One of the more intriguing innovations in recent years has been the Coffee Bag, designed to offer the same convenience as teabags. UK based Cafe Shroom has taken this one step further and created the first Organic Ground Mushroom Coffee Bag.
It features speciality (extra roasted) 100% Arabica coffee beans mixed with nutrient-dense extracts of lion’s mane, cordyceps and chaga mushrooms. Lion’s mane and cordyceps are thought to enhance body and mind, and chaga has been linked to a healthy immune system. Being a keen ground coffee drinker with a busy lifestyle, I was eager to try them!
For the last two weeks, I’ve relegated the coffee machine to the cupboard and used their Honduras decaffeinated coffee bags.
Table of Contents
Who are Café Shroom?
Café Shroom sources the best quality organic ingredients worldwide to ensure that their blends are as useful possible. Founder Daniel was introduced to functional mushrooms whilst living in Australia. A little Lion’s Mane mushroom extract added to his morning coffee produced noticeable health benefits and led to his invention of time-saving ground mushroom coffee bags.
Café Shroom imports medicinal mushrooms and quality coffee beans to the UK from many different locations including Peru, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and China. They also show an admirable commitment to fairtrade and offer support for the farming communities they work with.
To ensure that the final product contains the maximum amount of active ingredients, they use a specialised double extraction technique to treat the mushrooms. The resulting extract is then infused with the coffee beans before being ground and sealed into convenient coffee bags.
First Impressions
The coffee arrived in a neat box with an attractive mushroom and coffee bean logo. Inside was a paper pouch containing ten bags of 100% Arabica ground coffee infused with beneficial mushroom extract. The brown paper pouch was recyclable and featured a clearly labelled list of ingredients. Per serving (1cup) you get 10g 100% Arabica coffee mixed with 200mg each of the mushroom extracts.
I don’t usually drink decaffeinated coffee so I was keen to see how these would taste and what kind of effect they’d produce. A Swiss water process has been used, which removes 99.9% of the caffeine without the need for any chemicals. The coffee grounds are vegan, non-Gmo, gluten-free and ethically sourced.
Further reading: The incredible benefits of mushrooms.
Awards and Certifications
The Cafe Shroom website mentions an impressive list of accreditations and memberships from several relevant organisations. They include the Fairtrade Foundation, the Rainforest Alliance and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices).
The website is attractive and easily navigated with an organic certification from the USDA, which backs up their 100% organic claims. It would be useful also to see a detailed analysis of the beneficial compounds found in the mushroom extract.
I would have awarded a higher score if: there a detailed third-party analysis of the ingredients.
Ease of Use
On the back of the pouch are simple, quickly followed instructions for use, one coffee bag per cup and leave to brew for 3 minutes. Once brewed the resulting liquid had a nice flavour but was somewhat weak. I tried brewing another bag for five minutes, and the flavour improved considerably.
Despite taking slightly longer than expected, that you can make an excellent cup of fresh coffee from grounds in such an easy way is astounding. Not only was the process as straightforward as using instant, but once I’d mastered the method, the coffee flavour was also ten-times better. The pouch has a resealable strip to let you easily store the remaining bags without losing any flavour.
Taste
When brewed for five minutes or more, the coffee flavour was rich and enjoyable. There was no noticeable mushroom taste or aroma apart from a very mild ‘earthy’ aftertaste.
However, even if you’re not keen on mushrooms, you’ll likely still enjoy drinking this brew.
I would have awarded a higher score if: the recommended brew time of three minutes produced a more robust cup.
Effectiveness / Potency
Once I started to brew the bags for five minutes or more, the strength and flavour matched that of regular grounds. However, because they were decaffeinated, there were no energetic effects immediately after drinking. I did notice a slight increase in my focus and attention later in the day, but it’s hard to know if that was a direct result of the coffee.
In the past, most coffees, including decaf, have given me mild stomach discomfort, but while I was using Café Shroom’s bags, there were no unpleasant aftereffects.
I would have awarded a higher score if: the beneficial effects of the mushrooms were more obvious.
Value for Money
It may seem an expensive choice at £10.99 for ten bags, but ultimately it works out at a much more palatable £1 per cup. Not only are you getting quality ground coffee, but you also get the added benefits of the mushrooms and the convenience of the bags.
However, compared with the lower cost of high-quality regular ground coffee, I would only recommend it for someone keen on finding a tasty way to add lion’s mane, cordyceps and Chaga to their diet.
I would have awarded a higher score if: the price was lower.
My Supplement Recommendations
These are products that I currently use and enthusiastically recommend:
Multivitamin – Nutrigenesis Multi for Men or Nutrigenesis for Women. Performance Lab use their patented Nutrigenesis technique to provide a range of vitamins and minerals in their most effective form. Read my review.
Nootropic – Mind Lab Pro contains eleven natural nootropics that have been proven to support cognitive function and brain health. Read my review.
Collagen – Edible Health Bovine Collagen. This excellent bovine collagen powder is completely tasteless and absorbs quickly into any liquid. It’s third-party lab tested and provides 13g of collagen per serving. Read my review.
Turmeric – VitaBright Organic Turmeric with Ginger and Black Pepper. These turmeric capsules are organic, effective and affordable. They include black pepper to enhance curcumin absorption and ginger to provide additional useful benefits. Read my review.
Incredible value – G&G Vitamin 28 day packs This is the most affordable way to buy supplements in the UK. One tub holds 28 daily packs of up to 11 different vitamins, minerals or food supplements.
You may also be interested in reading The incredible benefits of mushrooms, best multivitamins UK, Best mushroom supplements UK or What are the benefits of Lion’s Mane Mushroom?
Related reviews: Mind Lab Pro Review, Brain Feed’s Theanine Capsules Review, Living Nutrition’s Cognitive Supplement Review and Testo Lab Pro.
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