LongBrain: Nootropic Butter Coffee

finished-product

For many years I ate whatever I wanted, mostly on impulse. Over time I noticed patterns: some foods left me fatigued, with brain fog, and/or feeling erratic while others did not. This made me wonder, if some foods can negatively impact my cognition to that degree, then can others reliably improve it?

After trying the butter coffee at Picnik I was impressed by its flavor and nutrition profile. I decided to innovate on butter coffee recipes by adding protein and a few well-supported cognitive enhancers.

Specifically, I wanted a beverage with the following properties:

The recipe below is the result of several iterations and adjustments. I liked it so much I decided to name it ‘LongBrain’ after the effects I observed: sustained mental clarity and energy for several hours. It also tastes really good. At the time of publishing this article I have prepared it three+ days a week for several months with no noticeable negative side-effects

Ingredient Selection

Before purchasing any ingredients I try to identify quality. I primarily use two websites for product research: Labdoor and ConsumerLab. They are both independent companies primarily focused on consumer safety. They test and rank products and supplements to ensure they contain what they claim.

I personally use each brand below when making LongBrain. I do not make any money from referral links and will not take any form of compensation to promote a product. I buy most of the wherever the price is the lowest, usually Amazon.

Coffee contains caffeine which stimulates cognitive function. The strong flavor also overrides bitterness from some of the other ingredients.

This recipe doesn’t need premium coffee because most of the nuance in flavor is lost when combined with the other ingredients. I use an organic Columbian blend from my local supermarket.

Ghee (or Butter) is a good source of fat. Fats are the primary source of energy on a ketogenic diet. Fats also reduce the acidic flavor of the coffee. OMGhee and Ancient Organics are both good choices. I prefer the taste of OMGhee but sometimes they are back-ordered.

MCT Oil is a type of fat which is easily processed by the liver, yielding energy faster than ghee and butter. Pure C8 MCT Oil is a particular formulation of MCT which contains only caprylic acid which is preferable over other types of MCT.

Whey Protein can be supplemented for muscle maintenance and growth. Now Foods makes an unflavored protein isolate which scores highly on LabDoor.

Collagen Peptides are a protein can be supplemented for joint maintenance and skin elasticity. Further Foods makes unflavored collagen peptides.

Creatine improves cognitive function and workout performance. Bulk Supplements scores highly on Labdoor.

L-theanine reduces anxiety and somewhat smooths out the jitteryness of the caffeine. Bulk Supplements.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder contains flavanol. Cocoa flavanol contains epicatechin + catechin which are anti-inflammatory and lower LDL cholesterol [*].

Much of the cocoa / chocolate available for purchase at retail are alkalized using the Dutch Method. The Dutch Method drastically reduces the presence of flavanols [*]. Do not buy Cocoa made using the Dutch Method. Unprocessed cocoa is the best source. Pure Natural Miracles passes this test according to the manufacturer: “This raw cacao powder is stone ground and unprocessed and contains no added sugars, retaining its full bodied nutrition profile.” I haven’t found any consumer testing of cocoa powders which verify high flavanols and low heavy metal content.

Recipe

ingredients

1 Serving:

Instructions

ready-to-go

  1. Put ghee/butter, MCT, creatine, and L-theanine into a coffee pot, then make coffee. In the photo I’m using a pour-over method of making coffee but any method is fine
  2. While the coffee is brewing, scoop the whey, collagen, and cocoa powder into a cup
  3. This last step is the hard part. Use an immersion blender to mix in the protein and cocoa. Ensure the protein mixes into the coffee as quickly as possible. If mixed too slowly, the protein will cook and leave particulates in the coffee. This happened to me the first few times until I got the technique down.
    • See the gif below for my technique. In this coffee pot the key is to hold the immersion blender off-center and pour into the center

Enjoy the finished product