Should you put ‘magic’ mushrooms in your coffee?

FOR most of us, a steaming cup of coffee is a prerequisite for making it through the morning. But while everyone knows that a hit of caffeine is a surefire way to wake you up, is it the most effective way to keep your energy levels boosted?

Enter the rise of adaptogenic coffee: your favourite hot drink infused with herbs and fungi including magic, or medicinal, mushroom extracts (these sorts of ‘magic’ mushrooms don’t contain the psychoactive components found in the illegal ones).

The addition of ingredients such as lion’s mane or cordyceps mushrooms are said to offset the cortisol-increasing effects of caffeine.

For those sensitive to caffeine, even the smallest amount of coffee can act like a stressor, leading to heart palpitations, restlessness and anxiety as our heart rate and blood pressure rises.

But the theory is that adding in an adaptogen — most of these blends offer 1,000 mg of mushroom extract — helps increase our resilience to stress. So you get all the benefits of feeling alert, without the jittery after-effects.

My brain doesn’t usually kick in until mid-morning, yet I’m quite sensitive to caffeine and can feel jittery after a flat white. So I’m intrigued by the premise of mushroom coffee.

research is ongoing, but studies so far seem to support the idea that taking different adaptogens can have a positive impact on everything from skin health, immunity, mental performance and anxiety, to energy levels, digestive health and sleep quality.

So, just how effective are these new brain-boosting blends? I put five UK-based brands to the test…

FIND YOUR FOCUS

London Nootropics Flow Blend, £15 for 12 sachets (12 cups, £1.25 per cup, londonnootropics.com)

THIS coffee — containing lion’s mane and rhodiola rosea — left a silty residue at the bottom of the mug, but that didn’t bother me. And the slightly sweet but not overpowering taste, much like a latte, left me happily reaching for it each morning.

Going through my accounts to start sorting my tax return would normally be dull enough to put me to sleep. But I felt able to concentrate much better after a cup of Nootropics, focusing my energy on the task at hand without getting distracted. 4/5

BRAIN BOOSTER

Antioxi Shroom Focus Coffee, £19.99 for 150g pouch (38 cups, 53p per cup, antioxi.co.uk)

THE blend contains extracts from the chaga and turkey tail mushrooms, as well as 100 per cent arabica coffee, and just a teaspoon mixed with hot water promises to improve brain health.

The coffee has a finely milled texture and I liked the flavour. Although how much of my alertness after drinking could be put solely down to the adaptogens, rather than the caffeine, I’m not sure, as I felt more of a traditional buzz. The after-effects didn’t last as long as some of the other blends I tried — within an hour I was reaching for another cup. 3/5

NO RAINBOW RUSH

Spacegoods Rainbow Dust, £39 for 240g (30 cups, £1.30 per cup, with a subscription at spacegoods.com)

SPACEGOODS promises to bring ‘focus, productivity and energy’, with ingredients including lion’s mane, chaga mushrooms, maca and ashwagandha roots.

But I didn’t find drinking this cuppa enjoyable, thanks to its watery hot chocolate taste, more akin to a synthetic protein powder. After struggling to finish my brew, I didn’t feel the same ‘lift’ as with the other brands. I wouldn’t rush to try this again. 1/5

BANG ON BLEND

Merryhill Mushrooms Instant Mushroom Coffee, £7.25 for ten sachets (ten cups, 73p per cup, merryhill-mushrooms.co.uk)

COMBINING lion’s mane, cordyceps and ashwagandha extracts with instant coffee, Merryhill Mushrooms’ calibrate blend sachets were the most similar in flavour to the traditional brew I would usually reach for. I loved it. I felt very focused, bashing through my morning of admin with ease, not once tempted by other distractions. As the lift lasted well into the late afternoon, I would buy this one again. 5/5

COSTLY EARTHY TASTE

Dirtea Coffee Mushroom Super Blend, £39.99 for 150g sachet, (60 cups, 67p per cup, dirteaworld.com)

ANOTHER all-in- one product, combining lion’s mane, chaga, and tremella with ashwagandha and maca. I enjoyed the earthy taste and did feel more awake and productive afterwards. But I felt the lift wasn’t as long-lasting as others I tried, despite the hefty price tag. 3/5