Life in the big city of Santa Monica is generally a stroll from one yoga place to a Pilates gym (they are different, I swear!) and then off to the beach to enjoy a beautiful sunset. Perhaps we get our nails done at any of the multitude of nail salons on Main Street or stop for a coffee (decaf non-fat latte with soy milk) or get a "shot" at a juice bar (wheatgrass with extra arugula, please) on our way to get a colonic.
There are any number of health and wellness spots in this city, for any number of adherents to the latest trends, fads and 'final answers' to long life and a healthy body. We have chakra healers, nutritionists — both macrobiotic and "normal," body workers (not masseuses mind you — those are different) and just drop in to a Chamber of Commerce meeting and you are sure to meet at least one Reiki master. I don't know what a Reiki master is, but I've got a lot of cards for them if I ever need one.
But in the latest mashup of healthy living trends we have a new entry with some significant dollars behind their marketing and messaging. Bulletproof Coffee shop is opening soon, rumor has it as soon as next week. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a VIP reception to sample their wares and chat with the management about what the buzz is about.
The party started at 6 p.m. and there were already many people lined up to sample the magic elixir known as Bulletproof coffee. This is a mashup of coffee and butter, which at first blush I was kinda like, "Really? Butter in my coffee?" I had visions of an oil slick somewhat akin to the Deepwater Horizon debacle.
Not to worry, as well-coifed cater waiters dressed in black slid across the room with sample shots it looked like a mini-cappuccino with a dash of foam on top. Always up for something new food wise, I tipped the coffee back, fully expecting to get a mouth of oil and bitterness, but no, what I found was smooth coffee flavor.
"The coffee is blended with the butter to form an emulsion that leads to a greater micellization of the caffeine which leads to a smoother buzz and the micellization helps with the … " said Samir Malik, assistant manager. He lost me at micellization, or it could have been his really sexy eyes, I'm not sure which. But we ended up chatting for a while about the store, integral philosopher Ken Wilber, and the story of Dave Asprey who founded the Bulletproof brand.
"Our coffee is higher quality controlled and because we don't have the micro-toxins that other producers have, we end up with a better product that is healthier and provides a more balanced buzz," Malik continued. I didn't really care about micro-toxins since I have no idea what they are, but he was so fun to talk to I just wanted the conversation to continue.
As the cater waiters were making their rounds with canapés on wooden spoons we sampled a few of the items, I asked if they were going to be on the lunch menu, Malik said, "No these are just based on the principles of Bulletproof nutrition." Turns out there is an entire food grid that Asprey has worked out for what is good, bad and horrible for you. If you want to know what to eat, there's a giant sign on the wall that outlines it all in color-coded format, and the room lighting is coordinated with the time of day to match a person's circadian rhythm.
Asprey comes from a tech background and decided to attack the health and wellness world with a unique approach, he's a "bio-hacker" now, and while I can't say that he's right, I can say his coffee was delicious. It started from the Yak Butter tea Asprey had while on vacation which lead him to his new lifestyle company. The Yak Butter has higher omega-3s and somethingsomething else, but the point is that this is not just any old butter, and neither is the butter that Bulletproof will be using. It comes from grass-fed cattle and is closer to the Yak Butter for the added Omega-3s.
I'm not a total health nut freak, but I'm getting there. I enjoyed the party, liked the coffee, and will definitely be dropping in again to Bulletproof Coffee if only to see if Samir can seamlessly work micellization into another conversation.
David Pisarra is a Los Angeles divorce and child custody lawyer specializing in fathers' and men's rights with the Santa Monica firm of Pisarra & Grist. He welcomes your questions and comments. He can be reached at dpisarra@pisarra.com or (310) 664-9969. You can follow him on Twitter @davidpisarra.
