Fatty Coffee for Breakfast

You said Ghee. That's OK. In Nepal, they have a drink called Sherpa Tea. It starts with ordinary black tea and hot water. Then they add salt and some yak butter. I did not like it one bit. By the time that I got back to Nepal for my second trip, they seem to have figured out that Yanks don't like Sherpa Tea very much.

Instead, what I drank was Milk Tea. That starts with ordinary black tea and hot water. Then they add some milk, which has all sorts of nutrients. At the time, I believe that they made up the milk from canned evaporated milk, but it probably doesn't matter. Alternatively, you can use yak milk, but that is hard to find unless you are in Nepal or Tibet.

–B.G.–

Just thinking back inside the box for a moment, full-fat milk powder also has decent cal/oz.
And I think there's probably a reason that coffee with milk is more popular than coffee with butter.

You can also put butter in your oatmeal, if you are having that.

I would observe, though, that high fat meals are much more palatable in cold weather.

–MV

"So here's what I'm thinking: hot water, a Via packet, a packet of hot cocoa, and 2-3 tablespoons of Ghee. Put it all in a mug or cup with a sealable lid (like the ever-popular Ziploc Twist 'n' Lock), shake it up and drink it down. The coffee and hot cocoa provide a kick of caffeine and quick-burning carbs, and the butter keeps you going and adds enough calories to replace solid breakfasts."

Somehow, I don't think you're going to like coffee mixed with ghee. If you are a true coffee aficionado, that is. What I would suggest as a possible alternative if your experiment does not turn out satisfactorily is a new product just out from India, Vedic Mix Madras Coffee. It comes in Via like packets, either sweetened or unsweetened, and is a considerable step up from Via or any of the other instant coffees I have tasted, due to its use of Indian coffee, which is not well known in the West but quite excellent. IMO of course. The sweetened version weighs 24 grams/packet and contains 91 calories. The unsweetened version weighs 11 grams, and contains 41 calories. Both use full fat milk.

http://vedicmix.com/product/coffee-sweetend/

It's known as bulletproof coffee, and it seems to be quite the thing now (I'd never heard of it, but did a bit of googling based on Mitchell's post). Google bulletproof coffee and you'll find many articles about it.

This whole discussion makes me wonder whether it would be possible to flavor olive oil to make it more palatable, and then drink a bit from time to time. Might work better in cold weather than in hot weather. Think of it like taking a bit of gorp as you hike — sometimes make that a bit of flavored olive oil instead. Would have great caloric density.

Just a stray thought I had.

–MV

Olive oil is a healthier fat, mostly monounsaturated, and that is desired. Unfortunately, the normal olive oil flavor isn't going to cut it with me, at least not in a beverage. You might check out some of the nut oils.

–B.G.–

[Sorry about the momentary thread hijack…]

My former adventure racing team consulted with a nutritionist who worked with Arctic expeditions, and — for extreme cold weather prolonged activity — she would provide small, individually packaged "doses" of olive oil to be drunk a couple of times per day.

Of course, one's caloric needs, when being active all day in -50F, would be significantly higher than for "normal" hikers.

How about making yourself a morning smoothie with lots of high calorie ingredients (you could add caffeine, too); or just drink a Carnation Instant Breakfast… Probably more palatable than a Western version of Yak Butter Tea.

Ghee and hot milk is nice – well to me anyway. An alternative to ghee with coffee would be coconut oil – solid at room temp and travels well. I have tried this with decaf and it's not bad.

For breakfast I make a drink of powdered coconut milk (also contains a little maltodextrin), whey protein, water, cacao and a small amount of a gluten free porridge type product. This makes for a high fat high protein breakfast.

I think I'd prefer to drink the coffee-cocoa mix without the butter and spread the butter on my pop tarts. :D

After reading a few articles countering the "bulletproof coffee" phenomenon, it sounds like that's not something I'd want to rely on for my morning meal. As a supplement to a "traditional meal," I might go with the coffee-cocoa and 2-3 tbsp of whole milk powder, as suggested by Ralph.

I definitely wouldn't do "bulletproof coffee" as a daily breakfast, but I'm with Skurka when it comes to trail food. Calories are calories. As long as I get enough of those, I'm good to go. I'll worry about holistic nutrition at home.

I've been doing the Carnation Instant Breakfast with instant "coffee" on trail for a couple of years now. The issue I've had with it is that I'm hungry again in an hour or so when moving.

Since I do the same thing for breakfast at home (well, except for using real coffee), and I've run into the same problem on longer training days (I tend to train in the morning and early afternoon, since I work in the evenings), I've taken to adding a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter to my second cup on strenuous days. It helps keep me going if I'm going to be running, biking, or lifting for more than an hour and an half or so.

It's not terrible on the taste, but keeping it mixed each time you take a sip is important; otherwise, you wind up with a peanut butter slurry at the bottom of your mug.

Hope it helps!

Plenty of calories in a couple of these, and the result will actually taste like coffee.

http://www.minimus.biz/Glenview-Farms-Half-n-Half-F07-0124302-0100.aspx

Another option is adding a one ounce packet of coconut oil to oatmeal or whatever hot cereal you might prefer. It also smears well on things like tortillas or crackers. I used to just eat it directly from the packet as part of my evening meal, but eventually got tired of the concentrated dose of fat.

"I think I'd prefer to drink the coffee-cocoa mix without the butter and spread the butter on my pop tarts. :D"

Yeah, I was gonna say more or less the same.

I'd give the coffee+ghee try at home first to see if you like it.

Things are different eating breakfast in your tent at -20F than they are in your kitchen. In my experience, that includes butter in your hot cereal or in your drink.

–MV

Coffee
dark Chocolate Hot chocolate mix
Nido

Don't want to heat it, makes a great cool beverage as well. this is my go to starter up.

"dark Chocolate Hot chocolate mix"

What brand do you use?

"I'd give it the coffee+ghee try at home first to see if you like it."

Yea, I'll definitely do that and report back. Honestly I don't expect the taste to be a problem. Butter makes everything delicious—of all the criticisms this "Bulletproof Coffee" fad has gotten, flavor isn't one of them.

"of all the criticisms this "Bulletproof Coffee" fad has gotten, flavor isn't one of them."

It actually is in some instances. When made with a blender, people seem to like the flavor. But when not, when some people just tried mixing in a shaker or some such, they were less likely to enjoy it.

Tom, Hershey's makes a dark chocolate powder. I'm a dark chocolate fan. They also make a killer dark instant pudding….talk about calories…add cold mint tea and its rocket fuel!

"What brand do you use?"

I have been using swiss miss dark chocolate sensation which I can get locally for 1.25 for 8 packs. However, it had disappeared replaced by a far a "cost optimized" formula that was not nearly as good. the good news is that I found it Wednesday back on the shelves. I bought ten boxes and I am drinking away at my mocha as I type.

I have been playing around with making my own out of Malto and Hersheys Dark Cocoa. (When you live in Chocolatetown USA you have to at least try to use the local product.). Combined with Nido, I am on a quest to make a 500 calorie cup of coffee.

I'm a big fan of Godiva dark chocolate hot cocoa. It's stupid expensive, but tastes the best of any I've tried yet.

Like many of you, I like to add slow burning fat calories to my last meal of the day to fuel my internal furnace when sleeping. One of the things I've done is added butter to my hot chocolate. I thought it tasted great.

Godiva dark chocolate hot cocoa sounds decadent and something I'll need to buy soon.

I drink it daily in my real life, and when I emulsify the butter into it with an immersion blender, it's delicious.

Anyway, Honeville Foods has powdered butter by the #10 can. It's not bad, and could serve the function you're looking for. YMMV!