The wellness world loves a trendy ingredient and right now that’s mushrooms. The ‘shroom boom’ is officially underway and that means putting fungi into everything, including our morning cup of coffee.
So what is mushroom coffee, you ask?
Keep in mind we’re not talking about the kinds of mushrooms that you cook with or the ones that will make you hallucinate. This is coffee blended with medicinal or functional mushrooms. The most popular are lion’s mane, chaga, cordyceps and reishi.
Why should I swap this with my regular cup of Joe?
One of the best things about mushroom coffee is that it typically contains half the amount of caffeine than regular coffee. This means you’re less likely to experience jitters, anxiety and the dreaded caffeine crash.
Medicinal mushrooms are also thought to have a legion of positive health effects. “Certain mushrooms are adaptogenic, which means they support the body in dealing with stress and fatigue,” says nutritionist Kim Pearson.
“Chaga mushrooms are rich in antioxidants and have immune and cardiovascular health benefits, while lion’s mane is understood to have cognitive health benefits and may improve concentration and memory,” she adds.
Fancy giving it a try? Shop the best mushroom coffees below.
London Nootropics Flow Coffee
Packaged in a sleek, letter box-friendly box, this coffee wins points on the style front. The ingredients are a mix of barista-style coffee, dual-extracted lion’s mane and Rhodiola rosea (a medicinal plant traditionally used to reduce anxiety and fatigue). Flavour-wise, this one is smooth and well-rounded.
Buy now £12.00, London Nootropics
Four Sigmatic Instant Coffee with Lion’s Mane
This Finnish-American brand was the first to bring mushroom coffee to the masses. This particular blend features organic instant coffee with lion’s mane and chaga extract. Expect a medium-roast coffee with sweet chocolate and caramel notes. We particularly love that it comes in single-portion sachets, so you can enjoy it at home or when you’re out and about.
Buy now £11.00, Ocado
Rheal Shroom Coffee
Made using Colombian instant arabica coffee and 600mg of mushroom extracts (lion’s mane, chaga and cordyceps), this option promises to bring ”calmer energy and better focus”. It has much less caffeine than your regular cup of Java, so it would be ideal for anyone looking to cut back without going cold turkey. Plus, it’s worth noting that the company plants a new tree when you make a purchase.
Buy now £29.75, Rheal
Cheerful Buddha Reishi Mushroom Superfood Coffee Blend
This pick was created with your immunity in mind. The star ingredient in Cheerful’s Buddha’s unique coffee powder is reishi mushroom, which is said to have antioxidant and immune-boosting properties. It’s also packed with organic MCT coconut oil, ashwagandha and cacao - all things that can help you stay at your peak.
Buy now £14.99, Amazon
Soulbrew
Filled to the brim with almost every nootropic mushroom imaginable, Soulbrew is a hearty ‘coffee’ blend crafted for energy, focus and inner calm. It includes Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Chaga, Maca, Ashwagandha as well as Cacao and Coconut Nectar for natural sweetness. If you’re looking for a warming, soul-boosting morning brew without any of the caffeine jitters, Soulbrew’s mushroom coffee tastes like a delicious spiced hot chocolate.
Buy now £28.79, Amazon
Dirtea Mushroom Coffee Kit
This hearty blend of ashwagandha, lion’s mane and maca is designed to serve as a substitute for your caffeine habit while delivering the numerous health benefits associated with powerful apoptogenic and functional mushrooms. Though it’s blended with 100 per cent organic Arabica beans, the coffee is extremely mild with a borderline stale aftertaste, and is rather overpowered by the umami, broth-like flavour of the various mushroom powders.
Dirtea doesn’t strictly dictate that their mushroom coffee should solely be drunk. If you’re feeling daring, you may experiment with sprinkling a teaspoon or two into your next slow-cooked meal. That way, you can enjoy the potential health benefits of functional fungi without having to give up those precious flat whites.
Buy now £29.74, Dirtea
Superfood Latte Matcha 200g
Naturya is home to a variety of wellness-boosting superfood blends, but this matcha option is one of their latest, fan-favourite offerings. We know, it’s not techincally a coffee blend - but it’s a fantastic shroom-boosted alternative. It’s enriched with coconut milk, reishi mushroom powders and 450 million live bio cultures.
Buy now £6.03, H&B
Naturya Organic Mushroom Superblend Power Powder
This is an immune-boosting blend of reishi, maitake and shiitake mushrooms each containing oodles of vitamin D, niacin and manganese. The Power Powder from Naturya can be popped into your daily protein shake or dusted atop your afternoon cappuccino for a tasty wellness boost.
Buy now £10.99, Turmeric and Honey
Balance Lion’s Mane Mushroom Coffee
Prefer French press coffee over instant? Balance Coffee is one of the only brands in the UK to supply a ground coffee-mushroom mix. The formula features speciality grade coffee and 100 per cent naturally sourced organic lion’s mane dual extract. Yielding a rich and chocolatey brew (with zero mushroom taste), it’s the obvious choice for the discerning coffee connoisseur.
Buy now £16.99, Balance Coffee
Turkey Tail Mushroom Coffee
One of the best loved adaptogenic mushrooms available, Turkey Tail is said to support overall immune health while reducing inflammation thanks to antioxidant properties. Otherwise known as Coriolus versicolor, it’s a wood-decaying fungus that has been used in Chinese traditional medicine as a tonic for centuries.
The Shroom Shop’s Turkey Tail mushroom coffee contains pure Turkey Tail mushroom extract blended with coffee and is also available in capsule form. Characterised by a rich, earthy flavour, this immune-boosting blend might not be for everyone, but it’s certainly worth a try.
Buy now £24.99, The Shroom Shop
