Boost Your Energy Levels With Bulletproof Coffee – A Beverage Brewed To Perfection

Like all unique products, there’s quite a story behind Bulletproof Coffee. (And who doesn’t love a good story?) So, if you’re sitting comfortably, preferably with a cup of coffee in hand, let’s begin.

What Is Bulletproof Coffee?

Once upon a time, so the story goes, a Silicon Valley computer whizz and seasoned hiker called Dave Asprey decided to pay a visit to Tibet. In this mountainous and remote region of the Himalayas, thousands of meters above sea level, where the air is thin, the cold was affecting him badly.

He was tired, and his energy levels were flagging. It was a truly freezing 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside when he stumbled across a guest house. There, they offered him a cup of the local traditional beverage, brewed in the region for, well, a very long time indeed.

The drink was yak tea, which contained fermented butter, and despite its slightly rancid overtone, he found its creamy texture quickly restored his energy levels. Dave got to thinking: if butter had such an effect in tea, surely it stood to reason that butter in coffee would be equally effective.

After a lot of experimenting with different ingredients and amounts, Asprey originally posted his bulletproof coffee recipe on his blog in 2010. It didn’t really take off in popularity, though, until around 2014 when several celebrities raved about how much they loved it.

 

Why Drink Bullet Proof Coffee?

Well, if you’re searching for the ultimate high-caffeine coffee, with a kick like a metaphorical mule, and you’re always on the lookout for new ways to enjoy your coffee, butter coffee is an obvious choice. If you like your coffee really, really rich, it’s a great choice.

If you’re in something of a hurry in the morning, or you’re a little pressed for time in the middle of the day and need an acceptable liquid lunch that won’t put you to sleep, it’s the drink of choice.

Fans of the drink, including Asprey himself, say it helps you keep going for longer, as well as allowing you to stay ultra-sharp in your thinking and reactions. It’s said to keep your energy levels high, keep hunger at bay, and help you focus. And while the jury might be out on the overall health effects of bullet proof coffee as a whole, the individual ingredients have benefits for many people that have been researched and widely reported.

 

Health, Diet, and Lifestyle Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee

So what are the benefits of bullet proof coffee? Well, the individual ingredients are all good for you, certainly in moderation. The same is true for the bulletproof diet. Coffee, in recent years, has been shown to be beneficial for all kinds of conditions, particularly neurological diseases, as well as some other common conditions like diabetes. Coconut oil has also been shown to be good for us, and a recent documented medical case also indicates that Brain Octane oil can be extraordinarily restorative in some circumstances.

 

How to Make Bulletproof Coffee – Official Recipe

So, what are the actual ingredients for Bulletproof Coffee? Well, coffee (obviously), though it needs to be ground, and preferably freshly ground, and for maximum benefit, a low toxin variety. You also need hot water, which also needs to be as fresh as possible, and just off the boil; grass-fed butter; and finally, coconut oil.

You can use alternative oils, but coconut oil is an excellent option to start with; it’s very mild, widely available and most people can tolerate it. You can then think about progressing to the Brain Octane version.

On his Youtube channel, Asprey talks you through how to make bulletproof coffee.  He suggests brewing the coffee either in a French press or using the pour-over method. He admits he prefers the latter method; you use a filter to pour freshly boiled water over your ground coffee, taking around four minutes in total. The foamy crema layer on the top indicates perfectly how fresh your beans are. Ideally, the beans need to be a special low-mold variety.

You then add around 2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter and about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or the enhanced “Brain Octane” oil you can buy ready prepared. Blend with the coffee to produce a creamy, foamy drink that is not unlike a very, very rich latte indeed.

So now that you know what goes to make up Bulletproof Coffee, just what are the benefits of each individual ingredient?

 

Why Grass-Fed Butter is Best

Just think of all the different kinds of butter, and butter-like spreads, you’ve tried in your life so far. And while yak butter is not exactly easy to come by for most of us, grass-fed butter, while sometimes a little pricey, is widely available at most grocery stores. There’s no question that grass-fed butter tastes better than the processed variety.

My personal preference is for Kerrygold, but of course, that could be the influence of the Irish ancestors…Don’t take my word for it, though. There is actual scientific research that confirms that grass-fed butter really is packed with nutrients and, certainly in moderation, good for us.

Look for bright yellow butter at the store – it’s something of a giveaway that it’s grass-fed. And the taste definitely gives it away – rich and creamy. When you think about it, putting butter in coffee is only one step further, in dietary terms, than adding cream.

 

Coconut Oil In Coffee?

Putting coconut oil in your coffee is one of the essential techniques to brew bullet proof coffee; or more specifically Brain Octane. Brain Octane shares many of the qualities of coconut oil, which has increased dramatically in popularity in recent years. You may also see some recipes using MCT oils, which are slightly different again.

 

“Keto Coffee”?

The ketogenic diet, like most “fad” or “crash” diets, has come in for its fair share of controversy. The principle is that you restrict the amount of carbohydrates you consume, opting instead to consume high levels of fat and protein. When your body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to burn, it chooses to burn fat instead, leading to weight loss in some cases.

For certain groups, this approach may be beneficial; for others, it may cause serious long-term health problems. In this sense, Bulletproof Coffee could be described as “keto coffee”, since there are no carbs in coffee, and this particular variant is very high in fat and protein.

 

Does Fat Make You Fat?

For years, we’ve been told that fat was the “bad guy” in our diets, responsible for all kinds of horrid conditions from heart disease to bad skin. It turns out that fat, good fat, is actually essential to keep us healthy. (It’s refined sugar that’s now the evil enemy.)

Some schools of thought believe that what actually makes us fat is not, as we’ve been taught for so long, how many calories we consume, but actually what we consume – particularly the wrong kind of carbohydrates.

 

Is Bulletproof Coffee Good For Weight Loss?

Whether Bulletproof Coffee is actually good for weight loss or not is one of those “how long is a piece of string” questions, as it depends so much on what else you eat and drink, and how large the portions are. What is true is that a Bulletproof Coffee is around 450 calories, so it’s like a kind of liquid breakfast in a glass.

You’re unlikely to need much more for breakfast if you start the day with a Bulletproof Coffee. Mayo Clinic dietitians warn, however, against thinking that the beverage is a complete weight loss solution. And while you might see short-term weight loss, Bulletproof Coffee is not a long-term way to keep weight off.

 

Is Bulletproof Coffee Good for Anyone and Everyone?

As with all good things in life, Bulletproof Coffee is best enjoyed in moderation. For those who need to look after their heart, or with some other medical conditions, consuming a beverage quite so high in fats would not be recommended by healthcare professionals.

 

Where to Buy Bulletproof Coffee?

In terms of where to buy bullet proof coffee, there are now many physical stores that stock the ingredients, or it is possible to buy it online.

 

Downsides of Bulletproof Coffee

Well, apart from the fact it’s very high in fat, from a practical perspective, as yet, you can’t buy it as a ready-made product. You need to buy the three ingredients separately and blend them yourself. This does have the advantage that you can blend the beverage to your exact liking.

It does mean you need to allow a little extra time when you’re preparing your drink. The health benefits, as mentioned above, are yet to be proven, since as a concept it’s not yet ten years old.

 

Your Daily Cup of Bulletproof Coffee

Assuming that you don’t have health conditions that are going to affect your consumption of Bulletproof Coffee, then the obvious time to enjoy it is first thing in the morning, or when you need to get going.

It’s perfect if you need a boost; if you’re heading off on a long journey; if you need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed, as it were, for an important presentation or business meeting; or if you just want a creamy, caffeinated alternative to a latte.

 

Remind Me Again, Why Bulletproof Coffee?

If coffee is supposed to be a treat and an indulgence, as well as part of our daily routine, then bulletproof coffee definitely fits the bill.