Should you put ‘magic’ mushrooms in your coffee?

For most of us, a steaming cup of coffee is a prerequisite for getting 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 evolution of adaptogenic coffee: your favorite hot drink infused with herbs and mushrooms, including magic or medicinal mushroom extracts (this kind of ‘magic’ mushrooms do not contain the psychoactive components found in the illegal ones).

Adding ingredients such as lion’s mane or cordyceps mushrooms is said to offset caffeine’s cortisol-increasing effects.

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

But the theory is that adding an adaptogen—most of these blends offer 1,000 mg of mushroom extract—helps increase our resistance 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 mushroom coffee premise.

Research is ongoing, but studies so far seem to support the idea that consuming various 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 how effective are these new brain-boosting concoctions? I tested five UK brands…

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 it didn’t bother me. And the slightly sweet but not overpowering taste, like a latte, made me happily reach for it every morning.

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

BRAIN BOOSTER

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

The blend contains extracts from the chaga and turkey tail mushrooms as well as 100 percent arabica coffee, and just one teaspoon mixed with warm water promises to improve brain health.

The coffee has a finely ground texture and I liked the taste. Although how much of my alertness after drinking could be purely due to the adaptogens, rather than the caffeine, I’m not sure as I felt more like 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

Adding ingredients such as lion’s mane or cordyceps mushrooms are said to offset caffeine’s cortisol-increasing effects

NO RAINBOW SUSH

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

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 this cup fun to drink, thanks to its watery hot chocolate flavor, 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 bags (ten cups, 73p per cup, merryhill-mushrooms.co.uk)

Combining lion’s mane, cordyceps and ashwagandha extracts with instant coffee, Merryhill Mushrooms’ Calibrate mix bags were the closest in taste to the traditional brew I would normally reach for. I loved it. I felt very focused, and breezed through my morning as an administrator, not once tempted by other distractions. Since the lift lasted well into the afternoon, I would buy this again. 5/5

EXPENSIVE EARTHLY TASTE

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

Another all-in-one product that combines lion’s mane, chaga and tremella with ashwagandha and maca. I enjoyed the earthy taste and felt more alert and productive afterwards. But I felt the lift wasn’t as long-lasting as others I tried, despite the high price tag. 3/5