# Another butter in coffee article ....



## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

I was sent this link by a family member who wondered whether I would be changing to this!

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/bulletproof-coffee-is-adding-butter-to-your-coffee-a-good-way-to-start-the-day-9717766.html

Actually, it might be heresy, but I was told by a Vietnamese customer that the secret of good Vietnamese coffee is to add butter as well as condensed milk to it ......

Anyone actually tried this?


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## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

Feel sick at the thought of even trying it. Can I give it a miss please?.


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

Yuck... what next, coffee flavoured butter to spread on my toast !


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

marcuswar said:


> Yuck... what next, coffee flavoured butter to spread on my toast !


Now that is an idea ... actually, thinking about certain food's marketing plans in recent years we could go for coffee-flavoured Marmite (two birds, one stone); coffee flavoured Walker's crisps ... the mind boggles!


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Im going Vietnam and opening a proper coffee shop, educate the fools!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Before we purists get too sniffy, why isn't similar opprobrium applied to the addition of things like syrups? In Yemen they add cardamon and Yemen has one of the longest coffee history.


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## sjenner (Nov 8, 2012)

They probably do all that stuff to coffee in Vietnam so that they can't taste the coffee.... There was a travel programme by Simon Reeve on coffee, and he had one of the Vietnamese coffees in a cafe there, said it wasn't "coffee", but it was quite nice.

I think as Patrick says... Different strokes....


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

I feel ill just thinking about "buttered coffee"


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Condensed milk in an iced espresso is good. Not sure how I feel about butter though


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

Thinking about this butter thing ... what is butter? Basically cream with the buttermilk (i.e. lots of liquid) removed. If you get a really nice thick cream it almost has a buttery texture so perhaps it is just the cream solids added to coffee!

All that said .. I will let someone more adventurous than me try it first and feed it back although it might be fun to go to somewhere which sells "Bulletproof Coffee" (which they describe a smoothy made from coffee, butter and oil) and give it a whirl.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

If I can, I'll break out the blender tomorrow and give it a whirl


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## Rdl81 (Sep 8, 2014)

This is more a diet/paleo thing ie high fat diet so it's easy way to add extra fat to diet....I will often have a coffee as a pre workout to give energy boost and add coconut oil to it. But when I want to just enjoy a coffee obv I won't


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

For a few weeks I drank coffee (americano strength) blended with a small pat of butter and a tablespoon of coconut oil. When you do this, varietal flavors in the coffee are pretty much overwhelmed, but the beverage isn't unpleasant; it's sort of like a coffee pina colada.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Right. I broke out a blender this morning and had a go.

Butter, 2 tbsp.










Coffee. Double espresso, 100ml hot water.










Idiot with a blender.










Blending.










(I forgot to take a pic of the coconut oil)

End result produced this face.










It was utterly RANK. Tasted like melted butter and was like drinking cream.

0/10 would not try again.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Butter is on the coffee taste wheel as well as being in the coffee essences kit (can't remember the name).

Why did you go with two tbsps Scot? Would think a quarter of a teaspoon would be enough to impart a buttery note.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Just followed the first recipe I found online.


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## YouriV (Dec 4, 2008)

Scotford, I did the same as you AND pulled the same face haha! Shame to ruin coffee like that - leave it pure if you ask me


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

YouriV said:


> Scotford, I did the same as you AND pulled the same face haha! Shame to ruin coffee like that - leave it pure if you ask me


Indeed. Absolutely ruined a pretty decent brew to be honest.

In all actuality, it was your coffee. If you are Youri from Limini, that is.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Condensed milk is used in Vietnamese coffee extraction


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## Obnic (Jan 14, 2014)

I have seen a small amount of butter (big pea sized lump) mixed into a double espresso purportedly as a means of binding amino acids and lipids to make the 'nutrients' more easily absorbed in the stomach. Not at all sure of the science at all. Though the resulting drink was nowhere near as extreme as Scotford's cocktail, it just tasted like greasy espresso - not worth it.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Scotford I've been really down in the dumps recently but your post above and the picture of your face post-consumption made me properly laugh! Well funny! About the only thing I would consider blending 2 tbsp of with espresso would be vanilla ice cream, not flipping butter!


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Well I'm glad I cheered someone up.

I did it for science!


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## Sami (Apr 18, 2013)

I tried it a while back and actually found it quite pleasant. For a start, there's no need to use a blender; just put your espresso, water, grass-fed butter (eg anchor/kerrygold) and coconut oil into a milk pitcher and whizz it up with your steam wand. It is recommended to use unsalted butter but I didn't mind it. Don't bother with mct oil, check out this article http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/mct-oil-vs-coconut-oil-the-truth-exposed/

In all fairness, the first shot of espresso I ever had probably yielded a similar facial expression to the one in your pic, maybe experiment a bit to give it a fair trial? I think one tablespoon of butter was plenty for me...


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## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

Sami said:


> I tried it a while back and actually found it quite pleasant. For a start, there's no need to use a blender; just put your espresso, water, grass-fed butter (eg anchor/kerrygold) and coconut oil into a milk pitcher and whizz it up with your steam wand. It is recommended to use unsalted butter but I didn't mind it. Don't bother with mct oil, check out this article http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/mct-oil-vs-coconut-oil-the-truth-exposed/
> 
> In all fairness, the first shot of espresso I ever had probably yielded a similar facial expression to the one in your pic, maybe experiment a bit to give it a fair trial? I think one *tablespoon* of butter was plenty for me...


Please tell me you mean teaspoon?!?!?!


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## AndyS (May 12, 2012)

Sami said:


> I tried it a while back and actually found it quite pleasant....
> 
> ...In all fairness, the first shot of espresso I ever had probably yielded a similar facial expression to the one in your pic, maybe experiment a bit to give it a fair trial? I think one tablespoon of butter was plenty for me...


Thanks for adding your comments. I agree, it seems to me that people are just having fun knocking this beverage, and they won't give it a reasonable chance. "Third Wave" coffee it ain't, but it still can be a satisfying drink.

Oh, and I like your tip about using the steam wand, I will try that.


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## Eskimoba (Sep 21, 2014)

Also heard this from a Vietnamese friend - never tried it myself!


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## Sami (Apr 18, 2013)

No, tablespoon is correct! Don't think it's something I would do every day (my skin got quite oily after 2 or 3 days, but I am prone to to that) I guess everyone has to decide for themselves how much/often is good for them....


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## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

Sami said:


> No, tablespoon is correct! Don't think it's something I would do every day (my skin got quite oily after 2 or 3 days, but I am prone to to that) I guess everyone has to decide for themselves how much/often is good for them....


GULP!! I don't think I eat a tablespoon of butter in a normal week.... let alone in/with a single espresso!

Each to his own


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Drewster said:


> GULP!! I don't think I eat a tablespoon of butter in a normal week....


Butter = flavour....the key to good mashed potatoes


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

The HasBean CoE El Salvador Escocia has a highly desirable creamy mouthfeel - pretty similar to buttery.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

The Systemic Kid said:


> The HasBean CoE El Salvador Escocia has a highly desirable creamy mouthfeel - pretty similar to buttery.


I get this. Especially from cafetiere.


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## spune (Oct 3, 2011)

Following on from the above...

Take the hassle away from preparing your buttery beverage!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1479497656/coffee-blocks-instant-butter-coffee-just-add-hot-w


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## Hazza (May 5, 2014)

I must admit I've done the butter in coffee thing in the past and thought it was alright.. But egg yolks, eww!


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## spune (Oct 3, 2011)

I'm yet to try, but certainly wouldn't go for one of those as my first venture!

I wonder whether the egg is to do with consistency?


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

No. I'm out. No no no no no.


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

jeebsy said:


> Butter = flavour....the key to good mashed potatoes


Did you ever see Mr Sage's recipe. Think it involved a 50:50 butter to potato ratio as I recall.


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## YouriV (Dec 4, 2008)

Scotford said:


> Indeed. Absolutely ruined a pretty decent brew to be honest.
> 
> In all actuality, it was your coffee. If you are Youri from Limini, that is.


Yeah thats me


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

I wonder if the origin of butter in coffee is linked to the addition of salt in coffee. Salt would tend to take the edge off of any bitterness


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## Awoogah (Nov 10, 2013)

Can't lie, I do the "bulletproof coffee" thing most mornings, its definitely not for the flavour, more a health and weight loss thing. I use significantly less butter than the recipe suggests, maybe 15-20g, and the mct oil. This is counter to my drinking of coffee for pleasure, so sometimes its one bulletproof, and a double espresso for the tastebuds.

As previously mentioned the butter does mute a lot of the subtleties of the coffee, but it almost makes it into another drink entirely, i.e. a love of filter coffee doesn't necessarily mean you love cappuccino as well.


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## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

Which butter do you use?


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## Rdl81 (Sep 8, 2014)

You can sub the butter for coconut oil makes a good ore workout drink


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## Awoogah (Nov 10, 2013)

Scotford said:


> Which butter do you use?


When you get into butter, theres as much variation in the taste as there is in coffee, "normally" in coffee i use the kerrygold salted (for some reason tastes better than the unsalted to me), but am currently working through a bar of the Rachel's organic unsalted, which has a very neutral flavour and I could see being my new go to. I also buy butter from a local farmer which is amazing, they add a fair amount of salt and it has a completely different flavour again, which goes amazing with food but completely overpowers the coffee.

Personally I far prefer the butter plus mct oil combo over coconut oil, both in terms of taste and the performance benefits. My training partners can notice the difference in me when I have the mct oil, its basically its like the sugar of the fat world, much more easily absorbed and utilised and it has almost no flavour. You can only use a small amount because the laxative effects can be overwhelming.


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