Coffee
I am a big coffee fan. It is one of my favorite morning rituals. I love the sound of coffee percolating, the aroma of GOOD roasty beans, the taste of chocolatey bitterness and the heat of my coffee mug in my hands. I love it even more with superfood mix-ins. And a tall Starbucks latte? Heaven.
Coffee isn’t a one-size-fits-all drink or one of those things that you should or shouldn’t imbibe, and I say that because for every studied and potential benefit of coffee consumption there are also some question marks and known watch-outs. This is where the 80/20 rule of balance is critical.
If coffee is a part of your day, read on for important choices to make and considerations to weigh based on how coffee (and caffeine) impacts your body.
When to drink: In the morning, or at least six hours before bed
For me, if I drink coffee (even just a single espresso shot) more than ten hours before bedtime I cannot fall asleep or sleep as deeply. For me, that means if I drink caffeinated coffee it’s before lunchtime.
Over the past several months I’ve largely given up caffeine altogether for a few reasons:
- I’m sensitive to it. Read: if I have 8-10 ounces of coffee for a period of several days in a row, then skip a day, I get a borderline-migraine headache. If you know you’ll have an adverse side effect from skipping a day of coffee, consider reducing your intake to support natural sleep rhythms and to balance your hormones.
- Caffeine is a gut irritant. Caffeine initiates peristalsis in your gut, the muscular contractions that get your digestive system moving. While this sounds great in theory, it just does too much for me. Decaffeinated coffee can have a similar effect but it’s not as pronounced in my system.
- I am not a fan of dependencies and habits that cause side effects I don’t like.
None or all of these reasons might resonate with you; my point in sharing is to show you just how personal these choices are – this is the whole point of a pantry practice. Find what works in your lifestyle to make you feel optimal.
I encourage each of you to spend a week focusing on if and how coffee triggers you. You may decide your coffee habits don’t need to change, but you may decide you want to make some tweaks. If you drink coffee in the afternoon, start by observing your habits and body’s reactions there. What in the afternoon triggers drive you to grab cups of coffee – are you tired, bored, is it just part of your routine, or is it your excuse to leave your chair for 15 minutes and get a brain break? For pretty much all of these cases I’d ask, is there something else you could drink to bring you joy? Maybe a tall Pellegrino over ice with some muddled strawberries or half a fresh-squeezed lime?!
Classification: Organic (most of the time)
Organic coffee is a staple for me, because non-organic coffee beans are laden with chemicals from the intense amount of fertilizers and pesticides used on the crops. Most mainstream beans, Starbucks included, largely don’t serve certified organic brews so I do try to limit my intake of drive-thru bevs.
Speaking of chemicals, the traditional decaffeination process loads even more chemicals into coffee beans, so if you’re going to drink decaf organic is especially important. There’s only one truly organic method to decaffeinate coffee and it’s called the Swiss water process. It’s taken me a long time to find swiss water processed coffees that I truly LOVE and I’m pumped to share my favorites with you.
Where to store: Fridge or Coffee Gator
Fresh coffee is so important to me. Since I don’t drink much coffee, buy high quality beans, and get super annoyed about the mess I make while attempting to fish spoonfuls of grounds from a flimsy bag I went searching for a better way to store my coffee and stumbled across Coffee Gator a few years ago. It is the easiest way I’ve found to store freshly ground coffee. It’s also satisfyingly easy to use with its sealing lid and handy little stainless measuring spoon.
Wholeness factor: Best
Unadulterated organic coffee is totally whole. There might be watch-outs with caffeine, but its B-vitamin content, high antioxidant content, and studied benefits ranging from decreased risks of certain types of cancer to promoting liver health make it a solid choice in your daily beverage line-up.
How I drink it
I have several coffee combos I love…what I pick all depends on whether I’m in the mood for a super nutrient-dense punch to start the day or if I want a decadent-feeling treat. Bless coffee’s adaptability.
Favorite coffee
Decaf Swiss water process
- La Colombe Honduras Luna Azul
- La Colombe coffee is so smooth. I had it for the first time several years ago in Chicago and I reminisced it fondly. I almost cried when I found out La Colombe made an Organic, Swiss water process decaf; there are no La Colombe shops near me but shipping is free so it arrives in my mailbox regularly.
- Stumptown Trapper Creek
- I was introduced to Stumptown by my friend Michelle who knows all the best small brands for pretty much everything. Stumptown’s coffee feels luxurious…the packaging, the bean quality…it’s all spot on, and it is the best smelling coffee ever.
Espresso
- I fell in love with espresso after going to Italy a number of years ago and I think in part because of the nostalgia of ducking into small coffee shops for a quick espresso and stick of biscotti during that trip, I rapidly bought a KitchenAid Nespresso machine on return to the U.S. Now, when I want a little caffeine pick-me-up, I can make a shot of potent espresso with zero fancy barista equipment and drink it straight, make an iced coffee, or blend it with my decaf brew for a 90mg caffeinated kick.
- Now, the conundrum with Nespresso is that their pods aren’t made with organic coffee, but for me, the occasional espresso shot I make with it doesn’t give me a complex. If you want dang good espresso with zero work or clean-up, this is the winner.
Favorite mix-ins
Espresso aside, I like a creamier cup of coffee. I love packing in superfoods and nutrient-dense ingredients that give me even more reasons to enjoy my coffee. I most commonly mix in a teaspoon of Om mushroom powder, a scoop of collagen and a generous tablespoon of creamer.
- Mushroom powder – Om mushrooms are lights-out and are frankly the only ones on the market I fully trust because they are grown in California against superior standards and are certified organic. They make fantastic blends but I go back to this Immunity blend over and over.
- Collagen – I love this Ancient Nutrition collagen blend because it sources five types of collagen (I, II, III, IV, and X) – each collagen types supports different benefits, so I love being able to pack so many benefits into one powder. Collagen doesn’t thicken drinks the way protein does, so it dissolves quickly and adds 9g of protein to your coffee in a single scoop.
- Coconut or oat milk creamer – Silk Oatmeal Cookie Oatmilk creamer is the absolute best.
- Chocolate peanut butter protein powder – KOS makes some of the BEST tasting vegan protein I have tried to date. This one is pea, flex, quinoa, pumpkin and chia based with coconut milk, vegetable blend and a digestive enzyme blend. Zero artificial flavors or fillers, not chalky, and a genuinely authentic chocolate PB taste.
- Dandy blend
- Raw cacao
- Bee pollen
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom
- Pure vanilla extract
