Chocolate

COFFEE & CACAO SMOOTHIE (INSPIRED BY THE BEE’S FUNKY BUZZ)

January 20, 2021
5
5 Ratings
Photo by AnnieFalk
  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 2 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

The Island Bee is sorely missed. The vegan café and market that was here on the island of Palm Beach, was an offshoot of The Bee in West Palm, a lifestyle space to support healthy habits. Both locations were creative, fun, and welcoming, with terrific food, nourishing shakes, healthful juices, and healing elixirs. Especially now, during the pandemic, my family and I are craving The Bee’s healthful offerings—there was and is nothing like it for miles.
Both locations were on my daily route and I looked forward to stopping in. It was a great place to meet friends and family for an organic, vegan breakfast or lunch, and I loved going by in the afternoon for a Funky Buzz—a healthful coffee and cacao pick-me-up. What made the Funky Buzz so delicious? The cold-brewed coffee. Cold brew tends to be less acidic than hot brewed coffee, and it’s sweeter and milder. If you like coffee, then you will love how flavorful and aromatic a cold brew can be.
When the Island Bee closed, a friend of mine gifted me a beautiful Yama Glass Cold Brew Coffee Maker for Christmas so that I could make the Funky Buzz at home. Made of hand-blown glass and a beautiful wood tower, the Yama has been sitting in my kitchen to be enjoyed more for its artistic presentation than it’s lab-like functionality—which landed it on Forbes Finds’ 2019 list of best cold-brew coffee makers.
It looks like a complicated apparatus, and for the longest time I could not find a coffee worthy of the effort; after all it is an 8-hour process with the Yama. Recently my husband discovered Chik Monk coffee at Amici Market, and has been making us the most fabulous nut-milk cappuccinos. When he grinds the coffee in the morning everyone in the house is immediately drawn to the kitchen. The aroma inspired me to clean the Yama, learn how to use it (which is not complicated at all!) and start brewing. My daughter, Gigi, who also loved this smoothie helped me create our version of The Bee’s Funky Buzz, and it is as delicious a pick-me-up as we remember.
The most popular way to make cold-brew coffee without a specialized carafe is the immersion method. This involves pouring coarse grounds in a glass mason jar, filling it with water and letting it sit overnight, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. After it has infused, you then pour it through a filter to clean out the grounds. According to Food52, the optimal cold brew coffee ratio is 3/4 cup coarsely ground coffee to every four cups of cold water. —Annie Falk

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Cold drip coffee
  • 1/4 cup Nut milk, more to taste
  • 8 Ice cubes, more for the glass
  • 2 Ripe, frozen Bananas, cut in half
  • 2 Large Medjool dates, pit removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon Raw cacao nibs, more for garnish
  • Protein powder (optional)
Directions
  1. Combine cold drip coffee, nut milk, ice cubes, bananas, dates, and chia seeds in a high-powered blender and combine until smooth and thick. Add protein powder, if using and blend. Add raw cacao nibs and pulse.
  2. Pour the smoothie over two glasses of ice, garnish with cacao nibs and serve immediately.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Debra Knox
    Debra Knox
  • Gigi Falk
    Gigi Falk
  • PedroAndriola
    PedroAndriola
  • marionborbon
    marionborbon

5 Reviews

PedroAndriola March 23, 2021
so refreshing and energizing!
 
marionborbon February 8, 2021
This is a lovely and refreshing twist to your morning cup!
 
Debra K. February 6, 2021
This is perfect for Monday afternoon pick me up! Thanks for sharing!
 
kaylaf February 4, 2021
The Funky Buzz! My favorite morning drink. So delicious and invigorating! I always feel so energized and bouncy after drinking these - I see how they got their name ;)
 
Gigi F. February 4, 2021
YUM!! I've missed this ever since The Bee closed! Thank you for the recipe