Mushroom Coffee: Benefits + 7 Best Brands To Buy
Mushroom Coffee
* Please consult your primary care provider before starting any new supplement, to ensure if they are right for you.
Mushroom Coffee: Benefits Plus the 7 Best Brands for Sale in 2022
(Ad) Coffee is the lifeblood of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It’s a product that has dominated the supplement industry since before such an industry existed.
Coffee’s dominance is seen everyday throughout North America in chic artisan coffee shops and billion dollar franchises built around caffeinated beverages. You probably know all of this—but what you might not know is that the best mushroom coffees can outperform your go-to morning companion with ease.
Functional mushroom coffee is new but its roots are ancient. Mushrooms have long held a prominent place in eastern Chinese medicines, and scientific studies investigating this superfood have demonstrated significant health benefits associated with consuming these unique fungi. If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, then you’ve come to the right place.
The 7 best mushroom coffee brands In 2022
- Brain Brands: best overall
- Four Sigmatic
- Sun Alchemy Mushroom Coffee
- MUD/WTR
- Renude Chagaccino
- Clevr Starter Kit
- Rheal Shroom Coffee
#1 Brain Brands: best overall
Nothing pairs with functional mushrooms quite like more functional mushrooms—that’s the appeal of Brain Brands. The company takes organic Colombian coffee beans and crosses them with seven adaptogenic mushrooms. One serving of Brain Brands’ Seven Mushroom Blend coffee includes Chaga, Cordyceps, reishi, lion’s mane, shiitake, maitake, and turkey tail mushrooms. With 600 milligrams of mushrooms per serving, it’s one of the most concentrated and diverse functional mushroom coffees on the market.
Brain Brands beverage is affordable and gives you a 32-serving package. The ground coffee can be effortlessly inserted into your morning routine, while the rich flavor of the beans is enhanced by the flavors of the mushroom powder mixed into the ground coffee.
Seven Mushroom Blend coffee can deliver on the promise of caffeine’s glorious effects without a letdown in the afternoon. This functional beverage can help you feel jitter-free, and the variety of mushrooms contained in the product offer a range of benefits for the body and mind, including, potentially, a boost in immune function, stress relief, cognitive performance, energy, and more. The company even offers a decaf mushroom coffee.
Shoppers can instead elect to choose mushroom capsules, which are sold in single mushroom formulas as well as in a seven mushroom complex. There are also functional mushroom powders that can be added to a smoothie.
Brain Brands ships its products to customers throughout the world, in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and abroad. With organic ingredients and a potent medley of functional mushrooms, Seven Mushroom Blend Coffee makes its case as the best mushroom coffee of 2022.
Pros:
- Seven organic functional mushrooms
- Organic Colombian beans
- 600 milligrams of mushrooms per cup
- Great taste
- Affordable
Cons:
- Made in small batches so often sold out
#2 Four Sigmatic
Customers who shop online from Four Sigmatic will encounter a vast collection of mushroom coffee options, from light roasts to dark, with a single functional mushroom or several. This company doesn’t include as many mushrooms in one product as its competitors do, but it also infuses its coffees with vitamins, and some products have probiotics and additional adaptogenic herbs.
Four Sigmatic products are sorted by type and benefit: Customers can shop for “think” to receive a cognitive boost, “perform” for an energy boost, or “chill” for calm. There are half a dozen beneficial formulas to choose between, most consisting of Chaga, Cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi. Most of these coffees have 500 milligrams of mushroom extract per serving from, typically, two or three types of mushrooms.
A 12-ounce bag from Four Sigmatic provides 16 servings. From a mushroom standpoint, there’s less value in this brand than some of the competition, but shoppers might opt for Four Sigmatic for its multitude of flavors and unique products like probiotic coffee. Four Sigmatic offers a few choices of coffee alternatives, such as protein powders and cacao—a low caffeine beverage with a flavor that’s somewhat like hot chocolate and chai tea.
Pros:
- Light, medium, and dark roast
- Sorted by benefit
- Whole beans, ground coffee, instant coffee, K-cups
- Multiple formulas
Cons:
- Low milligrams
- One or two mushrooms per blend
#3 Sun Alchemy Mushroom Coffee
Like the previous two companies, which curate a portfolio with multiple mushroom products, Sun Alchemy makes more than just coffee: Customers can also pick up cacao or spiced latte infused with functional mushrooms. The brand is appealing but has just one minor issue; it’s that the exact amount of mushroom extract per serving isn’t listed on the package.
Sun Alchemy coffee comes in two formulas—Energize and Mental Focus. Energize features Chaga, Cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi mushrooms for an energy boost that won’t come with an afternoon crash. Mental Focus coffee is made with lion’s mane, reishi, and Chaga, ideal for shoppers who want a calming adaptogenic beverage that can help with focus and clarity as well.
One of the most enticing perks of buying from Sun Alchemy is that its 12-satchel pack of regular mushroom coffee retails for $10.99 on online vendors like Amazon, and cognitive coffee is only slightly more expensive at $12.99.
Pros:
- Low price
- Two formulas
- Additional products
Cons:
- Limited information
#4 MUD/WTR
What’s in a name? MUD/WTR, read “mud water,” is a perfect descriptor of this mushroom coffee alternative. The brown coloring and thick consistency of the product certainly bears resemblance to mud water, but the earthy cinnamon and chocolatey flavor will dispel any additional associations with mud.
MUD/WTR’s dessert-like flavor isn’t the only thing that’s intriguing about this beverage—it contains 1/7th the amount of caffeine found in a typical coffee. In every cup, you’ll gain the benefits of Chaga, reishi, lion’s mane, and Cordyceps. As well, MUD/WTR states that its coffee also includes the mycelium, which is the root system of the mushrooms that draws in nutrients and develops a variety of environmental resistances.
MUD/WTR sells in 30-serving packages for $60 or for $40 with recurring purchases. There’s a lot to love about this brand, and it has gained the attention of customers, but shoppers who are dedicated coffee drinkers will probably want to choose a company that makes real coffee.
Pros:
- Coffee alternative
- 1/7th the caffeine content of coffee
- Great taste
Cons:
- Pricey in single purchases
- No coffee products
#5 Chaggacinno
Chaggacinno is far from the most cost-effective brand and its products are technically categorized as cacao, but what Chaggacinno does offer is an authentic flavor that delivers 750 milligrams of Chaga per serving. Because the product contains just Chaga mushroom, the beverage is best reserved for shoppers who want a stress-response coffee with possible anti-inflammatory benefits.
This mushroom coffee alternative is priced at $29.99 for a box with 10 servings—that’s significantly more costly than any of the previously mentioned companies—and the formula is ideal for mixing into a cold cacao: the perfect summer day companion.
Granted, Chagacinno doesn’t offer a great dollars to milligrams value, but shoppers who prioritize purity will love that the ingredients are vegan, gluten-free, keto, non-GMO, sugar-free, and made without artificial flavors or ingredients. The added monk fruit in the recipe provides a touch of sweetness without any added calories.
Pros:
- Tastes like dessert
- Cold beverage
Cons:
- Expensive
- Low levels of mushroom extract
- Only contains Chaga mushrooms
#6 Clevrblends
Clevblends is a brand for the coffee drinker who doesn’t mind tinkering, particularly those with a sweet tooth. It contains 6 functional mushroom blends in all, labeled as super lattes and marketed for specific effects: two energy formulas, a calm blend, a mood enhancer, a sleep beverage, and coffee for improved focus.
Shoppers can expect organic mushroom content including desirable mushrooms like reishi and lion’s mane, plus other adaptogenic herbs such as ashwagandha extract. However, most coffees feature only a single type of mushroom and there’s no indication of the exact mushroom extract content in each product.
Celverblends mushroom coffee is available online for $28.00 for a 14-serving package. Those who want authentic coffee can go with the coffee latte, made with Columbian coffee beans and a reduced caffeine content of just 50 milligrams.
Pros:
- Great flavors
- 6 formulas
- Reduced caffeine
Cons:
- Expensive
- Fewer mushrooms per roast
- No extract information
Rheal Shroom Coffee
Rheal Superfoods makes a mushroom coffee that’s lower in potency but sold at a self-aware price. A 60-serving pack is only $37, affordable enough to encourage people to overlook its 600 milligrams per serving. The beverage features Chaga, Cordyceps, and lion’s mane mushrooms, blended with Arabica coffee grounds for a medium roast with an adaptogenic kick.
Rheal Shroom Coffee is available as instant coffee, coffee grounds, or in a bundle package. Those who’d prefer to get their functional mushrooms in a different product type have options like greens, powders, and a cacao coffee alternative. Rheal Superfoods uses organic ingredients in its products, which are suitable for gluten-free diets.
Pros:
- Great price
- Several product options
- Authentic coffee
Cons:
- Low potency
#7 Organo Mushroom Coffee
Got a hankering for authentic coffee flavors and you won’t settle for just one roast? Meet Organo, a functional mushroom beverage supplier with a product catalog that will satisfy any caffeine craving. Puritans can get black coffee with reishi mushrooms for calm and immune response or branch out with caffe latte, hot cocoa, café supreme, green tea, espresso, and even more.
The selection is very impressive, but the transparency of other brands is somewhat absent as there’s no information about the milligram content in the products. Prices vary based on the products you’re choosing; shoppers who want the more affordable option should go with the black coffee for $36, which includes 30 servings per box.
Pros:
- Multiple flavors
- Authentic coffee
- Affordable
Cons:
- Label lacks information
- Only includes reishi mushrooms
What is mushroom coffee?
We know—mushroom coffee is neither an appealing moniker nor suggestive of any health benefits. But what’s relevant here is that mushroom coffee benefits are much more than just marketing hype; there are genuine advantages to consuming mushroom coffee, beginning with how caffeine and adaptogenic mushrooms interact with one another.
For all the perks of drinking coffee, there are also some pitfalls. Caffeine crashes are brutal when they occur during a long meeting or in traffic, and the more caffeine you ingest, the less effective it becomes.
Many people who drink coffee during the day endure jitters or anxiety, and this is where functional mushroom coffee shines the brightest.
Mushroom coffees are packed with adaptogens and antioxidants, and these compounds combat coffee jitters and help our bodies formulate a stress response.
By drinking coffee that’s infused with functional mushrooms, you can receive all the benefits of your regular coffee along with some enormous advantages.
Full disclosure—not all mushroom coffee benefits are the same, and the functional mushrooms infused into your coffee will ultimately decide how effective the product is and how it can improve your day-to-day function.
This is one of the biggest factors we considered when we put together our list.
Because functional mushrooms are thought to have cumulative effects, you’ll want to select a product that’s suitable for daily use.
The best mushroom coffee should fit within your budget and contain the necessary ingredients to meet your expectations. We chose the brands that feature the best potential mushroom coffee benefits and prices for every budget.
Functional mushrooms explained
Adaptogens assist the body prepare for stressful situations, whether physical or mental. There’s a select mushroom species that is full of adaptogenic compounds, as well as antioxidants, shown to help immune response, potentially prevent some serious illnesses, and reduce oxidative stress.
The most common functional mushrooms found in mushroom coffee are as follows:
- Chaga: These adaptogenic mushrooms are found growing on the side of birch trees in blackened clusters. Chaga mushrooms have anti-inflammatory properties and could help you improve your gut health and better manage cholesterol.
- Cordyceps: This parasitic mushroom is overflowing with energy, ideal for dealing with fatigue, often utilized for athletic performance and enhanced workouts. Cordyceps might help with inflammation too.
- King Trumpet: The King Trumpet mushroom grows in parts of Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean, and is desired for its immune-boosting capabilities. The mushroom boasts plenty of antioxidants and beta glucans and may be useful in managing cholesterol.
- Lion’s mane: People use lion’s mane mushrooms to augment their cognitive function. Lion’s mane mushrooms have demonstrated their potential in limited studies to support memory retention and learning. Some people use lion’s mane to manage symptoms of depression and anxiety, and it’s thought to ward against illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Maitake: Maitake’s vitamin-rich profile provides a significant boost in immune function. These mushrooms are used as an adjutant treatment for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in Japan and China. Maitake mushrooms grow across multiple continents at the base of trees.
- Reishi: Among the most sought after functional mushrooms, reishi’s potential for managing symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as its application as a sleep aid, shows great promise for inquiring coffee drinkers who suffer from such symptoms. Reishi mushrooms can aid in keeping blood sugar in check and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. It also contains a bounty of antioxidants.
- Shiitake: Functional mushrooms are rarely encountered in grocery stores, save for shiitake mushrooms. These adaptogenic mushrooms are great immune boosters and may help with cardiovascular health and for minor inflammation.
- Turkey tail: Turkey tail mushrooms are relatively common throughout North America. Fanlike with a versicolor exterior, the turkey tail mushroom offers a boost for your immune system and beneficial bacteria for gut health.
What are the benefits of mushroom coffee?
It’s essential that you shop for functional beverages based on your desired mushroom coffee benefits. While every company will claim to sell the most effective product or the best formula, you’ll end up disappointed unless the coffee you buy includes the right functional mushrooms. More experienced shoppers can likely spot their specific benefit based on the ingredients alone, but for everyone else, here's a simple breakdown of the best mushroom benefits and which functional fungi can deliver the goods:
- Stress and anxiety: reishi mushrooms or lion’s mane, preferably a blend that includes both.
- Gut health: turkey tail mushrooms
- Sleep: reishi mushrooms
- Inflammation: Chaga or Cordyceps
- Energy and athletic performance: Cordyceps
- Immune boost: All functional mushrooms can help your immune function, but shiitake and maitake mushrooms are preferred.
- Cognitive function: lion’s mane mushrooms
How we made the list: things to consider when buying functional mushroom coffee
In choosing the best mushroom coffee of 2022, we ranked the qualities that matter most to customers and those that provide the best safety assurances. Many customers will have their own unique motivations for trying functional mushrooms, but following this list will help tsteer you away from deceptive marketing.
- Price: Though price isn’t the single ranking factor—it’s very important. Mushroom coffee is a daily supplement, and it performs best when taken every day. If your mushroom supplement is breaking the bank, then you won’t have a sustainable routine. Look at the number of servings per package and compare it to the price before you jump for an appealing sticker.
- Types of mushrooms: Some mushroom coffees contain a single strain but are marketed for a wide range of effects. While it’s true that some strains have more benefits than others, you’re better off buying the product with multiple mushrooms in one; there’s really no reason to settle for a single mushroom extract.
- Potency: Mushroom content is measured in milligrams and is one of the most accurate assessments of value. Check the potency before you buy and remember: Lower potency items should have lower prices.
- Ingredients: Organic is a word that should appear on the packaging of any mushroom supplement you buy. The best companies use only organic ingredients and there’s no excuse for watering these supplements down with fillers and additives.
- Taste: Coffee lovers want coffee taste. There’s room for alternative products in this industry, but only authentic coffee roasts can hold the crown as the best mushroom coffee.
Takeaway: your best choice for mushroom coffee benefits
Shoppers who want to try functional mushrooms are seeking the best mushroom coffees for health benefits—taste and product types are secondary concerns. But in order to make these products a part of your lifestyle you’ll need something that doesn’t feel like a chore, something familiar that can appease your caffeine needs without a crash or any annoying jitters.
There are cacaos, chai teas, espressos, and more, but the best mushroom coffee is just coffee with mushrooms—no trickery or dessert-like flavors. What we found so appealing about Brain Brands when rating these coffees is the authenticity of this product—it includes more mushroom types and more milligrams than any competing coffee, and yet it tastes like a premium Columbian roast, if not even more delicious. This coffee is uncompromised by added compounds.
Brain Brands’ Seven Mushroom Blend Coffee doesn’t force customers to choose its desired health benefits because it includes seven incredible functional mushrooms in one product. There are products with a lower price tag, but none with a lower cost per milligram and that’s the true measure of value for functional mushroom supplements.
Considering the organic ingredients, transparent product info, and genuine Colombian coffee beans, Brain Brands has an early lead on the competition for this exciting and ever-expanding industry.
*This article is provided by an advertiser. Statements made are not meant to offer medical advice nor to diagnose any condition. Any studies cited here may be preliminary, and may or may not be peer reviewed, and may or may not have sufficient participants to be statistically relevant. Anecdotal accounts should not be taken as scientific results. Products discussed in this article are not designed to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. The FDA does not evaluate dietary supplements. Consult your doctor about possible interactions, allergies, and if you are considering using a natural and/or dietary supplements for any condition. Individual results will vary.