My journey into the world of Bulletproof Coffee

By Phoenix Cronin

Bulletproof Coffee’ can most simply be explained as a combination of coffee, grass-fed butter, and most importantly, MCT Oil. Credit: Dave Asprey

Taste: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Price: ★☆☆☆☆ (2/5)

Experience: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Dazed, and not quite ready to adjust to the fact that I was awake, I stumbled through the door of a coffee house narrowly escaping the early London winds that had flooded the inner city.

It was a grey Monday morning, and the usual swarm of coffee-drinkers had formed a scattered line at the coffee bar. I joined the back and prepared for the brief conversation that was to be had with the Barista. 

“Would you like to try our Bulletproof Coffee?” She asked with a smile. 

What on earth was she on about… ‘Bulletproof?’ This wasn’t the discussion I had prepared for, I was out of my depth and in unfamiliar territory. I looked at her in mild horror, something that she must’ve caught onto because she decided to press on.

“It’s a high-performance coffee that gives you longer lasting cognitive function and works for those on a ketogenic diet.” She said unflustered.

My morning slumber was compromised, I would need to speed up. This was obviously a test, an interrogation of sorts. Ketogenic, Cognitive Function, Bulletproof, these words didn’t belong in a coffee house, especially not at seven o’clock in the morning. Enough I thought, I’ll ask her what she’s talking about, then at least I’ll know what I was getting into. 

“Yes Please” I uttered. Shit. My mouth had failed me. 

“That’ll be £5.” She said. 

Five bloody pounds! I was being hustled, no coffee costs £5, this was a scam. I decided I would not stand for it and organised my protest. 

“Thank you,” I said whilst putting my card to the card reader. It was apparent, my body had gone rogue. It must’ve entered fight or flight, there was no other explanation. I was running on pure adrenaline and it was best not to test it. I limited myself to simple movements and one-word utterances and sombrely walked my ‘Bulletproof coffee’ to a table in the corner. 

It looked just like any other coffee – a frothy blend of dark and light, with a neatly placed little heart floating seamlessly on the top. ‘Bulletproof’, I repeated, muddling the word over. I took my first sip and that familiar taste and scent reassured me that this was, in fact, coffee, but the texture was different. It was slippery, oily almost.

Leaving a tingly aftertaste as if the coffee was lighter, smoother, and easier to digest. As I drank, I noticed each drop was better than the last. The flavours were familiar but foreign, like a feeling of nostalgia that you couldn’t quite understand. 

Either way, it was too late. My interest had been piqued, and I sought to find out more. I swore to return to the ‘Black Sheep Café’ later that day, a little wiser, and a little more prepared. 

What is Bulletproof Coffee?

I would later find out that the ‘Bulletproof Coffee’ is a coffee 2.0, a new and ‘innovative way’ of looking at your traditional cup of joe. The words of the barista that morning echoed throughout numerous articles and research papers done on the subject. She was not speaking gibberish after all, I thought. ‘

Bulletproof Coffee’ can most simply be explained as a combination of coffee, grass-fed butter, and most importantly, MCT Oil. MCT stands for ‘Medium-Chain Triglycerides or, in simpler terms, ‘Medium-Chain Fatty Acids’. These fats usually derive from coconut oil and are recognised as healthy fats.

The coffee was created by entrepreneur and self-titled “professional biohacker” Dave Asprey, who learnt of the “transformative powers of yak butter tea” whilst 18,000 feet up Mount Kailash in Tibet.

The name ‘Bulletproof Coffee’ is a play on how the coffee will help one “bulletproof” themselves against fatigue, flab and, chronic disease. But how strange, it was after all just a coffee – so was there any substance to these claims?

It is linked to Ketogenic dieting.

It turns out you can only truly ‘optimise’ a Bulletproof Coffee on a ketogenic diet, a diet that includes completely cutting out carbs and replacing this energy source with fats. Ketogenic dieters follow a different set of rules for weight loss, calories are disregarded. The Bulletproof Coffee was approximately 500 calories, the same amount as a medium sized lunch or two ‘pain au chocolats’.

If you compare this to a standard flat white, which sits around 60 calories, you can begin to understand the difference. Sure, for the ketogenic dieters this doesn’t matter, they don’t count calories like us, why should they care, but was the bulletproof lifestyle for me? 

Black Sheep Café by Euston Square, NW1 3BT . Credit: Black Sheep Café

Is it right for me?

There was no denying that the coffee tasted good and the claims that I’d have higher cognitive function and longer lasting energy seemed to ring true, I felt energised and clear-minded, and my hunger was quenched for those hours afterwards. But a 500-kcal coffee is a meal, and a £5 price tag is a deterrent. 

Simplicity is crucial, coffee is energy and to complicate it defeats the purpose. I returned to the Black Sheep Café later that day, to finalise my verdict and once again taste the sweet nectar that is their Bulletproof Coffee.

The very same Barista greeted me with the same smile. “Would you like to try our bulletproof coffee?” she asked. I happily agreed, this time conscious of my decision.

I sat at the same table from that morning and scanned my surroundings. ‘The Black Sheep Café’ truly was a coffee-lovers dream; smart décor, an endless coffee menu, and soothing background music. I drank my second cup of the day, £10 out of pocket and drew my conclusions.

As enjoyable as my experience was, I decided this coffee was not for me. I would be sticking to my ‘Flat Whites’ and instant coffee brews thank you, and besides, who was I to sacrifice a good breakfast. The Bulletproof Coffee was to remain a treat, and I did not want to tarnish this memory with the complications that came with the Keto diet.  

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