|
|
 |
Guest - Not logged in | |||
Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Alpine Start with Benefits Coffee & Tea > Test Report by Morgan Lypka
Coffee with Benefits
Manufacturer:
Alpine Start Expiration
Date: 05/04/2023 (1 of the 3 bags did not have an expiration date listed) Servings:
12 From bag: Coffee with non-dairy creamer, adaptogens and nootropics 1700 mg MCTs (for focus) 100 mg Reishi Mushroom Extract and Vitamins A & D (for immune support) - 1 serving is 50% of daily recommended value of vitamins A and D 110 mg Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract (for mental clarity) 110 mg Caffeine (from coffee)
Additional ingredients: coconut creamer, organic coffee, erythritol
Instructions on bag: add 1 level scoop (16g) to 8-12 oz of
hot water
OBSERVATIONS On the bottom of the bags, ‘Alpine Start’ is defined as one would find a word in a dictionary, with two definitions. One definition was along the lines of being a predawn wakeup to reduce hazards in climbing high altitudes in the wild, and the other being a quick wakeup to climb the metaphorical daily mountain. It does not smell like coffee to me. It’s more of a subtle, mushroom-like smell – I kind of like it, it’s just different. I occasionally make elixirs with different medicinal mushrooms, and found the drink to taste and smell more like those than a cup of coffee. There is also a slight bit of creaminess to the drink when mixed with water, which is nice for me because I never drink coffee black. The product is a fine powder that mixed in very smoothly with hot water. I do usually like to add honey as a sweetener to my coffee as well – with the coffee with benefits, I don’t find it as necessary, but I did try it for the second half of the cup and do prefer it with a little added sugar. I also did find I was actually particularly productive at work the day I had a cup of the coffee with benefits, and I was on little sleep.
Activities: hiking, backcountry camping, front country camping, mountain biking, golfing, bikepacking, road biking, gravel biking, trail running, working at a desk job
Locations: (All in Canada); Columbia and Rocky Mountain Ranges; Magdalen Islands and St. Lawrence River, Quebec; South Saskatchewan (SK) River in SK; East Kootenays, British Columbia
During the testing period, I got through two bags of the coffee, and am excited that I still have one bag to relish. I typically would only have 3/4 of a scoop rather than the full scope of the Alpine Start that is recommended, and only 1 cup a day, as since I’m not a regular coffee drinker I did not want to have too much caffeine. The coffee did seem to enhance focus and alertness. I particularly enjoyed having it before mountain biking, as this is a sport during which I think it’s quite important to be alert. I did also find that it helped me focus during the work day, which typically consists of being on the computer all day. I didn’t do a strict test to monitor differences, but did find that the days I drank the coffee in the morning I was focused and very productive right to the end of the work day. I don’t typically drink coffee every day, and so I don’t have a great comparison of this drink with regular coffee on alert levels. However, I found I could drink Alpine Start coffee on an empty stomach, whereas if I try to start my morning with regular coffee before breakfast, I don’t feel great afterwards. The Alpine Start coffee also had no negative side effects for me, whereas when I drink espresso, I can feel nauseous or get a stomach ache. Since I am more of a latte drinker than a coffee drinker, I typically preferred adding more cream or milk, and a sweetener to the Alpine Start coffee, but still enjoyed it without. I loved having this drink in the backcountry, where it’s not practical to bring milk or cream, as it was a nice creamy, more hearty option compared to just a cup of tea. The coffee with benefits became my preferred drink of choice in the morning, in the backcountry or at home. One of my friend’s equated it to almost having the taste of a mocha without the additional sweetness, which I agree with. I did have one issue with one of the bags that the coffee came in. I took this package of coffee (in its original Alpine Start bag) on a 5 day bikepacking trip. Typically I stuffed the package of coffee into a waterproof sack, which I then stuffed in to one of my panniers, and then biked 40-110 km (25-68 mi) per day, with moderate temperatures. By the end of the trip, the bag was pretty beat up, and then the seal had actually come apart so that I could no longer seal the package. This would’ve happened after I had opened the bag less than 15 times as there was still coffee in it when the seal broke.
Coffee bag taken on bikepacking trip on left, new bag on right
Seal that has peeled off the package
Coffee in mug
All in all I think it is a great product that I would recommend. In my opinion, it comes in a package not suitable for the backcountry.
Pros: - Appealing and subtle taste, and ok to have on an empty stomach - No feeling of nausea or stomach ache as I sometimes get with espresso - Comes with sized scoop for easy serving rations Cons: - Package could be better suited for wear and tear Thank you to backpackgeartesters.com and Alpine Start for this trial. Read more reviews of Alpine Start, Inc. gear Read more gear reviews by Morgan Lypka Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Alpine Start with Benefits Coffee & Tea > Test Report by Morgan Lypka | ||||
