Most of us find ourselves mindlessly sipping coffee throughout the day to keep us awake. But a rapidly growing coffee brand wants to be your nighttime drink as well, crafting a cup of coffee the company claims will help you fall asleep.
The aptly named Counting Sheep Coffee has created a unique blend of decaffeinated coffee and valerian root, a natural sleep aid that is commonly found as a supplement on pharmacy shelves and has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a food ingredient at certain levels. The company has two blends: their original “Bedtime Blend / 40 Winks” and “Lights Out!” with extra valerian. Unlike typical caffeinated coffee, both varieties promise possible relaxing effects, allowing for normal or even better sleep.
“When you really think about it, people have been asking for a product like this for a very long time,” Deland Jessop, one of the company’s three co-founders, told Food Navigator. “How many times have you heard someone say, ‘I’d love a cup of coffee, but…’ ”
According to Jessop, the valerian barely impacts the product’s taste at all; he claims that the bitterness of the coffee masks any natural bitterness from the root. Only those with “sensitive palates” pick up on the added sleep aid, and even those people tend to not mind the taste, he says.
Counting Sheep Coffee was launched in 2013 and is currently available at select retailers around North America in both bags of ground coffee and single-serve K-cups. However, they’re hoping for a big boost soon: The brand is currently seeking a deal with Walmart. If that happens, a lot more people may buy in to the company’s slogan: “The best way to start your day is now the best way to end it.”