Bulletproof Coffee shop -- and its ‘butter coffee’ -- coming soon to Santa Monica

Would you like one pat of butter in your coffee, or two?

Bulletproof Coffee shop and cafe is opening soon -- date to be determined -- at 3110 Main St. in Santa Monica. Owner Dave Asprey and his crew were in the space Thursday to oversee some finishing touches, including training on the new coffee brewing equipment and moving furniture in anticipation of what is being billed as a Tuesday “opening celebration.”

“It’s exciting to see it all coming together,” Asprey said as he hoisted a glass laboratory beaker mug full of what looked like a latte.

In fact, it was a mug of his Internet-famous Bulletproof Coffee, a.k.a. butter coffee, which combines single-origin French press coffee whipped with grass-fed butter and a blast of MCT oil. The result is a rich, bold, frothy coffee drink served in a beaker that claims to keep you fueled and burning fat for hours. (At first sip you’d never guess it’s butter.)

For the uninitiated, Bulletproof Coffee was popularized by Asprey on his website, Bulletproof Executive. The online platform revolves around Asprey’s efforts to conduct experiments on his own body and mind and “biohack” his way to optimal health -- or become “bulletproof” to the types of diseases and conditions that afflict many Americans.

Asprey’s efforts led him to lose more than 60 pounds of fat, he said, and became the groundwork for his new book, the “Bulletproof Diet.” One of the tenants of the Bulletproof way of eating is to consume a diet higher in fat. (Asprey says health fats, such as avocados, make up close to 50% of his dietary intake!)

Which is where Bulletproof Coffee comes in.

In addition to coffees, teas and other beverages, the cafe will serve salads, veggie cups with dips, an ever-changing array of frittatas and other to-go offerings that support the Bulletproof Diet. (Tacos, for example, are made with a cross-section slice of jicama subbing in for the tortilla and topped with grass-fed beef, cabbage and avocado slices.)

Eating more fat is gaining popularity in some circles, but it’s counterintuitive to many. And Bulletproof Coffee certainly has its critics.

Registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Lori Zanini, who is also the spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, questioned the wisdom of starting out the day by replacing breakfast with a calorie-laden coffee beverage. “It’s devoid of nutrition,” she said.

But Asprey challenged critics to try it.

“It turns off your sugar cravings,” he said, “and it helps put your body in fat-burning mode to start the day.”

Asprey said he has optimized the interior of the cafe for health, as well as the menu. Among the features: chairs that emit pulses designed to stimulate blood flow and stem cells. Guests will be encouraged to step aboard a whole body vibration plate that will make your teeth rattle even as it gives your muscles, tendons and ligaments a workout. Lighting will help regulate circadian rhythms.

Have you tried Bulletproof Coffee? What do you think about this new trend?

On Twitter @renelynch