This, according to acolytes of the drink, say is not only deliciously creamy but ‘brain food’ that keeps you fuller for longer.
So popular has it become, and so passionate its fans, that The New York Times called butter coffee a “cult” this weekend.
The creation comes from the mind of US based health entrepreneur Dave Asprey, who has labelled it Bulletpoof coffee. He was inspired to create the drink after drinking yak butter tea while hiking in Tibet in 2004. He has been tinkering with his recipe ever since, and claims that his brew suppresses hunger, helps the brain be more alert and assists with weight loss.
Asprey is hitting a nerve with his concoction. According to The New York Times, seven million people have downloaded Asprey’s podcast on the matter and he is set to open his own café and shop in Los Angeles (the Paleo/butter coffee heartland, it must be said).
Butter coffee has also made its way to Australia with cafes in Melbourne and Sydney, including the Paleo cafes that continue to pop up, stocking the tonic. Ruby’s Diner in Surry Hills told Fairfax Media in June that they were selling around 30 cups of it each weekend at a cool price of $8 per unit.
There are strict rules around how Bulletproof coffee is made, i.e. you can’t stick any old butter into a cup of International Roast.
According to the guidelines set by Dave Asprey, the coffee beans must be low-toxin beans, the butter must be unsalted and grass-fed and the oil must be MCT (an oil that is rumoured to promote fat burning, coconut will do).
While many have raved about the taste of the coffee, others have tried it and have been put off by the ‘skin’ that the butter can leave on top of the coffee after separating.
Some nutritionists are not as enamoured by the 450 calorie drink (which fans of it have instead of breakfast) as others. Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton told Fairfax Media that the amount saturated fat contained in the drink was unhealthy. Others believe that it is a nutritious, energy propelling drink.
“Arguments that saturated fats – even from grass-fed cows (which is pretty well all dairy cows in Australia) – are somehow healthy is simply not supported by evidence,”she told goodfood.com.au.
Meanwhile Asprey and acolytes of his recommend replacing carbs with butter coffee for breakfast and following a clean diet generaly, and combining the brew with high-intensity exercise.
