Fungi in tea form may seem like an unfamiliar health trend, but this practice dates back centuries. Indigenous Siberians regularly add powdered chaga fungus powdered into their stews as an immune-enhancing additive.

Enjoy the flavor of chai with this mushroom tea blend that includes chaga, reishi and other immune-enhancing mushrooms for an amazing chai experience that’s caffeine free!

Preparation

Mushroom tea is generally easy to prepare and requires only a few ingredients. Using a kettle, saucepan, or a French press, bring water to a boil and then add mushrooms and herbs. Then let the mixture steep for a few minutes. After the tea has brewed, pour it into a mug and enjoy. The taste of mushroom tea can be earthy or bitter, so many people prefer to flavor it with other ingredients like lemon, ginger, or honey.

The method of preparation of this kind of instant bacterium mushroom tea is less in process steps and high in extraction efficiency, which is beneficial to serialization and large-scale production. Mushroom dry powder and black tea powder are added to the water (weight ratio of mushroom dry powder, black tea powder, and water is 1:2:60), mixed with microwave assisting method and carried out phase I lixiviate at 70 of extraction temperatures for 20 min; heat up afterwards and carry out second stage lixiviate at 90 of extraction temperatures for 30 min, extract liquid is leaching liquor, passed through 300 purpose screen cloths to remove insoluble solid; then leaching liquor is crossed by microfiltration membranes-reverse osmosis membrane combination, concentrate is collected, carries out spray-drying, get the bacterium mushroom instant tea.

The instant mushroom tea consists of a mixture of functional mushroom powder and black tea that can provide both the effects of mushrooms and the tea’s local flavors simultaneously. This kind of bacterium mushroom instant tea is rich in polysaccharide and polyphenol, integrates the functions and tastes of the two kinds of raw materials, and is widely used in daily life.

Flavoring

Mushroom tea tastes differently depending on its variety. Chaga boasts mild vanilla-like notes while reishi and lion’s mane bring earthy and woody characteristics to the blend, while umami notes come through more subtly in lion’s mane’s umami quality. While these flavors may prove challenging for some people, many find ways to enjoy them through spices, sweeteners or mixing it with other herbal or coffee-like teas.

Mushroom tea can be an invaluable way to promote wellness and healing in your daily routine. Make the preparation a mindful experience, adding different varieties to your tea collection as needed for maximum impact.

Take an afternoon detox with chaga tea or unwind before bed with reishi tea; adjust your selections depending on the season, choosing more immune-supporting varieties in fall/winter months and more energizing varieties during spring/summer. Or incorporate this drink into a balanced meal by pairing it with fresh ginger, turmeric or matcha; just beware consuming hot or chilled mushroom tea on an empty stomach as this could interfere with its absorption of beneficial compounds.