You guys know I lived in the motherland of truly great coffee for 2 years; Medellín, Colombia, where I had a passionate love affair with the anti-oxidizing dark nectar. I frequently hung out at some of the best cafes in the world there, which served straight black coffee that was as smooth as wine going down, I got quiet hooked on the stuff.
Then I moved to Europe, where I proceeded to have short term relationships with various cities and countries. It would be an understatement to say that I found it a challenge to find coffee in Europe that measured up to the standards that Medellin set so high.
Sometimes I'd find a good cafe (like the place in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine that actually served Bulletproof coffee!) but in a short matter of time, I'd move on to a new town and my search would begin a new.
My search for great coffee was confounded by European's delusional optimism about their own coffee; they are quick to call Starbucks out for the garbage brand it is but woefully unawares that most of the coffee served here is no better. Every trendy young European I met was quick to assure me that I could find truly great coffee in their city, yet they need to dilute and load it up with milk and cream to make it barely palatable.
Now my snobbishness is not just because I can't stomach sub par coffee. As I've become more mindful of how what I consume effects my mood, focus and productivity, I've become more aware of the negative effect that bad coffee has on my day.
I begrudgingly reached the decision that I needed to go off coffee or at least cut back sharply on the stuff - make it a once a week type treat instead of a daily habit. Which turned out to be pretty rough; Caffeine is the second most addictive Nootropic I've become acquainted with. I would quit for a few days and then have some and be disappointed.
However, eventually I discovered an energizing morning cocktail that replaced and effectively assuaged my coffee withdrawals. It consists of...
