Mushroom is a versatile food that can be incorporated into any dish. They have been a part of our diet since ancient times, edible mushrooms have been found preserved with Egyptian mummies dating back to 3400-3100 BCE!
But what happens when you combine coffee with a fungus? Well, you get mushroom coffee, currently being sipped by over a wide population across the globe. Adding nuts to this concoction will elevate its taste as well, as both the elements pair well due to the blend of flavours.
Reviving old Arrangements
The idea was to combine two ingredients in a way that gives you the taste and energy needed to conquer a day, minus the jitters and acidity that your dose of caffeine leaves you with.
Mushrooms like Chaga, Lion’s Mane, Reishi etc are used for this brew. They are ground, combined with ground coffee and voila! It’s ready to be sipped. According to the mushroom coffee creators at Four Sigmatic, “Organic coffee plus Chaga is chaga-bly delicious and remarkably good at balancing caffeine.”
Four Sigmatic uses adaptogenic mushrooms for your coffee and draws inspiration from its CEO’s Finnish grandparents’ ways: making coffee without the beans, entirely from mushrooms (during WW2, when there was no coffee to be found).
Their Chaga mushroom coffee helps maintain a good immune system and Lion’s Mane variant supports your brain and nerve health with its bioactive compounds. If you’re living in India, you can now get access to their mushroom products through The Wellness Collective.
Less caffeine crash, more forest-like calm
Forest’s Mushroom coffee is enriched with Maca root containing high iron and iodine levels, and Cordycep fungi to increase your body’s ATP production. The company brings this “tribal superfood” closer to you as its acknowledges that the plants they source for their products are used and revered by ancient cultures for health and wellness. And hence Forest was born with the idea to share the transformative powers of these benefit-packed super plants and superfoods with the busy everyday person and to empower everyone to feel amazing in their own skin.
Their vegan, refined sugar-free and gluten-free Arabica coffee combined with organic Ashwagandha, organic Brahmi, and other organic ingredients is a tasty way to spend an evening while nourishing your body. Forest’s Lion’s Mane mushroom coffee is designed to keep you calm and balanced while the one with Chaga is to support vitality and immunity. The product will never make you feel like you are tasting mushrooms, to your tongue, it is all delicious coffee with more nutrients.
The benefits
- As the ratio of coffee and mushroom extract is 1:1, it cuts down your caffeine consumption.
- Mushrooms promote the growth of neurons and improves the brain’s neurotransmitter function, thereby reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
- The abundance of antioxidants in mushrooms reduces cell damage and helps slow down the aging process
If you are interested in trying out the mushroom coffee, go order your favourite from the websites of these brands, or you can also make it a DIY mission. Grab your hands on some adaptogenic mushrooms and a sweetener of your choice. If you are feeling relaxed, add some milk too. Here is a recipe to try out:
- Get a teaspoon of powdered mushroom.
- Add a teaspoon of your favourite sweetener.
- Add a little dark chocolate, melted.
- Add one shot of espresso.
- Pour some hot milk and enjoy the frothy, creamy deliciousness!
Read the risk
Although it might be an innovative spin to your regular coffee, analyse its effects thoroughly, based on your health before trying it out. Despite its numerous benefits to the stomach and mind, it would be good to read about some of the digestive issues it creates. If you have a problematic kidney, consider sticking to normal coffee.
For some people, Reishi mushrooms can be dangerous as it can affect the liver. Some consumers of the coffee have also complained of dizziness after consumption, regretting the high price they paid for it. Pregnant or nursing mothers are advised to avoid it, as there has not been a lot of scientific studies on the safety of mushroom coffee. If you are on any kind of medication, do speak to your doctor before making mushroom coffee a regular to your morning routine.
