Picnik Butter Coffee

Okay... I'm a total hipster about a lot of Austin things.  

Small bands that I'd fawn over in high school that got big 1-3 years after I'd memorized their debut albums (looking at you, Walk the Moon, Imagine Dragons, and Fun.)  

Blues on the Green before anyone realized it was free.  

Zilker Park before they charged parking fees on weekends and holidays.

One of those things also happens to be Picnik.

If you don't know, or don't already follow their Instagram (which is impressively popular for a restaurant), they're the only 100% paleo restaurant in Austin that started as a food truck on South Lamar.  

If I'm not mistaken, they're one of the first all-paleo restaurants in the world and possibly the very first in the U.S.

Anyway, I've been going there since I "went paleo" almost 3 years ago, before the brick-and-mortar full restaurant was even a thought & before they'd ever imagined launching a product.  

That trailer had been around 2 years before I'd discovered it.  

Needless to say, it has become an Austin gem with the growth of our awesome city, and I can't imagine a company more deserving.

So... what's this product they've launched?

Well, if you check out Picnik's story on their site, they'll tell you they're "famous for their butter coffee."  

And that's super true: the thing the trailer has always had is coffee, but no room for cream is needed.  

They blend grass-fed butter, superfood MCT oil (derived from coconuts), and a host of other powerhouse ingredients as you see fit to make the softest, most delectable coffee you've ever tasted.  

It's not weird, trust me.  

So Naomi, the owner of this wonderful establishment, finally figured out a way to bottle it up and ship it to the rest of the country for all to enjoy!  

I really don't know how she figured it out.  It's honestly straight wizardry, if you ask me.  Seriously.  

Just making cold butter coffee is hard enough to hack.  But bottled cold butter coffee?  A miracle.

Obviously, I got ahold of a few bottles so I can shout the news of them from the rooftops.  And give y'all an honest review of what I think of each flavor!  

Let's get to it.

Mocha Latte

This is the flavor I've honestly never had from the trailer or the restaurant, because I'm such a chai fiend.  

I have had a spinoff of this before that's offered exclusively at the restaurant (Mayan Mocha... just as delish as it sounds) so of course this was the first one I ripped open when I got my review bottles.

The first thing I remember thinking when I tasted it was, "what's that familiar flavor?"  

This was followed quickly by a realization that somehow, there's a hint of a caramel to this.  I don't know if that's intentional.  But it's there and definitely a fun surprise.  

I'm a black coffee lover, so I'm glad the coffee flavor isn't completely lost in this.  

But I've also honestly never made my coffee intentionally sweet, so this one actually goes a bit too far for me.  Something about my black soul, I guess.  

While still highly enjoyable, I wouldn't have made my own as sweet as this if I'd created the recipe.

If you're a fan of sweeter coffee - start with this one.

Rating: 7/10

Ingredients: Organic Coffee Concentrate (Water, Coffee), Organic Maple Syrup, Butter, Whey Protein Concentrate, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Organic Alkalized Cocoa Powder, Organic Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract, Quillaja Extract, Gellan Gum. 

Dirty Chai

While I never get mocha lattes at the trailer, I almost always go for the Dirty Chais.  

I love my coffee.  I love my chai tea.  It makes sense.  

I was a little curious about how I'd like this version of the delicious recipe, since I tend to order them in-person with half the sweetener (read: maple syrup) as would normally go in them.  

However, I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't overwhelmed by the maple sugar used in this bottled version and I happily chugged this flavor into oblivion.  

The coffee is extremely noticeable, with a great balancing out of the chai mixed in.  

I was again reminded of why this is my go-to when buying at the restaurant or trailer.  :)

Go chai or go home.

Rating: 9/10

Ingredients: Organic Coffee Concentrate (Water, Coffee), Organic Maple Syrup, Butter, Whey Protein Concentrate, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Chai Spice Blend (extracts of cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom), Quillaja Extract, Gellan Gum.

Cappuccino

Okay, this flavor sold me.  

I love cappuccinos anyway because I'm a snob about having studied abroad in Florence, Italy (though if you ask me, I "lived in Florence one summer.")  

So, I was super excited about this baby.

To my pleasure, this flavor is delicious and tastes like a classic sweetened cappuccino.  

But here's the thing: it also SOLVES THE SUGAR ISSUE.  

That's right!  This is the low-sugar flavor, with no added sweetener and 4g total carbs (1 of those being sugar).  

THIS FLAVOR HAS MY HEART!  

For my personal taste and sugar intake goals, this is the one I'll be going to every time.

Definitely try these cappuccinos!

Rating: 10/10

Ingredients: Organic Coffee Concentrate (Water, Coffee), Butter, Whey Protein Concentrate, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Quillaja Extract, Gellan Gum. 

Final Thoughts on the Bottled Butter Coffee

While I found the flavors all delicious and quite addicting, I am sensitive to sugar and would love to see all of these recipes either switch to lower sweetener or an alternative sweetener (like stevia).  

Or, Picnik could always expand the line to include more low-carb/keto alternatives in addition to the "traditional paleo" ones... hint hint! ;)

Overall delicious.  Just a few issues with the nutrition of the first two flavors.  

Still in love with the company.

If you'd like to buy some butter coffee, grab a sample pack here!

Butter Coffee Creamer

Okay... this was GENIUS on Picnik's part.

Basically, any qualms I had about the above bottled coffees when it came to sugar content is ERASED with the release of this product.

Picnik has managed to put their classic ingredients for the original butter coffee latte into a creamer... that is 0 SUGAR and LOW CALORIE.

Now, I don't like to focus on calories.  Especially with coaching clients, because many people think they're the end-all be-all of dieting.

They're not.  We NEED nutrients, and the proper amount of calories to obtain the right amount & absorb them.

BUT.  Many people who go the "screw calories, count nutrient" route also make the dire mistake of eating too many calories.

When it comes to supplemental things like butter coffee, it's easy to shoot yourself in the foot by drinking far too much for the amount of energy you expend.

And when it comes to weight loss, a calorie deficit IS needed to cause fat loss.

So... this stuff changes the game.  Because 1 tablespoon of it is only 15 calories.

In the "original" butter coffee recipe, as made popular by The Bulletproof Diet, you mix 2 tablespoons of MCT oil and 2 tablespoons of butter.

When 1 tablespoon of MCT oil is 120 calories, and 1 tablespoon of butter has 100 calories, you've suddenly got a 440 calorie drink.

This works for people who are good at burning fat, and therefore feel full enough to skip a meal because they've had some butter coffee.

But the reality of most people beginning a weight loss journey is that their bodies are NOT good at burning fat, so they will NOT feel full after butter coffee alone. 

So they'll eat 3 meals a day, plus the butter coffee, and end up 440 calories (or more) over their daily calorie burn.

And if you're over on your daily calorie burn, you're not losing weight. 

By making a butter coffee creamer that gets you the benefits of some MCT oil, some protein, and some quality butter - WITHOUT the calories or junk usually in the low-calorie stuff - you're getting the best of both worlds.

Nutrients AND low calorie.

Not to mention the fact it's delicious and doesn't require a blender to make the beautiful invention of butter coffee.

If you've been wanting to try butter coffee, or even switch out your nasty creamer... buy this stuff.  You'll feel so much better for it.