Mushroom Coffee Review: Health Benefits & Best Brands

What is mushroom coffee? Is it good for you? Should you drink it?

If you are on social media or explore health blogs much, you may have seen an ad or post about the growing trend of mushroom coffee. Like many health headlines, our Western culture is a bit delayed in discovering the efficacy of natural, ancient forms of medicine, like medicinal mushrooms. Now we are finding it trendy and hipster to include in our daily habits like morning coffee, but in places like China, these healthy herbs have been used for centuries.

So what’s so special about mushroom coffee? Are you really missing out?

In this blog I’ll explain what mushroom coffee is, tell you some of the benefits, and give you a review on Ryze Mushroom Enhanced Keto coffee to help you decide if this is a trend you want to join (hint: you probably do).

What is Mushroom Coffee?

As mentioned, Mushroom coffee is a growing health trend. It is considered a superfood that combines the antioxidant and cognitive benefits of coffee with medicinal mushroom extracts that give your health, energy, immune system, and mental clarity a boost. It is most often found as an instant powder that is easily mixed with water, but can also be found in pods and bags of grounds. While the idea of mushrooms in your coffee may sound gross, this morning beverage still tastes like your normal coffee,  while giving it an extra dose of valuable nutrients. Some brands may have just a hint of an earthy, mushroom taste, however. And don’t worry, these are not the “magic” mushrooms  you hear about. This mushroom blend will make you feel fantastic without a high or hallucinogenic effects. I’ll explain more about the specific mushrooms and their benefits below.

Does mushroom coffee have coffee in it?

Yes, it does. This is not a coffee alternative, but actual coffee with mushrooms added. The benefit and difference from normal coffee is that most mushroom coffees have low caffeine content.

What is the best mushroom coffee?

While the concept of this beverage is still unfamiliar to most people, there are actually several brands that you can purchase from.  I have not tried them all, so I can’t honestly say which is THE best. Like many health products, they each have their unique ingredients that makes them  great for different reasons. Popular brands include Four Sigmatic, Ganoderma, Ryze, Sun Alchemy, La Republica, Laird Superfoods and others. I currently have Four Sigmatic and Ganoderma packets in my cabinet for easy travel, and a bag of Ryze on my counter for my daily coffee obsession.

Ryze Mushroom Enhanced Keto Coffee is the one I now consider my favorite and is the focus of this blog. The main reason being the fantastic energy and focus it gives me that I’ve never experienced with other mushroom coffees.

Many of the other benefits I list below apply to several other mushroom coffees, so this will help educate you on these types of coffees in generally, while specifically highlighting features of Ryze coffee and why it is currently my preferred choice (see discount code to try it out at the end of this blog).

Features and Benefits of Ryze Keto Coffee

1.Mushrooms – Of course, this is what sets this coffee apart from a typical cup of coffee. Within the mushroom coffee genre, each brand offers various mushroom blends. For instance, Four Sigmatic and Laird tend to focus on one or two mushrooms per coffee, such as cordyceps and chaga for energy.

What I like about Ryze is that it includes 6 mushrooms so you get all the benefits at once: Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Shiitake, King Trumpet, Turkey Tail (named in relation to their appearance). That is a big benefit Ryze has over other mushroom coffees – the convenience of having all of them in your ritual morning cup o’ joe.

Here is what they each do:

• Cordyceps – physical, sustained energy (not a stimulants)
• Lion’s Mane – focus and brain health 
• Reishi – immunity and stress relief
• Shiitake – immunity and anti-inflammation
• Turkey Tail – gut health and digestion 
• King Trumpet – immunity and antioxidants 

2.USA Manufactured  – Ryze mushrooms are manufactured in the USA and use the fruiting bodies to get the most nutritional value from the mushroom.

3.Low Caffeine Content – Mushroom coffees that are focused on health will generally have lower caffeine content. For caffeine addicts this may not seem like good news, but the benefit of mushrooms is that they naturally add to that perk and mental boost without stimulants, so you don’t need all the caffeine. Ryze coffee has 48mg of caffeine per tablespoon, which is one serving or one cup of coffee. For reference, one cup of drip coffee can have up to 120mg of caffeine, while Four Sigmatic has 40mg on average.  I consider this a huge benefit because caffeine is not great for your health and can increase stress effects in your body, so keeping your caffeine content low is a big bonus. It also means you can drink an extra serving without bouncing off the walls.

4.MCT Oil and Keto – Ryze is unique because it includes MCT oil in the mix. Putting MCT oil into your coffee is supposed to help your brain to run on ketones and sharpen brain function and memory. It serves as an antimicrobial and acts more as an energy source and fat-burner. For these reasons, I like the addition of MCT for days when I want a little boost and some calories, but want to exercise in a nearly-fasted state, such as for a run or an early weight training session when I don’t want a full stomach. For those on a keto diet, this is a great way to drink coffee and get in those good fats. You will also see this in the list of cons below for other reasons.

5.Energy and Brain Boost – I have noticed since starting to drink this, especially when on an empty stomach, that I feel much more alert and energetic. I’m not super sensitive to caffeine, either, so I think it’s the combo of mushrooms and MCT oil. I have a lot better focus on my work, feel more productive, and have great energy for my workouts when I drink it in the morning.

6.Creamy taste and flavor – the MCT oil also adds a nice creamy consistency to this coffee. While I typically drink strong black coffee or espresso, the change is nice sometimes for a softer taste and added flavor. If you typically add milk or cream, you might find that you don’t need it with this, which is great because MCT is much healthier than dairy options.

7.No sugar or sweetener – Big bonus that there is no sugar – there’s really nothing good to say about added sugars to anything. I don’t like sweet coffee, so I’m very happy to have a coffee that has a creamy consistency without sweetness! Many “healthy” creamer and coffee options add sweeteners such as monkfruit, stevia, or junk like sucralose. For some people who like sweet coffee, this might be a con, but you can always add your own stevia or monkfruit.

8.Organic and GMO – Mushroom coffees are geared toward improving health, so higher quality is part of the perk. Ryze coffee uses non-GMO ingredients (very important for protecting your health) and their mushroom blend is organic. As of writing this, their coffee is not organic, but they are in the process of switching to organic which will definitely make it a better product.

9.Instant – This is both a pro and con of this coffee. It is a powdered, instant coffee, which makes it a huge time saver.  Just a quick dump and stir into hot water and you’re on your way to a great cup of coffee. This also makes it great for travel.

10.Cost – A bag of Ryze coffee is $30 for 30 servings, as compared to Four Sigmatic which can be found at stores on online anywhere from about $1.20-2.00 per packet/serving.

Cons of Instant Mushroom Coffee

You will find in this section that for the most part all of the cons were also in the pros. Aspects of this coffee can be seen in either light, depending on what’s important to you about your coffee. So, let’s start where we left off in the benefits…

1.Instant – Yes, this was a pro, but it can also be a con. If if you’re a coffee connoisseur, this will probably be a bit of a let-down, because instant coffee just never tastes the same. Personally, I’m an espresso/lungo/Americano drinker, so it doesn’t even compare to a quality, strong cup of coffee or shot of espresso. It all depends on your taste buds, and I like to switch back and forth depending on my mood, since some days espresso is just a bit too much.

2.MCT Oil – Again, this was a benefit, but it can also be a negative. For anyone on a lower-fat diet, this added fat won’t help (although MCT is healthy and acts more like a carb and energy source). Personally, some days I like to do fasted workouts, so this will break that fast, so I’ll stay away from this when wanting to maintain a fast. There’s really nothing wrong with including MCT oil, but sometimes you just want black and/or calorie free.

3.Mushroom Extract Mystery Amount – The bag or website does not state how much of any of these mushrooms are in the coffee, and of course amount matters because trace amounts aren’t going to do a whole lot of good. However, Ryze told me that their proprietary blend contains 2000mg of mushroom.As a reference point, a packet of Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane and Chaga blend contains 500mg of mushrooms.

4.Caffeine – As stated above, caffeine is not great for you, which is why I try to stick with decaf as often as possible. While 48mg is very low, it’s still caffeine, so if you want to avoid caffeine, this isn’t a great option for you. I also can’t sleep if I drink caffeine to late, which you may relate to, so if you want an afternoon cup, this one’s pretty much off the table.

How Does Ryze Coffee Taste?

Everyone will probably have a different answer to this, but in my opinion as someone who loves dark coffee and avoids light coffee, this sits somewhere in the middle. It has a light, mellow taste and might be described as “woodsy”, with a hint of mushroom taste. Personally I like the earthy flavor, and it tastes very much like coffee with a creamy non-dairy milk stirred into it; yet my husband said he definitely tastes a bit of mushroom (similar to mushroom powder we put into our morning smoothies).

Ways to Drink

• For a mild taste – mix with 8-10 oz of water (according to the package)
• For a richer taste– I personally mix with only about 4-6 oz because otherwise it tastes too watered down to me.
• For a creamier taste – blend with oat or almond milk. Use a milk frother for a foamier, more latte like version.
• For a stronger taste – mix with stronger coffee or espresso
• For an iced version – blend as normal and pour over ice
• For protein coffee – add a scoop of unflavored or vanilla collagen protein
• For extra flavor – top with cinnamon or cardamom

You can purchase Ryze coffee at 15% off with code Holly15. This is not an affiliate sale and I am not paid for this, but they wanted to offer my readers a discount code.

Hopefully all of these details have given you some clarity on what mushroom coffee is, and some help in finding a brand you’ll enjoy. You can use this link to get tons more info about Ryze coffee and great recipes, you can check out this document on their site. What do you think – are you going to jump on the mushroom bandwagon? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on mushroom coffee and favorite ways to enjoy it!