Time to Ditch Your Usual Morning Fix. Drink Mushroom Coffee Instead

Mushroom and coffee may not strike you as the perfect combo to power up your mornings. But everything will change once you’ve had your fill of this new coffee craze.

What's the Fuss About Mushroom Coffee?

The craze started in Finland three years ago. Which is not surprising because Finnish people are the heaviest coffee-drinkers in the world. And when we say heavy, we mean 12kg of coffee per individual. That’s how big coffee is in Finland. Caffeine basically runs in their blood.

Although mushroom coffee is a little different, this new way to drink a cup of joe has slowly taken over Finland and subsequently, the world. That’s all thanks to a Finnish start-up who started experimenting on the beverage that we already know and love.

Just to clear things out, mushroom coffee is not coffee made from mushrooms. In fact, it’s still your regular coffee beans, roasted and ground, just levelled up by throwing mushroom extracts into the mix.

Propelled by its promising health benefits and instagrammable quality, the mushroom coffee transformed from a household favourite in Finland into the world’s next favourite pick me up beverage. Some of the claimed health benefits of mushroom coffee are:

1. Deeper and more peaceful sleep

2. Stronger immunity system

3. Stress reduction

4. Higher energy levels

Coffee alone, as we all know, already has its own health benefits to offer. And adding some medicinal mushrooms into the equation will certainly bring more health advantages which can work wonders to your body.

Does Mushroom Coffee Taste Good?

If you’re truly addicted to coffee, you probably have developed impeccable taste when it comes to your favourite drink. With just a whiff and a sip, you can weed out the bad cup from the great ones.

So, if you’re quite sceptical about the taste of mushroom coffee, you don’t have to worry. It tastes just like your favourite coffee blend!

Mushrooms are normally earthy in terms of flavour so their taste is easily masked by the coffee’s natural bitterness. Most doubters actually expect mushroom coffee to have disastrous taste since it’s not a very usual combination. And it’s only understandable. So, if you’re still having second thoughts, you can always grab a pack and see it for yourself! 

What's in My Mushroom Coffee?

There are different medicinal mushrooms that are being used to make mushroom coffee powder. Some of them include:

Siberian Chaga Mushroom

Compared to the normal mushrooms that we often see growing on the ground, the chaga mushroom grows on the trunk of a tree. They mostly grow in cool climates such as Russia, Canada, and other European countries. These mushrooms also have a deep black colour that makes it look as if the tree has been burnt.

Despite their charcoal-like appearance, chaga mushroom is nutritionally dense. In fact, chaga has been used as herbal medicine for centuries because of its potential health benefits, some which include:

1. Can make your immune system stronger
2. Provides overall balance
3. Can reduce stress

Reishi Mushroom

Unlike chaga, the reishi mushroom will thrive in hot and humid climates. It’s popularly known as the Elixir of Immortality by medical experts of ancient China. All thanks to its various health benefits, it was believed that it can prolong human life.  Other benefits include:

1. Can boost your immune system
2. They have neuroprotective properties, stimulating memory and brain function
3. Flushes out free radicals in your body

Cordyceps Mushroom

Cordyceps is not your ordinary mushroom. Instead of growing on the ground, a dead log, or a live tree, cordyceps mushroom thrives on the larvae of insects. What happens is that when cordyceps attacks a host, it replaces the tissue of that host (or the larvae) then grows a slender stem outside that larvae.

In ancient Chinese Medicine, these mushrooms are considered healthy fungi that can be collected, dried and used as a traditional medicine for sickness and kidney. Below are more of its health benefits:

1. Can improve your physical performance
2. Exhibits anti-aging properties
3. Can help slow down the growth of tumors
4. Can help treat Type 2 diabetes
5. May improve one’s sex drive

Maitake Mushroom

Maitake mushroom has been used widely in Chinese and Japanese medicine for thousands of years. In Japanese, maitake literally means “dancing mushroom”. It was believed that when the Japanese people discovered the mushroom in the wild, they danced around it with joy and excitement. Hence, the name.

This mushroom is rich in vitamins B and C, antioxidants, fibre, amino acids, potassium and so much more! It’s also fat-free, low in calories and low in sodium. Below are some of its potential health benefits:

1. May prevent and treat cancer
2. Can lower cholesterol levels
3. Can help in managing Type 2 diabetes

Shitake Mushroom

If you love to cook and or dine in fancy restaurants, you’ve probably eaten at least a piece of shitake mushroom. These Japanese mushrooms are native to East Asia and thrive on dying hardwood trees. These fungi are also one the most popular in this list not only because of its rich and savory flavour but also because of its great nutritional profile. Below are some of its health benefits:

1. May improve heart health
2. Can strengthen one’s immune system
3. May strengthen your bones
4. Have antibacterial and antiviral effects

Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Last but not the least, lion’s mane. This mushroom is the weird-looking fungus that resembles a lion’s mane when they grow. Lion’s mane mushroom is an important piece of both culinary and medical traditions of Asian countries like India, Korea, Japan and China. These white and shaggy fungi can be eaten raw, dried, or cooked. However, you like it!

In terms of medical benefits, this mushroom also packs a punch. Below are only some of its potential benefits:

1. May prevent dementia
2. Can help with managing mild symptoms of anxiety
3. May reduce the risk of having heart disease
4. Can help fight cancer

The original mushroom coffee used chaga mushroom extract as an addition to the regular coffee. But aside from chaga, the other mushrooms mentioned above are also mixed into regular coffee to make mushroom coffee.

But if you want a more potent combination, our Espresso Coffee Mushroom Elixir combines the power of all six mushrooms to make the best coffee there is. We mixed the six mushroom extracts with our blue mountains roasted espresso coffee. Fortunately, these ingredients work well with each other in terms of taste and nutrition.

Just brew one tablespoon of our Espresso Coffee Mushroom Elixir in a coffee maker and you’re good to go! You can drink it as it is, or you can make smoothies, ice cream, or milkshakes out of it. Depends entirely on your preference!

I already love my brew. Why should I switch?

While drinking coffee promises a ton of health benefits, it’s not entirely without potential downsides. Not to put coffee in a bad light but indulging in a cup of joe has its own disadvantages.

For example, coffee can sometimes lead to indigestion. Every time you drink a cup, what happens is that it triggers the production of hydrochloric acid, which is used to digest food. Once you’ve drank too much, the reserves of acid are tapped and emptied, leaving nothing for churning the actual food that you eat.

Regular coffee, as you already know, can also cause trouble in your sleep-wake cycles. If you’ve had too much, you may experience difficulty both in falling and staying asleep.

On the other hand, mushroom coffee contains much less caffeine than the usual ones. The extracts of chaga, lion’s mane, and others keep the caffeine under control so you can power up your mornings, or even afternoons, without having to worry about the sleep disturbances.

Mushroom coffee may also promote healthy digestion because mushrooms are known for aiding the production of healthy bacteria in the stomach. These bacteria will help your stomach to process your food smoothly.

We know it’s hard to simply let go of that cup of joe that’s been in your morning routine since your first sip of caffeine. And we totally understand.

But it’s not bad either to stir things up a bit once in a while. Just take a sip of mushroom coffee, maybe try it for a month! And you decide whether it’s your cup of tea (or coffee, for that matter).

Where can I get my new morning fix?

If you’re curious about mushroom coffee, feel free to jump right into the craze. You can score our Espresso Coffee Mushroom Elixir here! If you just want a taste test, you can simply shop for the 100g pack and start little by little.

We bet you’ll love it in no time and you’ll end up craving more. But you don’t have to worry, because it’s also available in 250g, 500g, and 1kg packaging.

For more superfoods and other healthy products, don’t hesitate to shop around!