Backpacker's Pantry Mocha Mousse Pie - Product Review

When we lived in Ames, Iowa, we would often stop by the Army Surplus store in town. Since then, the store, now called "JAX" has somewhat transformed. While they still carry military surplus, they also cater to hunters and hikers now. Even in he early days, they carried portable dehydrated foodstuffs, in the form of MREs (Meals ready to eat, for those of you who aren't married to a former Marine). And while modern MREs are pretty good, the newer hiking goods section carries a wider variety of packaged dry foods.

Among these foods was Backpacker's Pantry's Mocha Mousse Pie. The package said this portable dessert was "Chocolate pudding, a hint of coffee & graham cracker topping." At $2.30 for a two-serving pouch it wasn't too bad a deal for a novelty. Backpacker's Pantry's Mocha Mousse Pie comes in a silver pouch embossed with a scene of a tree-ringed lake near mountains, with the silhouette of a hiker walking through. This hiker appears to have been cut out of a picture of a desert sunset. Odd, but interesting effect.

Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu was easy to make. Just add a cup of water and stir briskly "with two forks" After about 2 minutes of stirring you sprinkle on the graham cracker crumbs and allow 10 to 15 minutes for the product to set up. You can prepare the Mocha Mousse Pie right in the pouch, but I used a bowl. You have to stir very thoroughly, but when you are done you have a pudding-like desert. I was impressed by how well it set up. The only problem I had was breaking into the little package of graham cracker crumbs. Unlike the outer package, which is easily torn at the notches, the little plastic packet was too tough to tear with my fingers without the risk of flinging crumbs everywhere. I ended up using scissors. This seemed a bit impractical for a product used during hiking.

Backpacker's Pantry's Mocha Mousse Pie is basically comprised of chocolate pudding, coffee, and graham topping. The flavors of chocolate and coffee blend nicely, and the texture is nice and smooth. For a pudding made with water, it was surprisingly creamy. (It's not as good as chocolate pudding made with milk, but it would be fun to take along where milk wouldn't be practical to carry.) My husband and I both liked the pudding part, but found the topping to be gritty and nearly flavorless. It really didn't taste like graham cracker at all. I would recommend leaving the topping off as it actually takes away more than it gives.

As this is a food for hikers you might expect it to be nutritious. And while there is no saturated fat in Backpacker's Pantry's Tiramisu, there are 200 calories and only a smidge of iron (4 percent) and fiber (7 percent). But this is dessert after all, and you could easily burn 200 calories hiking.

All in all, we liked this dessert, but would leave off the crumbs next time. It might cut down the nutritional value, but it would improve the taste. (And maybe you could leave it as a nice little treat for the birds!) So if you are hitting the trails, or just want something different, you might want to give Backpacker's Pantry's Mocha Mousse Pie a try.