different priorities when camping. One of my priorities is good, hot, strong coffee. I can put up ground sleeping, smelling like a campfire and not washing my hair for a week. However I'm not willing to give up my morning coffee if I don't have to. And with this light weight pouch, I may not have to. I'll do a follow up review once it's been tried.
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