As an avid coffee drinker, with more than a passing interest in leading a healthy lifestyle, I was intrigued by mushroom coffee. It was first brewed in Finland in 2017, and the idea caught on and spread quickly around the world. However, while most brands concentrated on instant coffee, UK based Cafe Shroom has perfected organic ground mushroom blends.
Café Shroom’s ground mushroom coffee features speciality 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 mushrooms have been linked to a healthy immune system.
For the last three weeks, I’ve been trying their Nicaraguan ground coffee using a cafetiere (French press).
Table of Contents
Who are Cafe Shroom?
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 convenient ground mushroom coffee bags. Inspired by this success, he branched out into ground mushroom coffee for use in cafetieres and coffee machines. Now, his aim is to supply the world with affordable, high-quality mushroom coffee.
Café Shroom sources the best quality organic ingredients worldwide to ensure that their blends are as useful possible. Their mushrooms and coffee beans come from farmers in numerous different countries, including Peru, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and China. They’re wholly committed to sustainability and work with local farming communities to help them support their families.
They import the medicinal mushrooms to the UK and use a specialised double extraction technique to obtain the active ingredients. This ensures that the final product contains a high proportion of the mushroom fruiting body’s most beneficial substances. The extract is then infused with the coffee beans before being ground and bagged up.
First Impressions
The coffee arrived in a neat box featuring a rather nifty mushroom and coffee bean logo. Inside was a paper 263g/25 cup pouch of Nicaraguan La Bastilla ground coffee infused with Lion’s mane – Chaga – Cordyceps mushrooms.
The brown paper pouch ticked my environmental concerns, and the green graphics had a refreshingly organic feel with clearly labelled lists of ingredients. Per serving (1cup) you get 10g 100% Arabica coffee mixed with 200mg each of the mushroom extracts. The coffee grounds are vegan, non-Gmo, gluten-free and ethically sourced.
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).
There’s also an organic certification from the USDA which back up their claims of being 100% organic. It would be useful to see a detailed analysis of the beneficial compounds found in the mushroom extract but the awards and certificates that are available do demonstrate that this is a genuine product.
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, easily followed instructions for use, with recommended amounts (one tablespoon of ground coffee per cup) for the perfect cup of coffee. On opening the easily re-sealable pouch, I was greeted with an amazing explosion of coffee aroma, further enhancing the feel of quality to the product (so much so even my partner, a staunch tea drinker, insisted on having a cup!)
The use of a tablespoon to measure out the coffee was reasonably straightforward, and the cafetiere made the whole process not only simple but strangely satisfying! For the more dedicated coffee enthusiast, it’s also suitable for use with a cone-shaped V60 coffee dripper.
Taste
Once brewed the resulting cup of coffee didn’t disappoint. I tried it with and without a dash of milk, and as claimed on the packaging, the taste was full-bodied with delicious notes of chocolate and caramel. The similarities with regular ground coffee were surprising, no real taste or smell of mushrooms being present, although there was a mild ‘earthy’ aftertaste.
Even if you’re not a fan of mushrooms, you’ll likely enjoy it, which is quite an achievement! (A friend who initially grimaced at the thought of mushroom coffee declared it to be ‘Fabulous!’)
I would have awarded a higher score if: there was no earthy aftertaste.
How Effective Are They?
There’s no denying the quality of the coffee beans used, both in strength and flavour. Previously, with regular ground coffee, I’ve had some stomach discomfort after three cups, but (as stated on the packaging) this product is of relatively low acidity. This time, I experienced no such symptoms, even after four or five cups.
Aside from the expected ‘pick me up’ of the coffee itself, I have been aware of feeling slightly more ‘with it’ after, but this could be down to anything. However, what was noticeable was that there was none of the usual ‘coffee come-down’ later in the day!
I would have awarded a higher score if: the beneficial effects of the mushrooms were more evident after short term use.
Value for Money
For £16.99 you get a 263g pouch which makes about 25 cups. Compared to standard coffee grounds this is an expensive choice, but the addition of three beneficial mushroom extracts makes 68p per cup well worth it. The price is similar to many other mushroom coffee brands, but it’s real ground coffee with this one.
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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