Chris Townsend tries some tasty and convenient coffee bags
Ridgeline Coffee was set up during the pandemic to produce “great-tasting, ethically produced coffee for outdoorsy people”. The range consists of five types of coffee beans and ground coffee, and three types of coffee bags containing ground coffee. I’ve been trying one of the latter, Helvellyn Coffee Bags, which comes in boxes of 10 x 8 gram sachets. The box and the coffee bags are biodegradable, the sachets recyclable.
Ridgeline describe the Helvellyn as a light roast that’s “fruity, with undertones of stewed rhubarb, zesty-lime acidity and notes of peaches”. I must admit that other than a hint of fruitiness I couldn’t really identify any of these, which is probably a good thing as I don’t like rhubarb or peaches. I found the Helvellyn a pleasant coffee more on the sweet than bitter side. Taste is of course very personal. It’s not a bitter coffee and doesn’t have a real kick. The Snowdon Coffee Bags might be better for the latter as they’re described as having “toasty overtones” and “nutty and chocolate” notes.
The ease of use really appeals. Just dunk the bag in hot water, stir, and wait, enjoying the aroma of fresh coffee, before finally squeezing the bag to get the last flavour out and removing it from the mug. How much water? Ridgeline say about 250ml. I found about 200ml was enough. And that’s my one complaint about these coffee bags. You need two to make a decent size mug of coffee, by which I mean 400ml+.
I also found the coffee tasted better if I let the bag infuse for at least five minutes rather than the three recommended by Ridgeline. That’s another matter of taste of course.
I’d rather bigger bags but even so these coffee bags are excellent for outdoor use.
RECOMMENDED: This product has been awarded our ‘Recommended’ endorsement, meaning our reviewer believes it is a strong product which works well for its intended purpose.
