Butter coffee?

[egalicontrarian]

What do people here think of the "bulletproof coffee" fad, or just butter coffee in general? Here is a company that promotes it, and here is a random discussion on the Interwebz, plus this piece from Fox News.

 

The basic idea is mixing butter and/or something like coconut oil with coffee. Obviously there is also a tradition of mixing butter and tea, but until recently I never heard of the coffee variation (or abomination?).

 

But I've had trouble finding any... let's say, unbiased discussions of its effectiveness, health value, etc.

[Naftal]

Hello- Dave Asprey, founder and CEO of The Bulletproof Executive, originated the term "bulletproof coffee". This became known as "butter coffee". This is the original source and recipe:              http://www.bulletproofexec.com/bulletproof-coffee-recipe/

[egalicontrarian]

Hello- Dave Asprey, founder and CEO of The Bulletproof Executive, originated the term "bulletproof coffee". This became known as "butter coffee". This is the original source and recipe:              http://www.bulletproofexec.com/bulletproof-coffee-recipe/

 

Thanks Naftal. One of the things I'm interested in is what variations people have made on this sort of recipe. The company of course recommends all sorts of special products - grass fed butter, MCT oil, and the company's own coffee. But this can be prohibitively expensive, and is in some cases of dubious health value (relative to ingredients one might get at a standard grocery store).

[Keith Orr]

Bulletproof sells coffee sourced from Portland Roasting (Costa Rican if I remember correctly) and their house brand of MCT oil. They're supposed to be "Premium" selections.

 

I bought some MCT oil at a local food coop, used some good coffee from another Portland roaster and used some Kerrygold butter (it's labeled as being made from grass fed cows) from Costco. Made 8 oz coffee in an Aeropress with an Able disc metal reusable filter. I believe the Bulletproof recipe calls for using a French press. You're not supposed to use a paper filter because it traps the valuable natural coffee oils. Used approximately a tablespoon each of MCT oil and butter and blended it all with a hand blender.

 

The verdict. Not bad. It was obviously much richer than the black coffee I usually drink and it wasn't greasy or oily like I expected. I didn't take a shot at myself so I don't know if I was Bulletproof after drinking it. I wasn't able to leap tall buildings. It was a pleasant and rich cup of coffee. BTW, I did it for seven days running to see if I felt any different and I can't say I did. YMMV.

[jayt90]

I tried butter coffee today, and will do it again.

 

I brewed a  12 oz pour-over of Santa Helena  (Costa Rica) beans,1 day old, directly into a Vitamix bowl, with a paper filter.

 I blended with 1.5T Sealtest unsalted at high speed for  2 minutes, and then poured my mug of steaming, creamy  coffee with a slight foam on top.

 

This does not taste buttery or greasy. The fat is absorbed into the acidic coffee, and the beverage is mildly full flavored, with a creamy base. It is similar to full city coffee with 35% cream added but no sugar.  More intense, but similar. Each sip and you want more. Not many coffees are like that, while  easy to brew.

[MikeHartnett]

It's delicious, if nothing else.

[GlorifiedRice]

Nothing different then puttng Coffeemate in coffee. thats all oil too

[jayt90]

Somehow coffee and a tablespoon of butter seems better than adding a mixture of hydrogenated soybean oil and HFCS.

[GlorifiedRice]

Somehow coffee and a tablespoon of butter seems better than adding a mixture of hydrogenated soybean oil and HFCS.

Scroll up, they also stated coconut oil and MCT Oil (palm oil) the same thing many Coffeemate flavors and made from.

[annabelle]

It sounds disgusting.  I'll stick with half and half.

[jayt90]

Scroll up, they also stated coconut oil and MCT Oil (palm oil) the same thing many Coffeemate flavors and made from.

I  have no interest in half baked California Bulletproof diets. In post #5 I adapted Tibetan butter tea to butter coffee. Just two long familiar ingredients. You are reading too much into a simple method.

[jayt90]

I am continuing to refine my butter coffee. I will soon be making it every day. This is not Bulletproof coffee.

 

For one large 12 oz mug:

 

3 heaping tablespoons of freshly roasted South American or Central American beans

1 to 1.5 T sweet butter (lightly salted will also work)

12 - 14 oz boiling water

 

Grind the beans to a fine level in the VitaMix for 10 seconds, high speed.

 

Add the boiling water to the VitaMix bowl and let steep 1 - 2 minutes

coffee 

Add the butter,  and blend at high speed for 12 seconds. It will turn creamy brown.

 

Filter through a # 4  stainless steel or gold plate mesh filter. I use a Swissgold, dripping into a large mug, but a $7 Wal-Mart SS mesh fed into a carafe will  be fine. A  couple of stirs may be necessary.

 

The coffee will be rich, voluptuous, and very potent with the ultimate caffeine high. Butter coffee  will digest slowly with a gradual let down, no crashing or hunger pangs.

 

 

 

 

 

[egalicontrarian]

Hi everyone. Thanks for having some discussion on this. I thought I would return to say that recently I went to an Ethiopian restaurant in Chapel Hill, Queen of Sheba, and was surprised to find coffee with butter on their menu - "Ethiopian coffee with purified butter." There is a reference to this practice on Wikipedia, here (people add sugar to their coffee, or in the countryside, sometimes salt and/or traditional butter (see niter kibbeh)"), although oddly the source for that claim doesn't contain any mention of butter coffee, as far as I can tell....  I should say, it was quite sweet and delicious. The butter coffee recipe I've been using does not involve any sugar. 

 

Has anyone had "Ethiopian coffee" with butter before?

Edited October 21, 2014 by egalicontrarian (log)