A little over a month ago I cut back on my caffeine intake. I was drinking up to 3 cups of coffee a day and relied on it for a "boost." As much as I LOVE the taste of coffee, I knew that my tolerance was increasing, that I was becoming reliant on it and most importantly that it was making me anxious and jittery (although I tried not to admit this for so long). I think that during times of low stress, it's fine but during times of high stress, such as at work, it definitely doesn't help. I was also inspired by my fiance, Bryan, who did a "dry Feb" and quit both coffee and alcohol successfully for the month.

How I cut back: I started drinking two new forms of (less or different) caffeine.

Foursigmatic's Mushroom Coffee: (yes - I'm obsessed with these medicinal mushrooms - I know!). This allows me to still have the taste of coffee but with much less caffeine (one serving has 40mg as opposed to 100-140mg in a normal cup of coffee) and also with the added benefits of either chaga or cordyceps
Matcha: I've always drank matcha as a once in awhile thing. In the midst of my caffeine cutback, my coworker brought me to Ippodo Cafe, a little underground hidden matcha gem near our office, where they actually make the matcha with the whole ceremony (sifting, whisking, etc.) right there in front of you. The guy working there could see that I was fascinated by this matcha making process so he let me make my own (teaching my all the tips and tricks) and also explained to me how the caffeine in matcha is either less than or the same amount as coffee but that it's a different source of caffeine and has a different effect on you (you can see some of my matcha making on Insta here). After whipping up a delicious latte, I started to drink more matcha and paid close attention to how it made me feel. The results: I felt caffeinated (alert, focused and just GOOD in general) but without the jitters. So I became obsessed with both the feeling and the taste.

What happened next: I switched over to drinking mostly just matcha. My schedule now for the most part is matcha in the morning during the week and then bulletproof mushroom coffee on the weekends (sometimes I'll swap in a mushroom coffee during the week and matcha on the weekend depending on what my body is craving) but for the most part it's all matcha. I searched high and low for my own matcha ceremony kit (the ceremony is the process of making it). They seemed to be pretty pricey but I found this one below on Amazon Prime which included all the tools I used at Ippodo (sifter, whisk, whisk stand, bamboo stick) and I'm very happy with it.

UMAMI MATCHA Traditional Tea Set | Bamboo Whisk & Scoop | Stainless Steel Sifter | Ceramic Blue Whisk Holder | Best Authentic Accessories For Japanese Green Tea Ceremony Buy on Amazon

A little background on the whole bulletproof thing: Bulletproof is a diet created by Dave Asprey (more information here). Most popularly known is his bulletproof coffee which is high quality coffee + grass-fed butter or ghee + MCT oil (100% coconut oil) to help increase energy and focus, support digestion and immune function and decrease food cravings. The idea here is that you are adding quality fats for fuel without a crash. Whether bulletproof actually does ALL of these things or not, I don't know, but I do know that I love the taste, I feel great after making my bulletproof mushroom coffees and I do feel alert. So I decided that since I was cutting back on coffee, I was going to have to make other things bulletproof and that is when bulletproof matcha was born.

INGREDIENTS

2 bamboo scoops (or 1 teaspoon) of Harney & Sons Senjunomukashi or Jobetsugi Matcha or - use code "lexsentials" at checkout for 15% off)
6 oz. boiling water
1/2 cup unsweetened almond mylk (can be substituted for milk of choice - coconut, hemp, etc.)
Bulletproof ingredients (does not have to be added if you prefer traditional matcha) - 1 teaspoon of ghee + 1 teaspoon MCT oil
Optional - Add medicinal mushrooms (I usually add 1/4 teaspoon of cordyceps or chaga. I get mine from Root & Bones - use code "lexsentials" at checkout for 15% off)

INSTRUCTIONS (Including the tips that I learned at Ippodo)

Scoop matcha into the matcha cup (comes with the sifter)
Pour matcha into sifter over the bowl
- TIP: use bamboo stick to push matcha down and tap stick on the sifter if matcha gets stuck)
Pour 4 oz. hot water into bowl
Whisk the matcha
- TIP: grip whisk with four fingers close on top and thumb on the bottom as shown in pictures
- TIP: start at one end of bowl and whisk making an "M" shape to the other side of the bowl and then back and forth
- TIP: the quicker you whisk the less you will spill out of the bowl
- TIP: it's all about the wrist - keep the arm straight
- TIP: whisk until the matcha starts to foam but not for too long
- TIP: try not to let the whisk touch the bottom of the bowl
To make it bulletproof: add ghee, MCT oil and mylk to the bowl and then blend in a blender for a few seconds. After blending, add in remaining 2 oz. boiling water and reblend (this keeps it hot). If you choose not to make it bulletproof you can just add mylk without blending.
- TIP: Cleaning: clean sifter, whisk and bowl with warm water. Clean bamboo stick with dry napkin or paper towel