Life
Need a Boost? Try These Delicious Mushroom Coffees For Focus
Coffee, the morning elixir that fuels so many of us, certainly has a lot going for it — but it's not your only option. In fact, the best mushroom coffees offer a gentle, low-acidic buzz that's gut-friendly, especially for those with sensitive stomachs.
Some of the most common mushroom varieties found in mushroom coffee are also adaptogens, a category of plant known for helping combat stress and restore balance, and that come loaded with multiple other health benefits.
Here are some of the benefits of the specific mushroom types often found in this earthy drink:
- Lion’s mane: these white spiny mushrooms are prized for their cognitive function and nerve health benefits, and they can can also help support the immune system and improve mood.
- Reishi: these brown bracket mushrooms can help boost your immune system and energy, as well as reduce stress. Regular consumption of reishi may also reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
- Chaga: these knotty black 'shrooms may lower inflammation and blood sugar and may even have properties that fight cancer cells.
- Cordyceps: you might not want to know this, but cordyceps is a kind of parasitic fungi that actually sprouts off the backs of insect larvae. It has been linked to a ton of health benefits, like helping improve your performance at the gym and lowering inflammation, and even increasing sex drive.
Many of the mushroom coffees you’ll find can simply be blended with water, like instant coffee, or they can be brewed in a French press or your favorite brewing method. By and large, it tastes like coffee, not mushrooms. You can even drop a scoop into your smoothie.
Keep in mind that before adding any new dietary supplement to your routine, it's a good idea to check with your doctor. With all this in mind, below are the best mushroom coffees on Amazon.
We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team.
1The Overall Best: Sun Alchemy Mushroom Coffee
If you're ready to reap the most health benefits from a mushroom coffee, this one from Sun Alchemy is the one to try. While the brand may not be as much of a household name, it offers the most potent blend, with 1,000 milligrams of all four of the adaptogenic mushroom varieties discussed above — lion's mane, reishi, chaga, and cordyceps.
This pick is certified-organic and uses certified fair trade instant coffee, with each 5.5-gram packet containing 110 milligrams of caffeine. The brand boasts that it has 40% more mushrooms than other brands that sell 2.5-gram packets. Reviewers commented this mushroom coffee is "full-bodied" and "delicious."
A helpful review: “I drink black coffee and am very particular about every part of making it. So when I saw this was instant I was not expecting to like it. At all. Well it was love at first sip and not only the amazing bold flavor but the way it makes you feel is just beyond explanation. With no jitters. I have tried two other brands since and they do not even come close to this one. [...]"
2The One With A Cult Following: Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee
Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee is a Goop-approved pick with an impressive 4.2-star Amazon rating and more than 3,000 reviews, including several comments from shoppers who love the taste and all-day energy it provides.
Compared to the top pick, these packets are smaller (2.5 grams) and they offer less caffeine (50 milligrams per packet), which might appeal to anyone trying to titrate down from their regular coffee habit, or just consume less caffeine in general.
This certified-organic blend of instant coffee and mushrooms comes with 250 milligrams of lion's mane, 250 milligrams of chaga, and 100 milligrams of rhodiola, a root intended to increase energy and relieve stress, and even help reduce depressive symptoms.
If you'd prefer to test the waters by trying a few different mushroom coffee varieties first to see what tastes best for you, there's a mushroom coffee sampler pack from Four Sigmatic too.
A helpful review: “[...] I feel mental clarity and focus on days I take the Lions Mane coffee and feel like I can put out a few more reps when I exercise after taking the cordyceps coffee. The packets are convenient for travel and to keep at work, home, the gym, and the car. I also really appreciate that each packet only has 40 mg of caffeine so that I can control the amount of caffeine I have along with other nootropics, preworkout, etc. It’s easy to take a bunch of caffeine and call that focus or energy, but you’ll know the difference with true focus and true energy by swapping most of that caffeine for some high quality medicinal mushroom. As an added bonus, both products contain Chaga, which means no matter whether I want to boost focus or energy (or both), I’m getting a boost to my immune system along the way.”
3A Budget-Friendly Option: RaHygge Reishi Mushroom Coffee
Although, at first glance, this bag is a few more bucks than my first two picks, you're actually getting a lot more for your money with this affordable mushroom coffee from RaHygge. However, it has only one kind of mushroom: reishi. (It's also available in individual bags of lion's mane or chaga, so you could theoretically make your own blend).
One serving has 106 milligrams of caffeine and 284 milligrams of reishi mushroom, and the manufacturer recommends this medium-bodied brew for making filtered coffee or a lighter espresso. Reviewers commented it tastes rich with no hint of mushroom.
A helpful review: “I ordered the Reishi flavor and I love it so far! I usually have issues with my stomach when drinking normal coffee but I didn't have any with this coffee! The taste is pleasant and overall good value for the price. The mushroom part balances the coffee side effects. [...]"
4The Best Caffeine-Free Option: Rasa Adaptogenic Coffee Alternative
Though not technically "coffee" because it's caffeine-free, this herbal mushroom coffee is great to have around if you sometimes reach for decaf, or are trying to cut out caffeine entirely. Each 7.5-gram serving contains chaga, reishi, plus other herbs, like rhodiola and ashwagandha (another kind of adaptogen).
Reviewers commented it’s delicious, nutty, and slightly reminiscent of chai. This pick is certified-organic, sugar-free, Whole30-approved, and also has the benefit of providing digestive support.
A helpful review: “I'm really enjoying this drink as an alternative to coffee. Since I started drinking it I've eliminated caffeine altogether. I like how the flavor is earthy like coffee, but without the acidity and caffeine. And I LOVE the health benefits I'm receiving like energy without high highs and low lows, I feel generally calmer and I wouldn't believe it if I read it, but more happy on days when I drink my Rasa. [...]”
5Nice To Have: A Mushroom Powder For Boosting Any Coffee Or Tea
You can choose your own adventure with a mushroom powder mix that can be added to any coffee, tea, or other beverage. A 2.5-gram serving contains a potent adaptogenic blend of mushrooms with 625 milligrams each of chaga, cordyceps, lion's mane, and reishi.
There's no caffeine or coffee in this certified-organic powder, just Pacific Northwest-grown mushrooms aiming to boost cognition and attention. Reviewers commented this highly rated pick tastes surprisingly good: nutty and earthy, like cocoa.
A helpful review: “I LOVE this product! Just reordered it. I won’t do without it. I was afraid it would make me hyper, but the effect was the opposite. It gets rid of the coffee jitters and gives me a very nice calm focus. A wonderful way to start the day.”