All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
All products featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
I noticed a trend in my email inbox recently. Over the course of a week, I received a slew of pitches about "travel-friendly" coffee, each of them in a different form: a ready-made espresso shot, a fancy-sounding instant coffee, a combination French press thermos, a vacuum-sealed cold brew pitcher, even a portable single-serving pour over device. And since I've had my fair share of lukewarm, metallic-tasting airplane coffee over the years, I was intrigued. What is "travel-friendly" coffee? Would it be worth taking on my next trip? And is it actually... good?
To find out, I arranged a taste test with a group of Condé Nast Traveler staffers. We limited ourselves to coffee products that are truly simple, small, and lightweight enough to add to a typical backpack or tote—no overly complicated, bulky, or heavy options allowed. Still, there was a huge variety of travel-friendly options: Forto espresso shots, Dripkit pour over packets, and even a Nescafé instant latte that's made in Malaysia and is a top seller on Amazon. Here, the highly unscientific but undeniably useful results of our deep dive into the best travel-friendly coffees.
The All-Around Winner: Joe Specialty Instant Coffee
How does it taste? We tried it both hot and iced (the crystals dissolve instantly no matter the water temperature) and both versions were better than most of regular coffee you would encounter anywhere. It was a perfect analogue to the real deal, served at Joe locations around New York City: Bright, a little fruity, and very strong. We were honestly floored by how delicious it is.
Would you travel with it? Absolutely. It comes in thin brown paper sachets—which one editor noted were the only biodegradable option of the bunch—and they're basically weightless. You could easily throw a week's worth of these in your bag and not notice the difference.
Could you make it on a plane? Yep, easily. I could see myself adding a sachet to one of those mini water bottles they give you, shaking it up a little, and pouring it over ice.
Is it better than airplane coffee? Far superior. By orders of magnitude.
What situation is it ideal for? Airplanes, hotels with crappy coffee machines, bus trips, train rides, you name it.
Buy it: $19 for a pack of six, amazon.com
The Millennial-est Option: Dripkit Pour Over Packets
How does it taste? Very good! This portable pour over kit packs flat but folds out into a filter pre-filled with ground coffee. It makes a delicious, smooth, not-at-all bitter cup, though it's a little on the weaker side in terms of flavor. Dripkit will offer a rotating selection of single-origin beans every couple of months; the one we tried out was from a family farm in Guatemala.
Would you travel with it? Yeah! Each pre-filled filter comes in a slim packet about the size of a ten-pack of wet wipes.
Could you make it on a plane? No, unless you’re willing to ask the flight attendant to hang around your seat to pour three rounds of boiling water over your little cup. (Please don’t do that.)
Is it better than airplane coffee? Yes—but you can't really make it on a plane.
What situation is it ideal for? It's solid option for coffee snobs who end up in a hotel room without a coffee machine.
Buy it: $28 for a pack of 10, dripkit.coffee
The Amazon Bestseller: Nescafé Malaysia 3 in 1 Instant Coffee Sticks
How does it taste? This one stumped us all. This imported Malaysian variety of Nescafé is the best-selling instant coffee on Amazon, but it barely tastes like coffee; it's somewhere in between Ovaltine and a very weak latte. One editor called it "comforting," but the consensus was that it's sweet, slightly malty, and thick.
Would you travel with it? Sure. Easy to throw a few sachets in a backpack.
Could you make it on a plane? Yes, all you need is hot water and a stirrer.
Is it better than airplane coffee? If you like your coffee milky and sweet, absolutely.
What situation is it ideal for? Airplanes, or anytime you need something that tastes like a warm hug.
Buy it: $13 for a bag of 28, amazon.com
The Most Understated: Tandem Coffee Time and Temperature
How does it taste? Truly delicious. It's hard to believe how good this coffee tasted after just adding water.
Would you travel with it? Absolutely.
Could you make it on a plane? Yep, just ask for some hot water.
Is it better than airplane coffee? 100 percent.
What situation is it ideal for? It's great for making a quick cup of coffee on the airplane or in a hotel room, but it's also good to keep on hand for whenever you need a caffeine boost (and hot water is nearby).
Buy it: $15 for a box of six, tandemcoffee.com
The Goop-iest Option: Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee
How does it taste? Like coffee that you made in a vessel that you had previously used for miso soup. Funky. But not... terrible either? Another Amazon bestseller, it's a combination of organic instant coffee and powdered Cordyceps and Chaga mushrooms, which are very in as supplements right now.
Would you travel with it? Yes, if I were Gwyneth Paltrow.
Could you make it on a plane? Yes, all you need to add is hot water.
Is it better than airplane coffee? No.
What situation is it ideal for? Wellness fanatics in transit.
Buy it: $12 for a box of 10, amazon.com
The Mass Appeal Pick: Starbucks VIA Instant Pike Place Roast
How does it taste? Like your average cup of Starbucks: not amazing, but solid. Works as well iced as hot, too.
Would you travel with it? Yes.
Could you make it on a plane? Yes!
Is it better than airplane coffee? It's maybe a tiny bit better.
What situation is it ideal for? Since it tastes about as good as an average cup of airplane coffee, I'd say this would be good for long bus rides or train rides.
Buy it: $6 for a box of eight, amazon.com
Uncategorizable: Forto Espresso Shots
How does it taste? It comes in regular (sweetened and unsweetened), vanilla latte, mocha chocolate latte and Hershey’s chocolate latte. The regular is potent, and the rest are so cloyingly sweet that they pack more punch than a Frappuccino. One editor's scathing take: "It tasted like it was coffee made in a lab, if the only materials the scientists had on hand were various grades of jet fuel."
Would you travel with it? Maybe? Each pre-prepared shot comes in a two-ounce plastic cup, with a rigid plastic lid and a peel-off seal. (Each is also stamped with a perky, coffee-related slogan like “expresso yourself” or “take your best shot.”) At two ounces each, they do meet TSA restrictions on liquids, though you'd have to pack them in the same plastic bag as the rest of your toiletries.
Could you make it on a plane? Trick question: They're already good to go.
Is it better than airplane coffee? If you like your coffee very strong and very sweet, yes.
What situation is it ideal for? Whenever you're on the move with no access to hot water and you need a sugary caffeine kick.
Price: $12 for a pack of six, amazon.com