Bryan Johnson is basically a walking science experiment. He spends $2 million a year to prove that aging is optional. Naturally, people obsess over every single thing he puts in his mouth. For the longest time, the answer to does bryan johnson drink coffee was a hard no. He famously avoided it for years, claiming it messed with his "metabolic rollercoaster" and, more importantly, his sacred sleep metrics.
But things changed.
The man who tracks his nocturnal erections and lung capacity with the intensity of a NASA launch recently did a total 180. He’s back on the bean. But he isn't hitting the Starbucks drive-thru for a pumpkin spice latte. His return to caffeine is calculated, rigid, and backed by a very specific set of data points that might change how you look at your own morning cup.
The Big Switch: Why He Started Drinking Coffee Again
Honestly, it came down to a study. Johnson doesn't do anything because it "feels good." He does it because the numbers tell him to. In late 2025, he revealed that he began reincorporating coffee after reviewing research from Tulane University. This study followed about 40,000 adults and found some pretty wild stats: coffee drinkers had a 16% lower risk of death from all causes and a 31% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
For a guy whose entire brand is "Don't Die," those percentages are impossible to ignore.
He used to think caffeine was a net negative. He worried about the "jitters" and the way it might spike his cortisol. Now? He views it as a "longevity treatment." He’s looking at the polyphenols—specifically chlorogenic and caffeic acids—which act as antioxidants. These compounds trigger autophagy. That’s the fancy biological term for your cells cleaning out their own trash. When you're trying to live forever, you want your cellular trash service running at 100% capacity.
The Rules of the Blueprint Coffee Ritual
You can't just drink coffee whenever you want and call it "Blueprint." That’s not how Bryan rolls. He has a very strict protocol for how, when, and what kind of coffee enters his system.
First off, timing is everything.
Caffeine has a half-life of roughly six hours. If you've ever had a cup at 3 p.m. and wondered why you're staring at the ceiling at midnight, that's why. Half of that caffeine is still swimming in your brain six hours later. Johnson is obsessed with his sleep quality—he calls it his "number one power law." To protect his deep sleep cycles, he only drinks coffee early in the morning. Usually, this happens right around his 5 a.m. wake-up or shortly after his "Green Giant" supplement drink.
He stops all caffeine intake before noon. Period.
Then there's the "stuff" people put in coffee. If you're adding sugar, heavy cream, or flavored syrups, you're "negating the benefits," according to Johnson. He drinks it black. Sometimes he’ll mix in his Blueprint Cocoa powder to get those extra flavanols, but that's about as "fancy" as it gets.
What Kind of Coffee Does He Use?
He doesn't just grab a tub of whatever is on sale. He looks for high-quality, mold-tested beans. Coffee can sometimes contain mycotoxins (basically mold byproducts) if it's processed poorly. When you’re measuring 70+ organs, you don't want to introduce toxins into the mix. He also leans toward light or medium roasts because they typically retain more of those precious polyphenols that the dark roasts burn off.
📖 Related: Hammersmith Hospital Explained: Why This West London Specialist Center Still Leads the Way
Dealing with the Metabolic Rollercoaster
One of the reasons he quit for so long was the "crash." Most of us are used to the 2 p.m. slump. Johnson found that caffeine originally made his energy levels too volatile. To fix this, he doesn't just rely on the coffee. He balances it with a massive stack of supplements—over 100 pills a day—including things like Ashwagandha and Rhodiola to help his body manage stress and stay level.
He's also a big believer in the idea that if you "nail your sleep," you might not even need the caffeine to feel awake. He uses it as a tool for longevity, not a crutch for exhaustion.
Is Coffee Right for Your Own "Blueprint"?
Just because a billionaire biohacker started drinking coffee doesn't mean you should double your intake. Johnson acknowledges that everyone's a bit different. Some people are "slow metabolizers" of caffeine. For them, a morning cup might still be in their system 12 hours later.
If you're going to follow his lead, here is the basic framework:
- Drink it early: Aim for at least 10–12 hours before your bedtime.
- Keep it clean: No sugar, no artificial creamers.
- Quality matters: Look for organic, mold-free beans.
- Listen to your data: If your sleep tracker shows a dip in "Deep Sleep" or "REM" on coffee days, your body might not like it as much as Bryan’s does.
The Modern Blueprint Beverage Stack
While coffee is back in the rotation, it's just one part of his liquid diet. He still starts the day with the "Green Giant" (water, spermidine, amino acids, creatine, and collagen). He also drinks a lot of water with Himalayan salt for electrolytes. He’s still a "no" on alcohol—he famously used to have 3 ounces of wine with breakfast but cut it out because the calories weren't worth the sleep disruption.
Basically, coffee earned its spot back because the longevity data finally outweighed the potential sleep risk.
Actionable Steps for Your Morning Routine
If you want to optimize your coffee intake like a biohacker, start by shifting your window. Try moving your last cup of the day to 11 a.m. and see how it affects your sleep score. Switch to a high-quality black coffee and skip the sweeteners for two weeks. Most people find that their taste buds adapt, and the "energy crash" becomes much less severe when sugar isn't involved.
The goal isn't to copy Bryan Johnson exactly—it's to use his data-driven experiments to see what works for your own biology. Start by testing your sleep sensitivity to caffeine this week.