Bulletproof Coffee at Bungkus, Empire Damansara: Snapshot

Bulletproof coffee is not on Bungkus’ official menu, but this is one of the few venues in the Klang Valley that will help prepare it by request (though call ahead in advance to confirm) – with a caveat. Customers must bring their own coconut oil (preferably extra virgin), which the café will blend with its organic coffee (cultivated in a Thai mountain region) and butter (from grass-fed cows’ milk).

“You must use very good butter, but the recipe only requires a very thin slice of butter,” barista Pearl Banaga explains. The other components are 90 ml of coffee and 40 ml of coconut oil. A cup of bulletproof coffee is sold at RM13.80, compared to RM11.90 for a regular latte.

Bungkus’ interpretation of bulletproof coffee tastes very rich, with fatty, savoury dimensions from the butter. “I know some people are curious about bulletproof coffee,” Banaga says. “When they sniff it, they think they’ll like it, because it’s quite aromatic.

But in my experience, after they’ve tried it once, they often won’t have it any more.” While Bungkus does not aggressively promote the availability of the beverage, Banaga feels it could potentially be targeted at customers who work long hours and want a strong boost. Claims that it can improve the metabolism could also appeal to gym-goers, she adds.