If you’ve been scrolling on social media lately, you may have noticed a new trend in the wellness world: mushroom coffee. I’ve found myself wondering: what is mushroom coffee? Are its health benefits worth the hype? Or is it all a bunch of marketing nonsense? Most importantly, does mushroom coffee even taste good? I dug into some research to find the answers to these questions and more. I can’t wait to share my findings with you! Turns out the answer to "what is mushroom coffee? " is a wee bit more complicated than I thought. So, whether you’ve been considering a switch to mushroom coffee or you’re just dang curious about this fungi-infused brew, keep reading! I’ll give you the intel on the potential health benefits of drinking mushroom coffee, which brands are worth buying and whether medicinal mushrooms can stand up to regular coffee. Here’s a spoiler: mushroom coffee tastes pretty good!
That is, as long as you like some earthiness in your cup. Should you adored this post as well as you would want to acquire details concerning Supplier of shiitake mushroom extract powder for drink Ingredients kindly check out our web-page. What Is Mushroom Coffee? How Is It Made? What Is Mushroom Coffee? I’ll be honest, when I heard that people were adding mushrooms to their coffee, I got a little nervous. But after doing some research, I had an epiphany: coffee isn’t the star of mushroom coffee. It’s not supposed to be! Rather, the key ingredient is ground mushrooms or mushroom extracts. What kind of mushrooms they are determines the best mushroom coffee blends. There are thousands of mushrooms out there, but mushroom coffee tends to include species that have reported health benefits. Blends often include chaga mushrooms, cordyceps, lion’s mane, turkey tail mushrooms and reishi mushrooms. Several brands also include other ingredients, like sweeteners, oils and powdered milk or non-dairy milk. As far as the coffee part, mushroom coffee either includes ground coffee beans or instant coffee granules.
It all depends on a brand’s intended brewing method. Some mushroom coffee is a powder with instant coffee that dissolves in milk or water. Other brands are more similar to your classic pre-ground coffee, just with some ground up mushrooms thrown in. Incidentally, some mushroom coffee brands don’t even contain coffee! Instead, they’ll include tea for caffeine. On the flip side, some brands add chicory root or barley malt to get a nutty, chocolatey flavor that simulates a coffee experience. So, if there’s no coffee in some mushroom coffee, why do they call themselves coffee? Well, there’s the marketing appeal of calling a product "coffee" or a "coffee alternative." I mean, people love coffee in the morning, so these brands want to jump on board. There’s also a long history of coffee alternative beverages marketing themselves as coffee. This is true for roasted chicory root drinks and barley malt beverages. Mushroom coffee is just the newest, health-focused iteration of this copycat trend!
How Is Mushroom Coffee Made? Okay, now that we’ve gotten over the "what is mushroom coffee? " hurdle, we can get to the important part: how do we drink it? First, a brief summary on how it’s made before it gets to our cups! Mushroom coffee is made with a specially formulated blend of either powdered mushrooms or mushroom extracts. This mushroom blend is then mixed with other ingredients. These include powdered plant milk, oil, sweeteners, cacao, coffee, tea, chai mix and more, depending on the brand. Fortunately, at this point the hard part is over. The mushroom coffee has been assembled and is just waiting to be enjoyed! Unlike regular coffee, there is pretty much no fuss when brewing and drinking mushroom coffee. In all regards, the process is pretty simple. If you’re buying pre-ground coffee with ground mushrooms, you’ll brew your mushroom coffee with a regular ol’ drip coffee maker or pour-over dripper.
Incidentally, the majority of ‘shroom coffee brands are in powder form, so all you need to do is mix a tablespoon or so with milk or water at your preferred drinking temperature. You heard that right - any temperature! Iced mushroom coffee, anyone? Cozy mushroom latte? These medicinal mushrooms can do it all! What Are the Benefits of Mushroom Coffee? It’s true, mushroom coffee drinks can be pretty tasty. But why should we drink them? I’ll start with a necessary disclaimer: most of the health benefits of mushroom coffee are potential benefits, and are not scientifically proven. However, I can say that medicinal mushrooms such as lion’s mane do have proven health benefits. In fact, several species have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Still, since mushroom coffee is so new, the jury’s still out on whether those health benefits stick around after processing. In the meantime, it’s still worth discussing the aforementioned potential health benefits!