Before we start adding anything to your coffee, let’s first try to clear something up: A cup of unadulterated black coffee made from quality coffee beans is amazing on its own. In addition to tasting great, coffee can help improve mental and physical performance, so it’s no wonder so many people around the world start their day with a morning cup of joe.
I myself have been a regular coffee drinker since my college days and always prefer my coffee black. In fact, I find it hard to understand how people can really appreciate coffee after adding so much to it. It’s amazing how much sugar, cream and more sugar you see people add to their coffee. My theory is that people who do this don’t really like coffee: they’re after the sugar rush, with a little caffeine thrown in for good measure.
So when I first heard about people adding drops of butter to their coffee, I wondered if loading the coffee with fat instead of sugar was really that different.
Is chasing a fat rush more worthy than chasing a sugar rush?
What exactly is bulletproof coffee?
“Bulletproof coffee” is a term originally coined by self-proclaimed biohacker, Dave Asprey, to refer to coffee made from his own brand of coffee beans, blended with healthy fats. Of course, today it seems that the term “bulletproof coffee” is used more broadly to refer to any cup of coffee that is mixed with fats like butter, coconut oil, and MCT oil. The idea is that these fats, combined with caffeine, can give you a nice, sustainable energy boost while also making you feel full and satiated.
Bulletproof coffee is certainly gaining popularity in the US, particularly among athletes and CrossFitters. In a recent three-part series on nutrition in the NBA, CBS Sports even talks about how bulletproof coffee is the “pregame drink of choice” for the Lakers. A quick Google Trends search for “bulletproof coffee” shows that the term began to gain steam in late 2012 and has been on an uptrend ever since.
What are the REAL benefits of drinking bulletproof coffee?
If you visit the Asprey website, you can find the following statements about bulletproof coffee:
- “It makes you feel energized, alert and focused all day without the crash of commercial energy drinks.”
- “It will keep you satisfied with your energy level for 6 hours if you need it, and since I have it for breakfast, I am programming my body to burn fat for energy throughout the day!”
- “Try this just once, with at least 2 tablespoons of butter, and eat nothing else for breakfast. You’ll experience one of the best mornings of your life, with boundless energy and focus. It’s amazing.”
Now I am not going to try to refute any of these claims. In fact, I tend to agree with most of them. The problem I’m having, though, is this: How many of these benefits could be attributed to drinking black coffee, regardless of whether you “bulletproof” it?
I would venture to assume that most of the benefits people claim to experience from drinking bulletproof coffee come from the coffee itself. But I’ve found that the real hallmark benefit of bulletproof coffee that’s rarely emphasized, perhaps because it’s so ridiculously simple, is that you’ll feel full after drinking the bulletproof coffee.
The fact that you feel full after having generous amounts of butter and oil with your coffee probably comes as no surprise to most people. But why you would see it as the key benefit of bulletproof coffee may not be so obvious. Basically, it all comes down to the fact that there are only so many decisions that your brain can effectively handle in a day. So if you want to be effective, it’s important to minimize distractions and focus on the decisions that matter most. Bulletproof coffee, in this case, can help you control your hunger so it’s not a distraction. The idea is to overcome the conventional belief that to function you have to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at fixed times every day. You have to listen to your body, and if you’re not hungry, you have the green light to keep conquering the task at hand.
Is Bulletproof Coffee For YOU?
At this point, a logical question might be: “If all bulletproof coffee does is fill you up, why don’t you drink regular coffee and eat like a normal person?”
For me it all comes down to efficiency and diet.
First of all, if you’re already a coffee drinker like me, why not kill two birds (caffeine cravings and hunger) with one stone? Adding a little butter to your coffee is more efficient and less annoying than having to decide what to eat for breakfast and then making it yourself or buying it somewhere. Those who appreciate the productivity benefits of sticking to daily rituals will better understand this point.
Second, I think a point that people who comment on whether bulletproof coffee is “good” or “bad” often miss is that many bulletproof coffee drinkers (myself included) go on diets. low carb. Diets low in carbohydrates (basically sugar) are usually high in fat. In other words, low sugar diet = high fat diet. So while fatty coffee might sound delicious to a low-carb dieter used to consuming higher amounts of fat, it’s understandable that someone on a conventional diet might find the concept repugnant.
So, to sum it up, I recommend trying bulletproof coffee if any of the following statements apply to you:
- You’re not convinced that eating three meals a day is “necessary” and you’d rather spend less time eating and more time being productive.
- You want to simplify your daily routine so you can focus on the things that matter.
- You prefer to eat fat over sugar.
- You are on a low carb diet.
Shanghai Bulletproof Cafe
If you’ve made it this far, I’m guessing that means you’re ready to try bulletproof coffee. Let me explain how I make my own version, which I’ll call Shanghai Bulletproof Coffee. “Shanghai” in the name is an acknowledgment of the fact that my less precise (and thus more Chinese) preparation deviates from the strict Asprey approach, and that’s how I do it here in Shanghai. Shanghai Bulletproof Coffee is all about getting the desired yield boost from your coffee while spending the least amount of time and effort. If at the end of the day, our goal is to reduce decisions and distractions, then concentrating too much on making your coffee seems counterproductive.
So this is what you will need:
- Coffee – To minimize changes to your routine at this point, simply start by making (or buying) your coffee as you normally would at home or at the office. I haven’t noticed any performance drops when switching between reputable coffee brands, so I don’t stress if mass market coffee (eg Starbucks) is the only coffee available. But in general, I buy coffee as fresh as possible. When purchasing coffee beans, ask the staff when the beans were roasted or look for a roast date on the packaging. As with any type of food, the more recent the date, the better.
- Butter – Similar to my experience with coffee, I do not notice significant differences in performance between brands of butter. So start with what works for you, and then try several brands until you find the one you like best. I usually use unsalted butter, but I’ve also tried using salted butter and found that it actually adds an interesting flavor. If all you have in the kitchen is a stick of salted butter, just make it and adjust later. I usually prefer Kerrygold or President butter, which are supposed to come mostly from grass-fed cows and are easy to find in most supermarkets. And if you’re lactose intolerant like me, don’t worry: Butter contains almost zero lactose, so unless you’re super sensitive, you’re unlikely to experience any unpleasant side effects.
- coconut oil – The original Bulletproof coffee recipe calls for MCT oil. MCTs, or Medium Chain Triglycerides, are found naturally in food and are basically fats that can be quickly metabolized to provide your body with fuel. I use MCT oil from time to time, but I prefer to use virgin coconut oil because in addition to being naturally rich in MCTs, virgin coconut oil is also rich in other healthy nutrients. Virgin coconut oil also adds a subtle coconut flavor and is easier to find than MCT oil, especially if you live in China.
- chop stick – Use a toothpick to mix the ingredients. A toothpick works great as a stirrer and adds extra “Shanghai flavor” to the mix. Using a blender or milk frother will give you a thicker foam, similar to latte, but I don’t think they are worth the money. With a blender, it’s a pain to clean up and the process of transferring coffee to and from the blender virtually guarantees that your coffee will no longer be hot when you drink it. A manual milk frother may be more efficient compared to a blender since you can use it to stir directly into your cup of coffee, but you’ll need a very large cup to prevent spillage when the coffee swirls.
Once you have your ingredients, prepare Shanghai Bulletproof Coffee in four simple steps:
- Step 1 – Add butter and coconut oil to the bottom of an empty coffee cup. I usually add a tablespoon (~14 grams) of butter and a tablespoon of coconut oil per cup. If you’re not worried about being precise, a tablespoon is about the size of half a golf ball. When buying butter, look for measurement markers on the package so you can simply cut the package to get to the amount of butter you need. Another easy trick for measuring quantity is to buy (or grab) the individual packaged servings of butter often found in restaurants (usually 10 grams each). If this is your first time, try starting with smaller amounts and then increase depending on your energy needs and how your body feels.
- Step 2 – Add coffee to the cup. Start by adding the amount of coffee you want to drink, then adjust the proportions to your personal preference. Just make sure you leave enough room in the cup for stirring without spilling everywhere. My machine is set to make about 7 ounces of coffee per serving, which fills a standard coffee cup about three-quarters full.
- Step 3 – Stir with a toothpick until the butter and coconut oil are dissolved. You’ll find that the butter and coconut oil dissolve quite easily into the hot coffee, so stirring should only take about 20-30 seconds tops.
- Step 4 – Drink your Shanghai Bulletproof Coffee and feel amazing!
Now make yourself a Shanghai Bulletproof Cup of Coffee! Often the hardest part of trying something new is taking the first step. With my simplified version of bulletproof coffee, I hope I’ve helped make it easier for you to try and see for yourself. All of our bodies are unique, so the only way to know if something works for you is to try it.
