So when I began seeing more and more mushroom coffee products emerging, I was certainly intrigued—after all, plenty of nutritionists and functional medicine doctors recommend taking adaptogenic mushrooms for their scope of potential benefits. To get a better sense of this mushroom moment, I chatted with experts and gave these products a try for myself. More recently, according to information from Four Sigmatic, mushrooms were used as a coffee substitute in Finland (where their founders are from), during World War II when coffee beans weren’t available. Now, there are more and more packaged mushroom coffee products hitting the shelves, in a variety of forms. Some contain a balanced blend of beans and mushrooms, and others include additional functional components. A few opt for tea or other energizing ingredients, in lieu of actual coffee. The common denominator? They all contain some form of ground medicinal mushrooms or extracts to contribute a host of potential health benefits. “There are thousands of species of mushrooms, and their purported benefits range from supporting liver and heart health to enhancing energy and more,” allergist and immunologist Heather Moday, M.D., previously told mindbodygreen. While the benefits of mushrooms differ based on type—and research is still emerging—here are a few promising benefits to consider, from Moday and Davar: As an integrative dietitian, Davar says she uses medicinal mushrooms quite often. “One of my favorite ways to have mushrooms is in a mushroom latte, mixed with plant-based milk.” In other words: mushroom coffee. To drink: Blend a tablespoon of the powder with hot water or your favorite nondairy beverage. To drink: stir into coffee or drink of choice. To drink: Pop the latte pod out of its container, blend with 1 cup of your favorite milk, and serve hot or cold. To drink: Brew this blend like you would standard ground coffee! To drink: brew it like coffee. A french press is ideal, but all that’s required is hot water and a strainer. To drink: Grab a can and go! To drink: Grab and sip! To drink: Pour and sip! What’s more, while none of the products on this list contain refined added sugars or artificial ingredients, some options on the market do—so we recommend eyeing the label before buying any premade mushroom coffee.
