Shanghai Bulletproof Coffee.

If you've gotten this far, I assume it means you are ready to try bulletproof coffee. Allow me to explain how I make my own version, which I'll call Shanghai Bulletproof Coffee. "Shanghai" in the name is recognition of the fact that my less precise (and thus more Chinese) preparation strays from Asprey's strict approach, and its how I make it here in Shanghai. Bulletproof coffee is about getting the desired performance boost from your coffee while expending the least amount of time and effort. If at the end of the day, our goal is to reduce decisions and distractions, then getting too caught up in the preparation of your coffee seems counterproductive.

So here are what you'll need bulletproof coffee:

Coffee - To minimize changes to your routine at this point, simply start off by making (or buying) you’re coffee as you normally would at home or the office. I haven't noticed any declines in performance when switching between reputable brands of coffee, so I don't stress if mass market coffee (e.g. Starbucks) is the only coffee available. But in general, I do buy coffee that is as fresh as possible. When buying coffee beans, ask the staff when the beans were roasted or look for a roast date on the packaging. As with any type of food, the more recent the date the better.

Butter - Similar to my experience with bulletproof coffee, I don't notice significant performance differences between brands of butter. So just start off with what's convenient, and then try out various brands until you find what you like best. I usually use unsalted butter, but I've tried using salted butter as well and find that it actually adds some interesting flavor. If all you have in the kitchen is a stick of salted butter, just go with it and adjust later. I typically go with Kerry gold or President Butter, which supposedly come from primarily grass-fed cows and are easy to find in most supermarkets. And if you're lactose intolerant like me, don't worry -- butter contains close to zero lactose so unless you are super sensitive, it is unlikely that you will encounter unpleasant side effects.

Coconut oil - The original bulletproof coffee recipe calls for MCT oil. MCT's, or medium chain triglycerides, are found naturally in foods and are basically fats that can metabolize quickly to provide fuel to your body. I do use MCT oil from time to time, but I prefer to use virgin coconut oil because in addition to being naturally rich in MCT's, virgin coconut oil is also rich in other healthy nutrients. Virgin coconut oil also adds subtle coconut flavor and is easier to find than MCT oil, particularly if you live in China.