Backpacker's Pantry Cuban Coconut Black Beans and Rice, Two Serving Pouch

I tried the Cuban Coconut Black Bean and Rice because it was vegetarian friendly. I didn't read the ingredients carefully and was surprised to find something sweet in my first bite. Bananas. I did not mind that at all. The flavors are very good and complements each other. I do wish the coconut flavor was a little stronger but it's a minor point. I personally like spicier so next time I plan to bring some packets of hot sauce with me. Yes, I would buy this again.

I was on a three day backpacking trip on the AT and this was probably my favorite meal of all those I brought pre-packaged. For the sake of cost, I try to make my own as much as I can. However, these are perfect when you just don’t have as much lead time as you’d like in planning. They are light (as in carry weight) and this particular meal tastes great and felt heartier than most. Package is somewhat flexible to squeeze into crevices when packing but is still a tad stiff. So, you have to work at it a little but I find them easier than the Mountain House packages to fit. It was also cheaper than most of the meals out there too.

My Boy Scout son chose this to take on a backpack camping trip, where the boys had to carry everything they needed in their packs for a 3 day outing. He told me that the flavor was "fair," but not delicious, and black beans and rice are one of his favorite dishes. There is another problem with this product -- we wish it were available in much smaller packages. There is a lot of food in one package; it says it can feed 2 people, but my son and I think it contains more like 4 average meals. As it was, my son ate what he could, then had to dispose of the majority of it because there was no way to store it in a healthy way to eat later, and food could not be left out where he was because of the danger of bears. IF THIS PRODUCT WERE AVAILABLE IN SINGLE SERVING POUCHES, IT WOULD HAVE EARNED A HIGHER RATING FROM US.

This was one of the ones that I had on my a 30 mile trip that produced great flavor. My friend and I shared this twice during the trip. Both very satisfied and happy with the choice. Since cooking is my profession it could have been better but also would you expect from freeze-dried food when you're out in the middle of the woods and all you have is a little better now small pot and some water and you put it into it it's like Gourmet cooking if I had a choice I'd bring Wolfgang Puck out with me but my friend is no chef so we dealt with this they gave us enough energy for the week of travel that we had there are plenty calories for two people in this as long as you have other snacks as well always be safe on the trail

This Cuban Coconut Rice and Black Beans dish actually was the best meal that any of my friends had packed on our recent trip to Red River Gorge in Kentucky! I bought it off of amazon because the price was so great compared to other foods and I was blown away by the flavor and amount that came in the pack. I always look at the nutritional aspect and I felt like this was an awesome buy. All of my buddies were telling me all I needed was a little bit of cubed steak or chicken to go with it! 5 stars. Will buy again.