Sometime in the last few years, my body stopped enjoying 3+ cups of coffee. The jumpy jitters that I’d normally associate with hardcore anxiety started to hit if I simply had too much caffeine. While for some of us, it’s a small price to pay in the name of productivity, I am not bothered by operating at a more sloth-like pace. At the ripe old age of 27, you can find me triple-asking my waiter if my coffee is, in fact, decaf.
However. Not everyone might be ready to slow down. If you want to reduce your coffee intake, but still experience coffee-like benefits, it might be time for you to start exploring coffee alternatives, like mushroom coffee
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What is mushroom coffee, one might ask? According to Harvard Health‘s Lindsay Warner, “Mushroom coffee is typically made from medicinal mushrooms, rather than the culinary mushrooms you buy at the grocery store.” She writes that many folks turn to mushroom coffee for their “real or perceived benefits,” and that while there has been research done in the field, most of it hasn’t been done on humans.
Whether science will one day close the research gap and extoll the benefits for good or it’s a case of the placebo effect, there are a host of folks across the internet who are swearing by medicinal/adaptogenic mushroom coffee. Let’s take a look at some of the best ones.
A quick look at the best mushroom coffees
- Best mushroom coffee powder – Organic Instant 10 in 1 Mushroom Coffee Powder
- For caffeine addicts – Four Sigmatic Boost High Organic Caffeine Coffee
- Mushroom coffee K-cups – Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee K-cups
- Best mocha mushroom coffee – KOS Mushroom Coffee
- Best mushroom supplement for coffee – Moon Juice Brain Dust
- This trendy mushroom coffee – MUD\WTR
- Best mushroom coffee for immunity – Chaga Mushroom Elixir
what we considered
When parsing through the world wide web for the best mushroom coffees, I put my faith in honest customer reviews from folks who have really been drinking this stuff. For most people, the question of taste is one of the biggest concerns. While it’s safe to say that mushroom coffees have an earthy flavor, some are said to be better than others—and some of the best mushroom coffee brands pair their blend with other ingredients that help bump things up in flavortown.
Best mushroom coffee powder – Organic Instant 10 in 1 Mushroom Coffee Powder
Organic Instant 10 in 1 Mushroom Coffee Powder (opens in a new window)
If you’re new to the world of mushroom coffee, it might be a good idea to dip your toes in the water just a little bit, starting with a mushroom coffee that does still contain tried ‘n true coffee beans. Micro Ingredients’ Organic Instant 10 in 1 Mushroom Coffee Powder blend marries instant coffee made from arabica beans with 10 different adaptogenic mushrooms including Lion’s Mane, Chaga, and Reishi.
If you’re curious about the caffeine level, Micro Ingredients says, “Each serving has a caffeine level that is lower than your regular cup of coffee, but is boosted with natural mushrooms to promote more sustained energy without jitters or crashes.” The brand also claims that the mushrooms give the coffee “subtle, savory undertones.”
Amazon reviewer Anna reports on how this mushroom coffee compares to others. “I’ve been looking into mushroom coffee for a couple years now,” she says. “I’ve tried most of the brands out there. I love the taste of most of them and love the way I didn’t get jittery but still get my coffee ‘fix.’ The problem with all the others BUT NOT with this one is the cost!!”
for caffeine addicts – Four Sigmatic Boost High Organic Caffeine Coffee
Not ready to ditch the high-caff lifestyle? No worries. You can still get your serving of mushrooms thanks to this Four Sigmatic Boost High Organic Caffeine Coffee that blends dark roast, extra-strong coffee with L-Theanine & Cordyceps Mushroom Extract, which the brand says gives you “an energy boost without the jitters.” The brand says that Cordyceps works to clear out fogginess and help you feel mentally clear and boosted.
Amazon reviewer Katie says what her experience was like. “I have ADHD. I’m pretty sensitive to drugs in general, so when I’m medicating for it –which isn’t all the time– I take a low dose of Adderall. No joke, drinking a large, strong cup of this made me feel kind of weird, not quite, but almost like I’d had my meds that morning (which I hadn’t).” She adds, “It sort of like I felt like the corners had been sanded off my brain and my thoughts were slippery and liquid.” Trippy…
Another customer comments on the taste: “Overall taste is excellent – the beans are roasted nicely, and the flavor is smooth with a hint of chocolate notes, so I’m very happy with the taste.”
mushroom coffee K-cups – Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee K-cups
Nothing has been made more convenient for us in this lifetime than drinking coffee. If you love your simplicity of K-cups, I hear you. Rather than starting up a whole new morning ritual to get your brew, you can keep on using you K-cups when you opt for the Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee K-cups. Like the prior two picks, this blend still uses coffee (dark roast, in this case) and pairs the coffee with Lion’s Mane Mushroom Powder & Yacon to support focus and overall immune support. This here is the original blend, but you can also select from a decaf version or a high-caf version, too.
One Amazon reviewer says, “I drink this when I wake up, esp if I am going to work. I am energized, and clear headed, even on days I have a difficult time getting up. Never jittery, never bitter or burned tasting. Full tasting and easy on the tummy.”
Another says, “I don’t think I can go back to another coffee. It has a robust taste and I don’t have the bloating after drinking.”
Best mocha mushroom coffee – KOS Mushroom Coffee
For those ready to leave the ground coffee realm, this KOS Mushroom coffee is a mix-in supplement that turns your glass of hot water or milk into a mocha-y mushroom-y latte. Each serving only has 50mg of caffeine and contains 1.25g of mushrooms, including Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Reishi, Turkey Tail and Cordyceps.
KOS shares how the brand landed on its ingredients. “Chaga, turkey tail & cacao contain powerful antioxidants that may help fight free radicals, reduce inflammation, and strengthen immunity.”
In her 5-star review, Amazon customer Chelsea writes, “It dissolves perfectly in hot liquid and mixes well with other powders too (like collagen peptides or Dandyblend). It does have a sweet tinge to it, so if that isn’t your thing, you might want to steer clear.”
Best mushroom supplement for coffee – Moon Juice Brain Dust
For a mushroom supplement option, Moon Juice Brain Dust can mix directly into your regular coffee to help give you the boost you want without adding in any extra sugar or caffeine to your cuppa joe. The powder is a blend of Lion’s Mane, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Maca Mushroom, which are said to work together to improve memory and focus. The mushroom supplement powder has earned a 4-star rating on Amazon after hundreds of reviews.
“Great product, and you wake earlier than expected, feel good throughout the day and really able to focus,” says one customer. Another says, “I actually like it, it does replace my Adderall with natural ingredients.”
So what gives on the 5th and final star? A lot of customers wish it was a little less pricey.
This trendy mushroom coffee – MUD/WTR
The first time I ever heard of mushroom coffee, it was through MUD\WTR seemingly taking over my algorithm. The trendy mushroom coffee powder embraces the earthy “muddy” flavor of mushrooms and mushroom coffee, and goes to literally zero lengths to claim otherwise.
In her MUD\WTR review for VICE, Jamie Steilde writes, “MUD\WTR has a very distinct taste. It’s a chai-cocoa combo that tastes like a cinnamon-rich mocha, with a hint of ginger and a very earthy aftertaste. Of course, the flavor is contingent on how you make your brew. Personally, I am not someone who adds sugar to things, preferring a more natural flavor that isn’t overloaded with sweetness, which is why I like MUD\WTR because it’s almost like drinking actual mud.”
Best mushroom coffee for immunity – Chaga Mushroom Elixir
As cold and flu season looms overhead, I’m always on the hunt for ways to boost my immunity so I won’t land myself in the germ-infested urgent care waiting room this year. This Chaga Mushroom Elixir looks like a great secret weapon to have on hand, boasting a high dose of Chaga (1.500mg) that’s intended to supercharge and protect the immune system.
Why Chaga? As it turns out, the practice goes a further back than this current health fad. Four Sigmatic says that “[Chaga was] used as a coffee substitute during WWII” and that it tastes more like a black tea than coffee—or even mushrooms.
“I take this every time I feel a little under the weather,” says one Amazon customer. Another calls it a “comforting brew in the afternoon.”
Happy Brewing!
