In the UK you used to be able to get self-heating coffee in a coke-sized can from Nescafe. As I recall the taste wasn't too bad, but it was expensive and you only got a fraction of the coffee you expected. It's better to carry a small stove like a Trangia, unless you really need the simplicity.

> It's better to carry a small stove like a Trangia, unless you really need
> the simplicity.

It's not always the simplicity. We camp where there are sometimes 70 mile an hour winds for some period of time. Because of some health issues, waiting for a meal isn't an option, and a heater meal saves the day when we can't get the camp stove to heat up a meal in that wind - even with a windscreen.

There are a variety of reasons to have a variety of options for important things like meals. Redundancy is good for survival.