Have you heard of Bulletproof Coffee? If you haven’t, the short-version theory is that coffee can be a health food if you get beans that are organic and free of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are a form of mold that forms when beans are in the hold of ships and wet from their voyage at sea. In the health food world, this theory is not without controversy. Some argue that this whole worry about moldy beans is simply another way to gouge coffee drinkers. Nonetheless, I’ve broken my five year no-coffee streak to try some of this supposedly new “superfood of the gods.” Bulletproof coffee drinkers start with this mycotoxin-free coffee, add MCT oil (basically, fractionated coconut oil – MCT stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides) and grass-fed-cows butter (key because grass-fed cows produce a different composition of milk than grain fed cows). The theory goes that your body can burn off the fat (rather than a sugary or carb filled breakfast), and your brain needs the fats to function optimally. I’ve been playing around with Bulletproof Coffee with and without breakfast and really like how I feel with extra fats in my diet. Like any business however, there are competitors to the Bulletproof brand of coffee that also claim to be superfoods that are low in mold.
So, in the spirit of ensuring I was drinking the best of the best, I held a blind taste testing at my house with the grandest of the “I make serious health food claims” coffee brands. We tasted:
Longevity Coffee Dark & Light roasts
Bulletproof Coffee
Caveman Coffee Dark & Light roast
Blend of the 5 coffees, even ratios
Each coffee was ground with a burr grinder on the French Press setting and 2 Tablespoons of freshly ground coffee was used in individual Bodum French Presses. We steeped the coffee for 6 minutes, stirring the coffee grounds and hot water 10 seconds after adding the coffee grounds to the water.
After the coffee was steeped, we all tried an ounce of the coffee in the wedding-china my parents received when they got married (awwww). We drank the coffee black, without any cream or sugar. We tasted for fragrance/aroma, flavor, body and aftertaste. We even made scorecards to keep track of our scores, and write any additional notes.
Once we were done with our blind taste testing, we were astounded to find that we had ALL agreed on the Number One and Number Two favorite coffees (seriously, what are the chances?!).
They were ….
The Blend (are you kidding me?! 1 ounce of Longevity Coffee Light, 1 ounce of Longevity Coffee Dark, 1 ounce of Bulletproof Coffee, 1 ounce of Caveman Coffee Dark, 1 ounce of Caveman Coffee Light) followed closely by Caveman Coffee Dark Roast.
If you want to try the full Bulletproof Coffee trend, it’s 8 ounces of black coffee blended (in a blender) with 1/2 Tablespoon of grass-fed butter (like Kerrygold) + 1 Tablespoon of MCT (medium chain triglycerides – basically fractionated coconut oil) and blend it up. Note: this is basically the calories of a meal so don’t drink this AND eat your normal large breakfast or lunch. The Bulletproof Coffee trend is all about letting your body burn fat – not about eating fat and eating tons of carbs and fat on top of that.
Whether you try the Bulletproof Coffee recipe or drink the coffee black, Caveman Coffee Dark is our choice of the low mycotoxin coffees for a great every day, rich and robust coffee. Have you tried Bulletproof Coffee or eating the Bulletproof way? I would love to hear about your experience with it, including which brands of coffee you particularly enjoy.Â
Love the new coffee suggestions! Bulletproof coffee is how I start my day, too. Fat, Protein, Veg works. Thanks for the post, Anne-Marie. 🙂
I love love love Bulletproof coffee and could do it every day happily (and was for about six-seven months) – and then I read this article about why it wasn’t a great idea (basically, robbing your body of 1/3 of the nutrients for a food based meal) so now I just do it every other day but I crave the days I do it. Here’s the article: http://authoritynutrition.com/3-reasons-why-bulletproof-coffee-is-a-bad-idea/ But for me, it’s just such a fast easy breakfast. I may end up backsliding … =)
Hi,
I haven’t tried this yet, as I’m an espresso fan, but I would like to. My question is, why use Fractionated coconut oil? Wouldn’t you get more good natural fats using the regular organic coconut oil??
Since FCO is processed. Opinions???
Hi Dawnia!
I did a quick internet search and it seems like it’s important that the oil is Medium Chain Triglyceride oil. Those oils are thought to be easier to digest than LCT (Long Chain Triglycerides). As long as the coconut oil you’re using has MCTs, I believe you can use it! You may want to contact the manufacturer to find out more.
There are also some great articles that explain MCTs more in depth you may be interested in. 🙂
MCT Oil Benefits: https://www.bulletproofexec.com/mct-oil-benefits-14-ways-fit-mct-oil/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
One thing to note – Onnit labs tested random coffee including Starbucks, and the results showed they contained NO mycotoxins. Coffee growers started removing toxins from their beans decades ago. So don’t think you HAVE to buy Bulletproof coffee beans or the other bandwagon brands as there are several brands available to you.
Hi Lori!
Thanks so much for your feedback! The issue of mycotoxins is definitely controversial. Anne-Marie still had fun trying all the different coffees and writing this post. You can definitely stick to your favorite brand of coffee! I often drink Starbucks. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I have been drinking Bulletproof coffee for quite a while now. I usually used organic beans from the local co-op.
Enjoyed your post on coffees and the comparison test…would like to know your source for Caveman Coffee Dark Roast….have difficulty finding it on-line. Thank you for any input.
That’s awesome! I really want to give it a try.
We found the Caveman Coffee on their website! You can find the products here: http://www.cavemancoffeeco.com/all-products/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I have been doing the bulletproof coffee thing on and off for quite awhile after I read about it on a science web site.
I don’t always use the ‘official’ bulletproof coffee beans but I make my own grass-fed cow butter and use the MCT oil. I definitely notice more pep and mental sharpness on the mornings when I drink it.
Unfortunately the pull for a regular latte often tempts me more than I can resist. Not to mention I like iced coffee in the summer months.
Bulletproof coffee is definitely worth trying.
Iced coffee in the summer months is definitely tempting! Sounds like the bulletproof coffee is a great way to start the day though. Thanks for sharing Linda. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I drink medium roast Starbucks or Tullys brand coffee every morning with some Baileys mudslide creamer and 1-2 scoops of sugar in the raw. Although I occasionally go to Starbucks for an awesome frappuccino! My favorites are the java chip and the new cinnamon roll flavor.
That sounds delicious! I love frappuccinos too. I’d love to try some of their new flavors. We are lucky to live in a state full of coffee options! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I’m eating low-carb high fat, and make bulletproof coffee with my Keurig coffee (I like the Dunkin’ Donuts K-cup). I add the Kerrygold butter and coconut oil, plus pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon to give it some additional flavor and benefits of spices. I don’t usually eat breakfast other than coffee so it’s workable for me.
Hi Patti!
That sounds delicious, I love the addition of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. That would add a hint of warmth to the coffee. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry