How do you take your coffee in the morning? Latte? Oat milk? Decaf?
How about adding mushrooms to your morning cup of liquid energy? Yup, the news has recently hit that guests at Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel have been waking up to mushrooms with the launch of a new ‘Shroom Service’ this week – and they’re not the only ones outing themselves as fungi fans.
From gorgeous pics on the ’gram to Kourtney Kardashian’s Chaggachino, mushroom coffees are everywhere – and we’re here for it.
But what’s the deal with mushroom coffee? Are we just flinging any old chestnut mushrooms into our cups? Let us explain.
First things first, put down the button mushrooms. Known as ‘functional mushrooms’, the mushrooms put into your morning brews are legal adaptogen-packed feel-good fungi which have skyrocketed in popularity in the wellness industry, a ‘shroom boom’ that has seen them hailed as the next CBD.
These super shrooms are proven to support healthy cognition as well as delivering a multitude of other benefits such as mood enhancement, increased energy, and increased focus.
And it’s not even a new concept: adaptogens, powerful plants and mushrooms that act to help your body to manage stress, have been used in medicine for thousands of years.
They’re a staple in traditional Chinese medicine, fuelled Vikings on their conquests, and were even an Olympian secret to winning gold medals in Ancient Greece.
Tero Isokauppila, founder of leading functional mushroom brand Four Sigmatic and 13th generation mushroom farmer said: “The vast fungi kingdom has over 1.5 million varieties that range from psychedelic to poisonous to delicious to powerful.
“The mushrooms that I have been crusading for are called functional mushrooms: they’re non-toxic, safe for long-term use, adaptogenic mushrooms that contribute distinct benefits to our mental and physical well-being and performance. They’re adaptogens, which act in non-specific ways to help your body adapt to occasional stress.
“Our mushroom coffee is infused with a potent dose of organic, extracted functional mushrooms.
“The result is a cup of coffee that not only retains its artisanal taste but also enriches mental focus, offers balanced energy, and aids in stress management. It truly wakes up your mind.”
So can you enjoy a brew? If you are imagining a cup of coffee with mushroom slices floating at the top, we’ve got great news – that is absolutely not what this is. You’ll find blended mixes of ground coffee beans and ground mushrooms all over the internet – but according to Isokauppila, you need to make sure that the mushroom element is listed as ‘extracted’ in order for functional mushrooms to be bioavailable to your body.
For Grayson Hart, a former international rugby player and founder of Puresport, says that swapping his regular cup of joe for a fungi-fuelled alternative has been revolutionary. He said: “Swapping your morning coffee for a functional mushroom alternative is a game-changer.
“They are like little health powerhouses that pack a serious punch and by incorporating them into your morning routine you can enhance your overall wellbeing in a natural and sustainable way.
“Functional mushrooms, like Cordyceps and Lion’s mane, offer a sustained and balanced energy boost without jitters or crashes you can get from coffee. They’re great at enhancing focus and mental clarity to set you up for a productive day.”
However, as Healthline notes, before you hope for sudden life-changing effects, it’s worth taking into consideration that most most studies on medicinal mushrooms are based on animals or done in a lab, with few clinical trials in humans.
They add: “These studies aren’t specific to mushroom coffee — and it’s unclear whether there are combined positive or negative health effects of mixing mushrooms and coffee beans.”
Either way, we’ll take all the health help we can get. Pass the mushroom brew...