I hope you’re ready to take your hot drink choices to the next level. Gone are the days of merely drinking it for a bit of a caffeine boost to get your energy going for the day or that next task. Now’s the time for you to upgrade to something that will boost your mental and physical capabilities.
What is this magical drink I’m referring to? These are the adaptogenic coffees from London Nootropics.
Prior to me first trying their drinks, I was a tea drinking purist and wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was the last person to think that I would become a coffee drinker. That was until a family member introduced me to London Nootropics and their adaptogenic coffees, changing things immediately.
As a huge fan of their drinks now, I thought it was only fair for me to share this knowledge with you so you can take that step up that you need to in your hot drinks game and “find your flow”. You’re about to unlock your own next level.
These aren’t just coffee. Oh no, it’s coffee blended with nootropics and adaptogens.
Read on and I’ll take you through what these two words mean, what they do for you, what each blend will unlock in your physiology and why they are better than your regular go to. As I’m all for maximising your health, I have included some health tips around your caffeine intake and if you make it to the end, you may find a reward too.
What Is An Adaptogen?
Used for hundreds, if not thousands of years when you look at their use in Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine but now are a more common inclusion in food, drinks and supplements but what are they and what do they do inside the body?
Though they have been used for so long, the term “adaptogen” originates from the 1940s and covers herbs and plants that have the following effects on the body (Food Revolution Network, 2020):
- A non-specific effect within our bodies against a wide array of physical, chemical and biological stressors.
- Do not cause harm or damage to normal function of the physiology.
- Support homeostasis within our physiology by combating stressors on the body, giving it the capacity to heal itself.
What Is A Nootropic?
You may have heard the term “nootropic” also being used by a variety of companies but not actually know what they are. It’s all well and good a company using a new, exciting term when talking about their ingredients but it’s not ideal when you don’t know what they are.
Fear not, as I’m about to teach you something new about what a nootropic is. It was a term coined in 1972 and is a substance that fits the following criteria (Nootropics.com):
- Enhance memory and learning ability
- Help brain function under disruptive conditions
- Protect the brain from harmful chemical damage
- Improve neuronal firing mechanisms
- Lack any sedative, stimulant or toxic effects.
Synergy of Adaptogens & Coffee
When brought together, adaptogens and caffeine compliment each other nicely. Most of us have experienced the boost of alertness and attention that we have from caffeine, whilst stopping us from feeling tired. However, some of us do get that unpleasant feeling of anxiety and can become jittery. Thankfully, adaptogens can help balance our cortisol levels that cause this feeling, leaving us to get the most from the caffeine we’ve had. Another bonus of the added adaptogens is that it can ease the post coffee crash some feel!
Who Are London Nootropics?
In a world of so many different coffee companies of all different types, roasts and additional ingredients, especially in this area, it can be hard for you to distinguish who’s reputable and who isn’t. Which drinks are the real deal and who are just overpriced powders. Let me alleviate this for you when it comes to the guys at London Nootropics.
I have had the pleasure of of meeting Zain in person in 2022 and from the off, I could tell that he was a passionate individual about the product that he and his business partner Shez create and provide to the consumer. Since then, all the interactions I’ve had with the company, mostly through him, have been genuine, thoughtful and have shown that they care.
Tie that in with the felt positives when drinking their products, which I’ll get on to soon, it was the perfect blend (pardon the pun!).
For further reference of character and their vision, you can check out both their “About Us” on their website, as well as their appearance on Dragon’s Den.
London Nootropics vs Other Coffees
Comparing their drinks to others, for me it’s a clear winner. I realise that everyone’s physiology is unique and they will react in their own way however, I can report on some common themes that I’ve seen within myself and what others have said.
The first thing you’re going to notice is the taste and wow, these do taste great! They’ve yet to be beaten for me! No bitter after taste, smooth and no acidic taste either. They really do taste awesome!
From my own personal experience, when I’ve drank other coffees, typically your usual brands on the high street, I have found that they affect me very differently. Depending on the frequency, what I’ve recently eaten or my overall state, I can get any one of or a number of the following:
- Lump in my stomach area
- Acid reflux or overly acidic feeling in the stomach area
- Jitters
- A feeling of “empty” energy
- A sense of being ungrounded
- What I can only explain as a direct negative impact on my adrenals
This may be something that would be reduced if I didn’t have it as an Americano or had higher quality coffee, as thinking about when I’ve paid that extra amount, I’ve not had this as much. However, this is a general rule of thumb.
Whereas, when I’ve drank London Nootropics, I’ve not had any of the above symptoms at all. My experiences have been backed up by other individuals who usually react badly to coffee saying that they don’t get the same jitters, stomach upsets and the increase in anxiousness. So if this is something that you really have to consider when selecting a hot beverage, this is all good news for you!
What Each Drink Offers
Now you know all about the company and what these types of ingredients do for you, the only thing left to do is to take you through each of the blends, what is in each one and how they will affect you.
Flow
A coffee blended with Lion’s Mane and Rhodiola. This will help you take your productivity to the next level by enhancing your focus, reduce brain fog and procrastination, whilst also improving both short and long-term memory. All this whilst having the potential of improving your overall brain health.
Mojo
This coffee is with Siberian Ginseng and Cordyceps. When you need that pick me up to return you to your best. Supporting your energy and stamina, these active ingredients will give you a full and holistic boost to get you firing on all cylinders, all whilst improving your immune system and giving you a strong dose of antioxidants.
Zen
A coffee with the addition of Ashwagandha and CBD. For those intense days and you needing that “ahhh” moment. The active ingredients in this blend will alleviate those mental and physical stressors and anxiety affecting you, returning you to a state of calm, allowing you to do your best work. With the coffee added, you’ll be feeling alert but calm.
What Others Have Said
Now, it would be very easy for me to sit here and tell you how great they are and hope that you just take my word for it. Thankfully for you (and I), I have a few reviews to share with you from others that have tried them out too.
After reading this blog and knowing that you’re going to want to try their drinks, I have good news for you. If you head over to London Nootropics, you can grab a selection box and get yourself four of each blend, perfect to sample what’s on offer and share with friends or colleagues. Apply the code “quilty” at check out and get yourself 15% off, making it just over £1 per serving. When you compare that to your daily Costa, Pret or Starbucks, that’s a bargain especially considering all the health boosting benefits!
My Healthy Coffee Drinking Tips
The last thing that I’ll add here is to remind you to enjoy your coffee responsibly, giving you my top tips on how to do this. As great a these adaptogenic coffees are, too much of a good thing can be bad for you. Over doing coffee can have a seriously negative affect on your sleep, leaving you in an “energy debt”. You may be tempted to stimulate yourself through this with something like more coffee, which wouldn’t be wise and may lead to burning out you and your adrenals.
My top tips are:
- No coffee after 1400 – the half life of caffeine is 5-7 hours depending on how quickly you metabolise it. This means that if you’re having a coffee (80-110mg) at 1500, you will still have 40-55mg (roughly 1 cup of tea to 1 espresso’s worth of caffeine) in your system at 2200, which for most is roughly bedtime. This is will negatively impact your sleep depth and quality.
- Only 1 a day (occasionally up to 2 may be OK) – My last point doesn’t mean that you can have a free for all on as many cups prior to this time. Caffeine is accumulative in your system and though you may have had 3 cups by lunch, that’s 240-330mg in your system which reduces to 120-165mg by 3-5pm, and then 60-82.5mg by 8-10pm. That’s like drinking 1.5 cups of tea to 1.5 espressos as you’re going to bed. Again, not great for your sleep.
- Other negatives from over consumption – It’s not just the caffeine but coffee can have negative effects on your gut health, giving you acid reflux for example, so making sure that you don’t overdo it will ensure you don’t end up feeling in a state of dis-ease.
- Take regular breaks – Building up a tolerance isn’t a good thing and actually may lead you down a road of continuously impacting your health negatively as you try to ramp up stimulants to just be able to feel something. This is why I recommend you take regular breaks from caffeine and conduct a detox. Unsure if you’re someone who needs it, you can read my post here about detoxing and find out what signs you may have telling you to detox.
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