Recently heard about a trend of adding butter and coconut oil to filter coffee. Blending it all up emulsifies the fats and allows the caffeine to pass into the fatty parts. The net effect is supposedly a longer and more gentle caffeine high superposed with fat-burning energy.
To be honest the way this concoction has been 'marketed' (https://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/) made me suspect snake oil but from a purely chemical point of view it makes some logical sense - caffeine is more soluble in organic solvent than water and anything that slows the uptake of caffeine would be better for those long working days. So, in the name of science I have made myself 'bulletproof' for a day.
Just a few points on methods: I used high-quality strong dark coffee beans I get from a specialist shop along with a decent unsalted butter (no idea if it meets the apparent 'grass-fed' requirements though). Also I used coconut milk instead of the pure oil because that's all I could find, but as far as I can tell the only effect of that will be a slight watering down effect, equivalent to taking a shot of water with the coffee. Also I just whisked everything up instead of blending because I'm a poor ass student with no blender. Also no other caffeinated drinks or excessive sugar was ingested during the day (in fact I felt hardly hungry at all).
Results: initial familiar coffee high came on surprisingly quickly and lasted the usual time of maybe 2 hours before crashing. At this point I thought the whole thing was a failure but then just over 30 minutes later I felt a new high coming on. This was far more subtle but definitely noticeable. It built in intensity for somewhere between 6-7 hours until the second crash occurred, but by this time the day was over and I was happy for it.
Conclusions: further tests needed, strong suspicion of placebo effect. However it appears that a sharply distinct water-dissolved caffeine hit followed by the fat-dissolved caffeine hit was observed. Would recommend.
>>10951 Tried this myself for a while, but I've failed to restock my coffee beans. The taste can vary depending on what you're using. I liked to add a square of dark chocolate (the 90% stuff) to it though, which made it better for me. Also took to taking modafinil with this in the morning and I got some insane clarity and focus, and was able to retain more information. I also found that it would tide me over until lunch, so the coffee alone would effectively be my breakfast.
I'd recommend it, but it can be a little expensive getting the stuff that's needed for it together. I did manage to have a good morning routine though, being able to focus on reading through articles and news in the morning and going for a run before lunch, so I'd say it was worth it.
>>10952 On the taste, it's probably just due to being a black coffee drinker - milky coffee tastes shit to me as well. Chocolate is an interesting idea, was thinking maybe cinammon or honey could work also.
>>10953 Never tried it with honey, but I now have normal coffee with honey so that sounds like a good idea. I did try it with cinnamon though and that was pretty good, I think something like that does need to be added as on its own it can be bitter.
While I have heard of people putting coconut oil in their coffee purely for the health benefits and taste, I've never heard of this effect. Very interesting. I might experiment with this.
As the poster above points out, coconut oil is actually very good for your body generally as well. Also genuinely interested in how this might mix up with modafinil. If I try anything I'll report back in this thread.
>>10957 I don't mean high as in stoned, I just mean the effect of caffeine on the mind - being alert, awake, slightly on-edge as well as if you have too much the effects of caffeine intoxication (shakes, anxiousness etc.).
Obviously if you drink a large quantity of coffee you will become desensitised to the caffeine so the marginal effect of one coffee may seem small (although I suspect this is largely posturing akin to the 'hurr durr I drink 4 pints and I feel nuffink' crowd).
If you generally drink coffee and feel no effect whatsoever, may I ask why you drink it at all? There are plenty of tastier beverages out there that require less/no time to brew after all.
>>10962 Also I hope it is taken as read that instant coffee is just shit, awful taste and a tiny fraction of dissolved caffeine versus coffee made from fresh beans. You're far better off drinking tea instead of instant coffee, it's better tasting and contains theamine and other things that are great.
Yeah, you're probably right. I might buy some green tea or something tomorrow, seeing as my tap water tastes so crap I'm using coffee and milk and wine to get most of my liquids.
>>10966 Instant coffee is so gash. I mean, I'll drink it if I'm at someone's house or something but coffee can be so much better. One aeropress and some decent beans is all that's needed to never go back.
>>10969 I've thought of getting an aeropress for ages. Are they really as good as everyone else makes them out to be? Mainly I'm wondering if they are noticeably better than the paper filters that are just sat on top of a mug.
>>10964 Also I'm a massive lightweight when it comes to alcohol, I simply don't feel anything from coffee, no matter how strong I try and make it. The alcohol posturing malarkey fucks me off too.
How do aeropresses (?) compare to a good old cafetiere? I've tried so many different forms of home-brewed coffee and I've never had anything that tastes better than my own grinder+cafetiere combo.
All the machines seem to deliver nothing but watery dribble.
>>10978 I used a cafetiere for years but found I really prefer a paper drip-filtered coffee. Mainly because it means I don't get any bitter silt left in the bottom of the mug.
What type of machines have you used? Those crappy pod-things? I have a cheapish delonghi espresso machine which just doesn't compare to a proper machine, but once you get the hang of using it right it's anything but watery.
>>10981 They're very easy to clean, you just knock out the grounds and clean the compartments if you want to. There are some people who claim it impairs the flavour if you clean it.
And it's called a "moka", for those who want to search for one. Bialettis are the most common brand available in the UK and they're decent.
Do you have any experience of the electric ones? I want coffee without leaving my bed. I figure for about fifty quid I could get an electric moka, a very low end espresso machine, or a nespresso (I'm assuming they're not great, but the convenience does appeal)
Nespresso machines work surprisingly well, the main problem is the cost of capsules - even buying in bulk, you're looking at 45-50p per drink. Apparently you can buy third-party capsules, which will run you about 26p each.
I think you've also underestimated the cost of machines; Last time I looked, the cheapest Nespresso machine was about £80. Tassimo and Dolce Gusto machines are a bit cheaper and will do mixed drinks, but they don't have the pressure to do proper espresso and the capsules are also quite pricey.
I quite like Will Self's solution, which is to use a moka on a little camping stove. You could use a cheap electric hotplate if you're nesh about open flames. Again, a moka doesn't produce real espresso, but the coffee it does make is quite satisfactory in its own right.
Why does this country not have a coffee culture (Starbucks doesn't count)? I think it'd be nice to live in a city like Seattle or that Kiwi one with loads of independent coffee houses. Anything more than Kenco is seen as somewhat posh.
Considering my solution at the moment is to pay someone else two quid to make me one, 50p a drink is no great hardship. 80 quid isn't too bad either, though the variety of the other pod based machines does appeal.
I'm looking at a Tassimo now that claims 15 bar pressure - I'm by no means an expert, but I thought all you needed was about 9 bar?
I would normally just choose the option Will Self uses but I wanted something I could stick on a bedside cabinet. A coffee machine in the bedroom is going to look odd enough, I'd prefer not to have a stove knocking about too.
Alternatively I could buy a proper machine and just walk to the kitchen, but I really don't like to get out of bed on a day off.
>I'm looking at a Tassimo now that claims 15 bar pressure - I'm by no means an expert, but I thought all you needed was about 9 bar?
The problem is the capsule design. The capsules in Tassimo/DG machines are necessarily quite large, to accommodate the wide range of milk-based drinks on offer. This means that there's a big pressure drop between the outlet nozzle and the capsule, so the water doesn't actually hit the coffee grounds at anywhere near the requisite pressure. The cheaper and smaller machines just don't have the power to keep up. The results aren't awful by any means, but they're a long way short of Nespresso, which uses a much smaller capsule that is specifically designed for espresso.
I've just remembered the ESE system, which might suit you - most modern domestic espresso machines have a basket designed to take ESE pods, which are basically espresso tea bags. There's less waste than a system that uses plastic capsules, and you have a wide choice of machines and coffee suppliers because it's an open standard.
With all that said, the Aeropress produces remarkably good pseudo-espresso and is convenient to use - you can chuck it in your work bag with a little pouch of coffee and knock up a decent coffee in an office kitchen. Cleaning it requires nothing more than a quick rinse under the tap. The only real downside is the lack of crema, but the coffee itself is first rate. It might look like a cafetiere, but the results are a world apart.
>>10988 >>10987 Dare you to get this one, ladmate, and keep it anywhere your bed, if you were worried about how people might think a coffee machine in the bedroom might look...
I'd just like to thank you for your advice so far. I love that we seem to have a relative expert on everything here at britfa.
Now that you've mentioned ESE, I know at least one of our machines at work uses that - and it's not bad either, which means I can steal/order VAT free a LOT of illy pods if I went that route, it would certainly be cost effective.
To be honest I think I'll just get a nespresso, all I want is drinkable espresso as quickly as possible. I do like the look of the Aeropress too, I'll probably end up with both.
>>10986 The explanation I've heard (inferred based on stuff I've read on wikipedia) is that the status of coffee in goes back to WWII when American soldiers were given instant coffee in their rations. Of course they were all used to real coffee so they gave their instant coffee away/sold it to people in Britain.
From there instant coffee took off in this country as a new novelty from America, then it became entrenched in our culture as a quick and easy alternative to tea.
In the rest of the world it's more the case that tea is the quick and easy alternative to real coffee. I think we're unique as the only country in the world where instant coffee is more popular than fresh coffee.
