When it comes to being trendy, coffee sits right up there with fashion and hairstyles –always changing, always making you feel like you just missed the boat on the next “in” thing. In that vein, bulletproof coffee has recently emerged as the newest inclination of the in-the-know of caffeine-inclined persuasion. Popularized by Dave Asprey, American entrepreneur, author, and creator of The Bulletproof Diet, which claims to give followers a “high-performance life” as a result of “biohacking” with a diet high in fats, veggies, and proteins, but low in starch and toxins. And, of course, he also highly recommends his recipe for bulletproof coffee –coffee mixed with coconut oil and butter.
Apparently the coconut oil is good for brain function, the butter provides calories to jumpstart your day and it also helps the caffeine metabolize slower –giving you a more prolonged and gradual buzz from the coffee instead of a spike and crash like normal. Of course, he also recommends buying his special (read: expensive) beans that are “low in the toxins” that he claims are found in most coffee beans and the reason for the jitters and headaches you might experience. Now, admittedly, I don’t know too much about Mr. Asprey’s book and bullteproof diet so, I suppose, I can’t speak to its efficacy but, I can tell you that this butter coffee thing certainly isn’t just a crazy new trend, as similar recipes have actually been popular in certain areas of the world for centuries.
Photo Credit: https://blog.michaelyamashita.com/
Butter tea (from which Asprey took inspiration) has been popular in areas of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and India since the 10th century and remains a daily aspect of life even today with Tibetan monks. The tea is combined with yak butter, then churned until it is thick. The butter is a great source of calories for guests not used to the high altitude lifestyle, helps with chapped lips, and is claimed to help bring better clarity to a mind suffering from altitude sickness.
Recently we stopped by the Alchemist, an artisanal coffee joint in the sunny state of Florida (that is doing some food and coffee in a seriously amazing way), to try some bulletproof coffee for ourselves. Lo and behold, we felt the effects of the coffee longer and more gradually than normal, for sure. So, while we can’t attest to the claims by Asprey of its health benefits of bulletproof coffee, we can attest to a better than average high from it. (And who doesn’t want that??)
Who knows, try it out for yourself, maybe you’ll be reaching for some butter and coconut oil instead of your usual cream and sugar. And don’t worry, if you don’t have any fancy-pants beans on-hand, I’m sure regular coffee works just fine. So go on, try something new today, all those Tibetan monks can’t be too far off.
Check out the video below to learn how to make a bulletproof yourself from the owner of The Alchemist, Matias Jurgeit and be sure to check it out if you’re ever down in the South Florida region.
1. Roast a fresh cup of coffee.
2. Add melted butter and coconut oil.
3. Blend until creamy.
4. Enjoy your bulletproof coffee!
On a side note, I simply have to point out that the Alchemist serves their particular bulletproofs in appropriately trendy, and (I’m assuming) purposely makeshift glassware that strongly resembles a homemade incendiary device. Clever, considering the violent nature of the beverage’s name — perhaps I’m reading too much into it.
Thanks to Matias for showing us how it’s done and for having such an amazing coffee shop!
So what do you think, folks? Great idea? Or just a hyped-up trend? Let us know in the comments below which side of the bulletproof war you fall into?
Lauren is a New York based actor/singer/writer. She is a graduate of the American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theater School Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University as well as the College of the Holy Cross. She’s a fan of beer, pasta, and academic establishments with unnecessarily long titles. Find her on stage, or online– she’s there often.
