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Come at 3 pm More or less, I need my afternoon pick-me-up. While my heart wants a shot of espresso, my head knows it’s not a good idea this late if I want to pass out at a normal hour. I usually settle for a matcha latte because it has less caffeine.
Then I was introduced to Rarebird Coffee, which allows me to make that afternoon cuppa without it affecting my sleep. But it’s not decaf: Rarebird’s pre-roasted beans contain paraxanthin, which the company calls “Px.” Px is a bit of an enigma, but humans produce it every time we consume caffeine; Caffeine is metabolized by enzymes and then converted to paraxanthine. With a shorter half-life than caffeine, Px is eliminated from the body much faster, so it is unlikely to have a negative impact on sleep as caffeine often does.
In a way, you can think of Px as the middle brother of caffeine and decaf. It provides the alertness we desire thanks to caffeine without the side effects such as the dreaded crashes, jitters and anxiety that often follow. I’m always very skeptical about functional claims like this, but Rarebird works. It is an authentic coffee that respects its tradition and at the same time carefully evolves the ritual.
Java without jitters
Currently, Rarebird comes in two forms: a bag of ground beans (4-ounce, 12-ounce, or 2-pound options) and K-Cup pods, in medium or dark roast (dark roast is only available in 12-ounce bags). Each serving (6 grams of ground coffee or a K-Pod) contains 60 milligrams of paraxanthin. I easily go through about two servings at a time when I drink it in the morning. I tested the grounds by brewing them in a French press at home, but you can brew them as you would any coffee grounds. I’ve been drinking it just to experience the more natural taste of coffee. Px infusion does not affect the flavor. The medium roast works well as a balanced roast with broad appeal and notes of chocolate and citrus. Personally, I like the dark roast best – it has a subtle hint of toasted marshmallow, which is warm and balances the roast nicely. I wouldn’t know this coffee was any different from traditional coffee other than the way it made me feel afterwards.
Photography: Andrew Watman
The company recommends drinking it for at least five days in a row to more fully feel its effects. Honestly, I felt many of the positive effects after my first cup. I felt focused and worked hard, certainly more than I would have if I hadn’t had any coffee, and I felt absolutely none of the jittery, rushed feeling I get with regular coffee. Even if you drink a lot of this, you won’t feel exhausted, but your attention span will likely increase. It’s a strange biohack, but it works. Another plus: I didn’t feel it coursing through my digestive system like a good regular coffee does, if you know what I mean.
Not your average bean
Rarebird Px Coffee was founded by Jeffrey Dietrich, a scientist who earned his PhD at UC Berkeley studying genetic engineering. Its co-founder, AD Andracchio, is also no stranger to launching innovative products on the market: she was part of the team that introduced Burger King’s. Impossible.
The team has a patent pending on “green” Px coffee beans, which are first decaffeinated and then infused with Px before the roasting process. On the other hand, Rarebird’s current proprietary grounds are made from grains that are infused after They are roasted. The company’s future intention is to sell these green coffee beans to roasters so they can roast them however they want. For example, you might one day see your favorite coffee roaster selling a Rarebird-designed Px option, just as you might see a decaf option on the menu. No other company could do this because of Rarebird’s other patent on Px coffee. All of this goes to show that Rarebird is truly a beverage technology company and not just another coffee roaster due to its patent-pending brewing technology.
There are no added ingredients in the coffee; the only items on the ingredients list are Arabica coffee and paraxanthin, which is a synthesized version of the chemical (it’s not like they extract it from people’s liver). The product has received a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) designation from the FDA.
An excellent addition
You cannot purchase whole grains from Rarebird at this time. I hope the company introduces this option soon, because grinding your own beans is one of the easiest ways to enhance the flavor and freshness of your coffee. The bag that the grounds come in is a fresh and modern take on the packaging. The matte white bags feature blue accents with Rarebird’s bird logo on the sides. They are also recyclable and zip-closeable, so they seal well, unlike most coffee bags.
Those jitters I get from regular coffee didn’t exist for me after drinking Rarebird, which was a big plus when I drank it in the late afternoon. However, as a caffeine drinker, I often like that feeling; It’s something I look for when I start the day, so I’m not personally going to drink Rarebird every morning. But does evening come? That’s when I truly believe this product will be great for all coffee drinkers, regardless of their caffeine sensitivity.