A midlife guide to... Mushroom coffee

Hang on, what’s that smell coming from my morning brew?

You mean that earthy effluvium? It’s mushroom coffee, the latest blend of Arabica and fungi you didn’t know you needed.

How did this come to pass?

It’s the latest example of culinary wizards trying to boost the health benefits of traditional foodstuffs. Coffee on steroids, if you will.

So are you saying that to make my coffee healthier all I need to do is mix it with a few closed cups left over from dinner?

Not exactly. Four Sigmatic, the company behind the enterprise, uses a blend of chaga and cordycep mushrooms, both of which have been used extensively in herbal medicine and are renowned for their immune-boosting properties and antioxidants. y , d

That’s all very well, butut why do they need to mix them with coffee? Can’t I just eat them separately?

The company claims that mixing the two helps temper coffee’scoffee s negative aspects. Cordycep mushrooms are believed to have energy-boosting properties, so mixing them with coffee should give you that extra buzz - with half the caffeine.

Intriguing, In but what abouta the flavour? I don’td want to taste fungusfu when I’m eating my muesli, thanks.

According to Four Sigmatic, the taste difference is negligible. And it can’t all be publicity; chaga mushrooms were used as a coffee replacement in Finland during the Second World War. Chaga tea is still drunk in parts of Russia.

So how do I make it? Do I have to soak it like porcini mushrooms?

Brewing your mushroom beverage couldn’t be simpler. Amazon sells it in handy pre-portioned sachets, so all you need to do is add hot water and stir.

I’ll drink to that. Maybe.

Lucy Rahim