I live next door to Austin’s only Paleo trailer, Picnik, and they sell a novel new drink called butter coffee. After walking the dogs by the sign for butter coffee at least a dozen times, we decided to take the plunge to see what this new trendy drink is all about.
Butter coffee is pretty much what it sounds like – it’s coffee and butter blended together with some additional MCT coconut oil extract that is supposed to be very nutritious for you and good for your brain.
So what’s the big deal about butter coffee?
Supposedly the added grass fed butter provides all the fat and many nutrients you need for a meal and it supercharges your metabolism and suppresses appetite, but does it really work?
We’ve been drinking butter coffee on the regular at Picnik for a few weeks now and we even started making it at home. What I do know is this… the butter and MCT oil in the coffee keep you full for a long time, and it really curbs your hunger. So despite the extra 300 calories or so butter adds to the coffee, you actually end up eating less food because of the high quality fat you drink, so I think it actually can help you lose a few pounds (and stay away from carbs) when used correctly as a replacement for food that you used to eat in it’s place.
Also, butter coffee gives you a pretty even, long-lasting non-jittery buzz because the butter slows you down and coffee picks you up, so they kind of balance each other out. The focus on high quality ingredients at Picnik makes me feel better about what I consume, and I think I prefer the flavor of butter to cream in my coffee now as well.
Is butter coffee worth it in the end?
The five or six bucks per cup you pay for it is pretty much equal to what you’ll spend for a much more sugary drink at Starbucks, so I would say it’s definitely healthier than that if that’s what you are replacing. It is however, a few more bucks than standard drip coffee, but if you view it as replacing the need to eat more food, there is added value there. The service and vibe at Picnik is great too, the folks are super friendly too so if you are a regular they really make you feel at home.
However, if you are not into coffee or you are already stick skinny and getting all of the nutrients you need daily, maybe butter coffee isn’t for you.
Make it Yourself
What’s that? You’re not a millionaire? If you don’t want to spend all that cash for your butter coffee fix and you want to drink it regularly, you can make butter coffee at home for about a dollar a cup, but you will have some upfront costs buying like a hand blender and the MCT coconut oil to get things started (also you’ll have to clean up after yourself).
(Photo credit: MJ Kim)
To make butter coffee at home here’s all of the tools and ingredients that you’ll need:
- Blender (we have a hand blender which is super convenient for small amounts)
- coffee grinder and beans
- Unsalted grass fed butter (we get Kerrygold at Central Market)
- MCT coconut oil (also from Central market)
- Fresh brewed coffee (french press or drip coffee is recommended)
Drip Coffee stuff we use:
How to make Butter Coffee at home:
Basically, you just fresh brew a cup of coffee, pour a little in a cup, blend it with 1 tbsp of butter, add an oz of MCT oil, then add the remaining coffee and you are done. Picnik uses half to one oz of maple syrup as a sweetener instead of sugar, so we like to do that as well.
Will butter coffee become mainstream, or is it just a trend? For us, it’s a cool new thing that we enjoy that helps us eat less crap… time will tell if we stick with it in the long run.
Additional butter coffee links:
How to make butter coffee
Info on MCT (Medium-chain triglyceride)
Picnik Austin