Review: Ghost Town Instant Coffee

It’s tough to work in the magazine industry without drinking coffee, and it’s even harder to get after our favorite outdoor activities without a little caffeine buzz. In the office, we have our Outside Bozeman x Ghost Town Adventure Brew, but now there’s an easy way to take the same great flavor outside: Ghost Town recently partnered with Gastro Gnome to make instant coffee packets—brewed and dehydrated right here in Bozeman. We picked up a few to test out. Here’s what we thought.

I’m normally averse to drinking instant coffee, and will bring a small filter kit with grounds on even the most remote backcountry excursions. But Ghost Town’s new instant coffee may change that. Unlike other brands I’ve tried, which always have an acrid over-roasted taste that can’t be overcome even with copious powdered milk or sugar, Ghost Town’s version actually tastes very similar to a cup of fresh-ground, fresh-brewed coffee. Which makes me wonder, honestly, how did they pull it off? —Jack Taylor

If you were to put a cup of Ghost Town's instant coffee in front of me, I would never know it wasn’t fresh from the coffee pot. The water-soluble bag even prevents messes and leaves you with no trash after your cup of Joe. I'll absolutely be packing these along for my future backcountry endeavors. —Jamie Rankin

Delicious coffee, quick & easy, no muss, no fuss… these dissolvable singles have rendered my camping percolator obsolete. No more filters to pack along, no more wet grounds to deal with—just heat some water, drop in a packet, and voila. I like the reusable tins, too, which make great containers for odds & ends once the coffee’s gone. —Mike England

When it comes to backcountry excursions, I’ll skimp on a lot of things—but coffee isn’t one of them. In fact, on most weeklong trips I’ll bring a bag of Ghost Town and a little silicon French press for my Jetboil. Ghost Town’s new instant coffee is a major upgrade. Same exact taste, a fraction of the weight, and zero trash or cleanup. And at $14 for a six-serving tin, each packet costs about the same as a mug of drip. —Eli Fournier

Just drop a water-soluble packet into a cup of hot water, and away you go. It’s that easy, and that good. Another quality product from Ghost Town.

Available at ghosttowncoffee.com or at either Ghost Town location in Bozeman; $14.