G.O.O.D. Kit | AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Kit
The MRE gets you fed. It does not get you real coffee. An AeroPress Go, an insulated ARC tumbler, and two bags of Spectre fix the one thing the ration never did.
$99.99, ships from Charlottesville.
Shop the G.O.O.D. Kit →What is an MRE?
A complete meal in a thick plastic pouch, built to survive airdrops, heat, cold, and years in a warehouse. The military has used them since the early 1980s, when they replaced canned field rations.
Each bag holds an entree, a side, crackers or bread, a spread, a dessert or snack, a drink powder, an accessory packet, and a flameless heater. The accessory packet usually carries a spoon, salt, pepper, napkins, gum, and often instant coffee with creamer and sugar.
| MRE fact | Number |
|---|---|
| Calories per meal | About 1,250 on average |
| Shelf life | About 3 years at 80°F, longer if stored cooler |
| Menus | 24 |
| Heating time with the ration heater | Under 10 minutes |
How do you heat an MRE?
With the flameless ration heater, a sleeve of magnesium-based powder that heats up when you add water. No fire, no stove.
Tear the top off the heater, slide the sealed entree pouch in, and add water up to the fill line. Fold the top over, slide it back into the entree box, and lean it against something at an angle. That is the famous rock or something. Wait about 10 minutes.
It gets hot and it gives off hydrogen gas while it works, so do it somewhere with airflow, not in a closed car. You can also skip the heater and eat most entrees cold. Plenty of people did.
What are the best and worst MREs?
Menus rotate every year, so the lineup in your case may not match the one you remember. The arguments, though, never change.
The favorites are almost always the ones with the best side items, not the best entree. Chili with beans, beef ravioli, and anything that came with the jalapeño cheese spread tend to go first. The pound cake and the candy go before the meal does.
The least loved ones are usually the vegetarian entrees and anything with a mystery patty. Every veteran has a menu they will not eat, and they will tell you about it without being asked.
| Part of the MRE | Reputation |
|---|---|
| Jalapeño cheese spread | Currency. Traded like cash. |
| Pound cake and candy | Gone before the entree is warm |
| Crackers | A delivery system for the spread |
| Drink powder | Fine in a canteen, better in a water bottle |
| Instant coffee | Technically coffee |
Why is MRE coffee so bad?
Because it is built to last years in a warehouse, not to taste good at 0500. Instant coffee is brewed, dried, and sealed. Most of what makes coffee taste like coffee is gone before it ever reaches the pouch.
Troops did what troops do. They drank it anyway, chewed it dry, or dumped it into the cocoa. Now that you are out, you do not have to.
How do you make real coffee in the field?
Hot water, ground coffee, and something to separate the two. An AeroPress Go does it in about two minutes with no power, and it packs inside its own mug.
No press? We ranked six ways to make coffee in the field, from cowboy coffee on up.
AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Maker
What we sell. A press that brews one 8 oz cup and packs into its own 15 oz mug, 11.4 oz total.
Why it helps you. It rides in a ruck, a truck, or a range bag and turns any hot water into a cup that tastes like home.
How to buy. $49.95, one time purchase.
Shop the AeroPress Go →Spectre Dark Espresso Roast
What we sell. A Colombian and Sumatran blend roasted dark, 12 oz, whole bean or ground.
Why it helps you. Everything MRE coffee is not. Strong, smooth, and brewed fresh instead of reconstituted.
How to buy. $16.99. Subscriptions take 30% off the first order automatically, no code. One time orders take 15% with WELCOME15.
Shop Spectre →Questions people actually ask
How long do MREs last?
About three years when stored at 80°F. Cooler storage stretches that, and hot storage shortens it fast. A case left in a hot garage or truck will go bad well before the date.
How many calories are in an MRE?
About 1,250 on average. That is a lot for one sitting, and it is meant to be. It is built to fuel someone carrying weight all day.
How does the MRE heater work?
The flameless ration heater holds a magnesium-based powder that heats up when you add water. Slide the entree pouch in, add water to the line, lean it at an angle, and wait about 10 minutes.
Can you eat an MRE cold?
Yes. Every entree is fully cooked in the pouch. Heating makes it better, but plenty of MREs have been eaten cold on the move.
Is there coffee in an MRE?
Many menus include instant coffee, creamer, and sugar in the accessory packet. It is drinkable. Most people who have had real field coffee would not call it good.
