Mushrooms are prized for adding umami – an earthy flavor – to dishes. Additionally, their wide array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants is often touted as helping boost immunity. Thus, mushrooms have become popular additions in coffee blends that promise improved focus, better sleep, and higher energy levels – but does mushroom coffee live up to the promise?

This new beverage blends ground coffee beans with extracts of medicinal mushrooms like chaga, lion’s mane, cordyceps, reishi and turkey tail. Most blends have roughly half the caffeine of regular coffee but this varies between products and brands. Most also contain additional ingredients like organic coconut milk powder, stevia or natural sweeteners to reduce the sugar intake. Some like Everyday Dose Bold Coffee+ and Joey can be quickly brewed instantly while Four Sigmatic Focus and Ryze powdered mixes can quickly stirred into water or milk for instant joe.

Many of the brands we evaluated contained additional functional ingredients, such as l-theanine to counteract caffeine’s jittery side effects or ashwagandha for mood enhancement. Although more research needs to be conducted in order to validate such claims, these foods or supplements may help those unable or unwilling to abandon coffee entirely. Before beginning any new functional food or supplement regimens it’s wise to consult your healthcare provider, particularly if pregnant or nursing.

We conducted blind tastings on 11 mushroom coffees to select the ideal ones. We looked for drinks that were easy to prepare, tasted great and had an affordable price point.

Mushroom-coffee blends we tried generally had similar tastes to regular coffee, though some featured more earthy or nutty notes. We looked for drinks free from caffeine as well as those containing small amounts derived from cacao sources – we found Rasa Adaptogenic Mushroom Coffee was completely devoid of stimulants while Everyday Dose and Atlas+ both contained roughly 10 milligrams per serving, the latter winning due to being caffeine free!

While many health claims have been made about this trendy beverage, many remain unverified and further research is necessary. Furthermore, these blends do not contain psychedelic mushrooms that may lead to altered states of consciousness. According to experts we consulted, it is impossible to get high from medicinal mushrooms found in these products and you will not experience any psychoactive side-effects even after drinking too much mushroom-coffee, according to their statements. Medicinal mushrooms do not produce the same intense effects as marijuana and other psychedelics, and will not impair your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. However, some users have reported adverse reactions due to high caffeine concentrations present in certain mushroom-coffee blends.