The first time I learned about biohacking was early in 2020, just before the world stood still to watch a pandemic turn everyone's lives upside down. I was just beginning to explore the wellness space when I came face to face with my first cup of Bulletproof Coffee. It was strangely delicious and creamy for something that was supposed to be healthy. Created by renowned biohacker Dave Asprey, this potent combination of coffee, butter, and MCT Oil held the promise of sustained energy, mental clarity, and weight loss. Like countless others eager to explore new ways to optimize health, my pantry was immediately stocked with MCT Oil and Bulletproof Keto Creamer.
When biohacking with coffee, it is important to use clean, good quality beans. Many of the commercial grade coffees available in the market today are laced with mycotoxins, pesticides, molds, and harmful chemicals that compromise kidney, brain, immune, and digestive function. Of course, buying beans fresh from the source might sound like a good idea. In truth, it is unrealistic for most of us who barely even have time to clean our espresso machines at home. Balance Coffee's founder, James Bellis, recognized this gap in the wellness space and endeavored to sift through all the coffee producers around the world to bring consumers only the most nutritious brews.
The founder's passion for providing clean, healthy coffee was a result of his very own battle with fatigue, low energy levels, and brain fog. On his website, James writes: "In my past life, I was fully immersed in London's food and drink scene, running Eating in London, a hospitality platform dedicated to reviewing the best restaurants. I lived a hedonistic lifestyle, dining and drinking almost nightly -- six, sometimes seven nights a week. It was exhilarating, but it took a toll. My energy, focus, and health started to crumble under the weight of indulgence. It was this intense period that eventually led me to seek balance."
James began to explore the world of biohacking including the many wellness benefits of functional mushrooms. This would later inspire him to combine his love for coffee with tools for optimizing health.
As a connoisseur of brews, James understood that all across the globe, people were consistently sipping commercial grade coffees laced with harmful chemicals, pesticides and toxins. He then made it his personal mission to build a lifestyle brand that would serve only the cleanest and healthiest coffees. Since it launched in 2020, Balance Coffee has led the conversation on healthy brews and helped to uncover the truths behind poor quality beans. The brand also walks the talk, sourcing only from the top 5% of the world's speciality grade coffee farms. More than organic coffee variants, Balance Coffee focuses on meticulous sourcing, testing, as well as roasting.
He shares, "What makes Balance Coffee different is not just our mould, mycotoxin and pesticide free coffee, but the fact we purchase speciality grade (better than organic) and roast our coffee for maximum antioxidant levels." The brand combines liquid mushroom elixirs like Lion's Mane, Chaga, Reishi, Cordyceps or Turkey Tail into the coffees to enhance their health and energy-giving benefits. "Imagine a super charged brew, brimming with polysaccharides and beta glucans and a whole host of other beneficial compounds supporting wellbeing."
James expounds, "Our quality and control measures are second to none. After working within the heart of the specialty coffee industry for the majority of my professional career (13+ years), quality and efficacy are ingrained within our ethos at Balance Coffee. Frequent farm visits to origin to monitor farming standards, bean quality and health checks throughout the coffee process is vital to our safety measures." Balance Coffee's claims are also backed by a third party testing facility.
The wellness-first coffee brand boasts superior health benefits, matched by exceptional flavors. Its best-selling Stability Blend, for instance, brings together the flavor profiles of chocolate and nuts. It is a combination of two medium-roasted origins from Chiapas in Mexico and the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda. The website also discloses the exact farms, altitude, and process involved in creating this blend, which ensures that every sip is packed with nutrition and wellness benefits. The same level of transparency and attention to detail is given to all the hero products including Level Up and Darkfire Energy.
According to James, Balance Coffee is fresher than fresh. "We roast and ship within 24 to 48 hours. By the time the coffee arrives at our customer's door, it's perfectly rested and ready for drinking at the optimum moment for the best taste." He advises consuming their coffee within four weeks from the roast date.
One of James' favorite biohacking tools harnesses coffee and functional mushrooms for maintained energy, focus, and clarity. Balance Coffee's Lion's Mane Blend does just that as it combines adaptogenic mushrooms to freshly roasted ground coffee. More recently, the brand has also launched a range of Mushroom Elixirs that allow consumers to create their very own wellness blend. The team writes, "Balance Coffee's innovative liquid elixirs allow their health-conscious community to simply add a few drops into their coffee, whilst at home, or from their favorite barista café. This ensures they can preserve the taste of their preferred brew without altering the desired texture or taste and welcome the wellbeing benefits of functional mushrooms."
At the beginning of every year, I always make a mental list of the better choices and healthier shifts I hope to make in the next 365 days. In the last four years, I've managed to kick the nastiest addictions-nicotine, alcohol, and toxic company. Sleeping patterns have drastically improved, moving bed time to 10PM and waking hour to 6AM. One thing I've learned throughout my wellness journey is that it's in the small things, done consistently, that we create personal growth.
A warm cup of coffee continues to be the most important part of my morning. And while it is not necessarily unhealthy, I now know there are ways to make the daily cuppa more beneficial to well-being and overall performance. James Bellis, biohacker and founder of Balance Coffee recommends, "Brew up a Balance Coffee using your favorite brewing method, then add MCT Oil (M8 Pure) derived from coconut oil not palm oil. Add Lion's Mane and Chaga Liquid Mushroom Elixir for an immediate brain boosting buzz and spark of creativity."