ICYMI, people are putting fungi in their coffee… on purpose. Mushroom coffee has been getting some hype on social media recently. But what is mushroom coffee, and is it worth the hype?
I know, it might sound kind of gross, but mushroom coffee isn’t as odd as it sounds. Typically, mushroom coffee is an equal blend of mushrooms and ground coffee beans — so, because it is half coffee, it shouldn’t taste as different as a regular cup of joe. Mushroom coffee is typically made from medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, chaga, and lion’s mane rather than culinary mushrooms that you find at your local grocery store. The mushrooms are dried out, ground, and then extracted to extract their beneficial ingredients.
Many brands, influencers, and marketers claim numerous health benefits of mushroom coffee. One of the main reported benefits of mushroom coffee is that it contains half the amount of caffeine because you’re only drinking half of the coffee, so it may make you feel less jittery during the day. According to research by the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, the medicinal mushrooms popular in many fungi-infused coffee blends have immune-boosting properties and help regulate metabolism. Because of their high antioxidant activity, medicinal mushrooms may also help slow down the aging process.
However, because there is a lack of well-designed clinical trials on human mushroom coffee consumption, there’s no guarantee that any health benefits are retained after the mushrooms are processed and blended into coffee drinks. Additionally, mushroom coffee does have some downsides, such as being hard on digestion. Also, mushroom coffee often costs at least twice the price of a regular cup of coffee. So, it may be worth a try if you want to cut down on caffeine and increase your antioxidant consumption — or if you just want to try something new.
Where can I get mushroom coffee?
If you’re looking to try mushroom coffee, there are a ton of brands out there to shop. Here are TikTok’s favorites.
- Laird Superfood Peruvian Medium Roast Coffee with Functional Mushrooms ($21)
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Laird coffee is made from organic coffee beans. This coffee contains multiple medicinal mushrooms, including chaga, lion’s mane, cordyceps, and maitake, which are all high in antioxidants.
- Four Sigmatic Organic Mushroom Coffee ($17)
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This coffee is made from Arabica coffee and organic Chaga and reishi mushrooms and contains no artificial ingredients. It has multiple blends with specific ingredients aimed at various health goals, including “Think,” “Defend,” or “Chill.”
- ORGFUN Premium Mushroom Coffee ($14)
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This coffee is the most affordable option. It contains chaga, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, cordyceps, Maitake, Turkey Tail, and Shiitake.
Looking to up the energy without the jitters? Mushroom coffee might be the way to go.