Morning Hot Beverage Love

I get a lot of questions about my morning coffee and thought I’d write a post on it. I’m also sharing a few more of my favorite morning beverages and the brands of this or that I use because #triedtestedtrue and the specifics make all the difference. All products I mention, as there are several, are linked in my Amazon shop in one spot. Links to shop at the bottom of this post. The major player I share near the end, and that is my beloved Gangster Chic Simply Inulin. Read on

A morning beverage is literally step one to starting your day off right in morning ritual. As an intuitive eater I rotate-in whatever I’m feeling in the moment on the beverage front. For a period of time this was hot water and lemon. At another point in time I was on the Bulletproof Coffee train. Last year I literally couldn’t digest coffee so I was on the Earl Grey Tea or Chai Tea plus cream wagon. Present day I’m back to my beloved and specific coffee (with slight variations on the daily) as shared below.

First things first: coffee bean quality & flavor.

Quality of coffee matters just like cheese, wine, and anything that bears a flavor profile. Flavor can and does make all the difference, trust me. I’ll share more on my coffee obsession break-down in flavor in a separate post and leave you with this regarding the type of notes, flavor profile and how the beans are roast.

My preference is a dark roast with hints of caramel or vanilla. A touch of chocolate is okay if not dominant. Fruit I’m not into. Think about the flavor notes of coffee similar to the flavor note of perfume. Some will be top notes, others bottom; together they are a blend. I.e. what flavor (note) will hit you first and what will be the aftertaste. If you don’t like coffee and never have, it might just be that you’re drinking something you haven’t liked! Coffee can taste too strong, weak, sweet, sour or burned. Ensure you do a little trial and error on this front because the right blend can be so freaking satisfying in flavor profile and experience enjoying it.

For my fave to-go coffee that a “chain”, it’s McDonald’s, believe it or not. I’m not pro Starbucks in a coffee shop. I do like their Verona beans which I do use at home a lot. I love Cafe Artigiano’s Private Reserve Espresso. So many of the independent’s are incredible; too many to name! One of my favorite places to shop for coffee beans is the ferry building in San Fransisco. And, my favorite coffee of all time might just have to be the Irish Coffee in San Fransisco at the Buena Vista Cafe. So good. There’s heavy cream in it, and Irish Whiskey. You’ve been warned.

Second: how the coffee is made.

Here too, there are no wrong answers there are only difference. I have a coffee maker (built-in at the moment) hence beans are ground on command which I love. In the past I’ve loved the Nespresso Machine, and sold standalone as well, the Nespresso frothier if you’re into purchasing the frothier separately from the machine duo.

I also own a Dehlongi coffee maker and bean grinder. Both work, they’re just a bit more manual in experience. A french press is great, also. Gives you a bit more of an oily-taste to your coffee. I’m over it at the moment, though it’s super handy especially if you’re travelling or staying somewhere longer term and want your own coffee. I have a Bodum. You’ll need ground beans for the french press and this is where this incredible bean grinder will come in handy. You can either buy pre-ground beans or at many coffee shops if purchasing beans there, they’ll grind them for you.

Third: the specifics that make the coffee pleasurably yours.

The coffee itself is step one. What you add to the coffee make it pleasurably yours is totally up to you. I love an espresso straight up with a crema on top. I drink black coffee. I also love coffee and cream. I don’t like over the top sweet, though I do like a small hit of sweet in flavor. I am totally pro real, sugar-free whipped cream! Bring it. Below are some of my favorites for creating a morning beverage you love to cozy up to:

• Ceylon Cinnamon (cinnamon is great for digestion)
• The Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice blend available via Amazon (festive for fall, it’s basically a combo of cinnamon and nutmeg though nice to hav pre-mixed).
• Liquid Stevia. Love the toffee or hazelnut flavor. Also dig the vanilla just currently over it. My favorite brand is linked at the end of this post.
• Powdered creamer. I really like Vital Protein’s Vanilla Collagen Creamer.
• Actual heavy cream without preservatives. Make it whipped!
• Make your own nut mylk. If you’re into nut mylk (milk?) and not about to make it, just mind your labels and read them.
  • **Note on preservatives: there are a lot of extra preservatives in many of the pre-made nut beverages and you know what an abundance of preservatives do? They give you that “hard gut”.  Preservatives aren’t easily broken down in the body. I rid my nutrition of as many as possible in 2010 and have experienced a WORLD of change since, in the best way possible. 

Fourth: how the coffee is consumed.

Take time for yourself and create this time as a ritual. Allow yourself to taste your coffee – even if that’s 5 minutes because you have 101 other things and people to tend to upon opening your eyes. Give thanks for all that is and all that gets to be. BE specific about what you want your day to look like. I’ll share more on this in another post but for now – what you get to keep in mind is YOU. Consume your morning beverage in peace and set the tone for the day. I swear this time with yourself each morning in sacred ritual, thanks and decision/prep for the day ahead will change your life. The little things are the big things. You know this. xo

Other morning beverages that are hot and delicious in rotation:

• Early grey tea latte. Boil a hot cup of water (I like an extra large mug). Steep your tea, one tea bag will do. This brand is the best for this particular flavor of tea. Take a deep breath in of the tea bag once you open it and you’ll feel like you’re literally smelling in tea-royalty. It’s that good. As soon as water and tea bag are combined, pop in some cream if you’re into it. I loved using Vital Protein’s Vanilla Collagen Cream (powder form). I order mine from Thrive Market online.
• Chai tea latte. Boil water and add tea bag same as the early grey. I like to add two tea bags for my chai because I like it extra spicy and strong. Next up same thing, add in Vital Protein’s Vanilla Collagen Creamer and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Cinnamon is great for the metabolism. This is my fave brand of Chai tea. Trust me, I’ve tried nearly all of them. Brands that make a chai, that is.
• Mushroom tea. There was a time I was into an Ashwaganda morning beverage. That time has passed, lol. I loved the effects ~ incredible cognition whilst on this beverage, though the beverage itself, no matter what I did, tasted like dirt! 😛
• Bulletproof coffee. I used to french press 1 1/2cups of coffee and blend in my Vitamix the brewed coffee, 1 tbsp (free pour) of Brain Octane Oil, and 1 tbsp grass fed butter. So freaking good. I’d usually add a few drops of liquid vanilla stevia too (brand I love linked @ very end of post).

Current Morning Coffee Varietals

My blessed inulin coffee.

How to prep: I microwave (yep, this is the one thing I microwave) a generous splash of cream for 40 seconds. This way the cup is preheated before the coffee hits it. Then, add 1 cup of Americano coffee (brewed in my built-in). Once coffee and cream are in the cup I’ll pop in 3 teaspoons of Ingrid’s Gangster Chic Simply Inulin. This is the only brand I trust! You order it direct from Ingrid here OR find a dealer (can be found on her site wherever you are local to). Along with the inulin, I dash Ceylon cinnamon with a pretty heavy hand and add a few drops of hazelnut liquid stevia.

**Note: Simply Gangster Chic inulin is finely-milled and ultra high quality. It makes ALL the difference. Inulin is made of Jerusalem Root and is a naturally soluble fibre which, helps both keep you full and aid in digestion. I love it and have been using it daily for nearly 4 months now. Obsessed!

Variation to beverage if in inulin deficit: Add 1 scoop of collagen to your coffee instead and it will give you a bit of a thicker profile, similar to, but no where near close to my fave inulin. Collagen is incredible for hair/skin/nails, so if you’re missing it from your diet, get after it. I like to ingest my collagen with hot water at the end of the day, straight up.

Product links (all in one spot):

• Simply Gangster Chic’s Simple Inulin: http://thepilatemethod.com/shop.html
• USA: https://amzn.to/2Re9A3Y
• Canada: https://amzn.to/34hhGhw