mushrooms, recipes

by trumeta | October 12, 2023

How to Make Mushroom Coffee? (Easy Recipes)

Learning how to make mushroom coffee is a must for everyone who puts their health first. It’s common knowledge that coffee contains energizing qualities that make it an essential drink for many households and workplaces. It also has a refreshing aroma that positively impacts your day, mental, and social well-being. As Earl Wilson puts it, “Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break.” 

On the other hand, adding the earthy notes of mushrooms to your coffee takes your experience to another level. This piece introduces you to the captivating world of mushroom coffee. We’ll help you understand the different types available.

Our article is also an introduction to their unique benefits that advance your coffee experience from basic energizing needs to more serious health benefits such as improved brain function, reduced chances of health diseases, and anti-ulcer properties. We’ll outline the factors to consider when choosing each type. These considerations range from delightful flavors, tastes, and aromas to potential health perks. You’ll also learn how to make mushroom coffee through different recipes that include:

• Simple and instant mushroom coffee
• Mushroom latte coffee 
• Iced mushroom coffee

Simply put, welcome to a guide to brewing excitement. It’s time to sip your way to a brighter, more flavorful beverage!

What Is Mushroom Coffee, and How Is It Roasted?

Coming across the term “mushroom coffee” for the first time may make you imagine drinking coffee with mushroom pieces floating on your cup. Sounds disgusting and uncomfortable, right? Luckily, that’s not the case.

Mushroom coffee is made by infusing coffee beans with herbal or adaptogenic mushrooms^[1]. These mushrooms are associated with health benefits such as restoring body balance and stress management. Mushroom coffee tastes just like regular coffee but contains less caffeine and a more enticing mushroom smell, which makes it a popular choice for many. The following are some of the key benefits of mushroom coffee^[2]:

• Enhanced Focus: Certain mushroom varieties have cognitive-boosting properties and can potentially improve your focus and mental clarity.
• Reduced Stress: The adaptogenic properties of mushrooms used to make coffee help the body adapt to stress and maintain balance.
• Decreased Acidity: Some mushroom coffee blends are less acidic than traditional coffee, potentially reducing the risk of stomach discomfort.
• Diverse Mushroom Selection: You can craft mushroom coffee from various mushrooms such as reishi, chaga, lion’s mane, and turkey tail, each with distinct benefits.
• Other Health Benefits: Mushroom coffee improves brain function, reduces the risk of heart disease, and has anti-allergic, immune-supporting, and anti-ulcer properties. 

Making mushroom coffee entails drying mushrooms and passing them through an extraction process to derive the beneficial parts. You then add the isolated mushroom portions to regular coffee beans and blend to get a soluble powder that you can easily mix with hot water or milk and drink. As you can see, drinking mushroom coffee doesn’t involve the struggle of dealing with large mushroom pieces in a cup!

How to Make Mushroom Coffee?

Creating your mushroom coffee is a fun and rewarding process. Here’s how to make your own mushroom coffee, explained with three fun recipes.

Simple and Instant Mushroom Coffee Recipe

Like any other food, before you become a pro in making mushroom coffee, you must know the basics. To make simple mushroom coffee, you only need mushroom extracts and coffee beans. This recipe is easy and takes little time, hence a perfect choice for workplaces or instances when you’re in a hurry. 

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon of your favorite mushroom extract
• 8 oz to 10 oz cup of freshly brewed cup of coffee

Directions: 

• Stir the mushroom extract in your coffee cup until it dissolves.
• Serve immediately when hot.

Mushroom Coffee Latte Recipe 

After you learn the basics of mushroom coffee, it’s about time you know different ways of making it by exploring different flavor combinations. Another popular type of mushroom coffee you should learn to make is the mushroom coffee latte. It’s a creamy, warm, and tonic coffee made through a combination of medicinal mushrooms and other flavors and ingredients. 

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon of your favorite mushroom extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 or 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
• 1 cup of dairy-free milk, e.g., almond, coconut, or cashew milk
• ⅓ cup of brewed coffee or one shot of espresso, depending on how strong you want your drink to be
• 1 teaspoon of cacao powder (optional and depends on your preference for cacao)

Directions:

• Put the mushroom extract, ground cinnamon, maple syrup, cacao powder, and salt in a milk frother.
• Heat the dairy-free milk until it’s hot, and use milk frother with the brewed coffee or espresso shot.
• Blend on a high for 45 seconds to 1 minute until you have a frothy and well-blended mushroom coffee. 
• Taste and add flavor to get your preferred taste. For example, add more espresso for a more robust coffee flavor or cinnamon to make it more spicy. 
• Serve as is, or heat it up in the microwave.

Iced Mushroom Coffee Recipe 

Did you know you can enjoy mushroom coffee even during the hot summer days? Iced mushroom coffee is a delicious and immune-supporting beverage that cools your body – perfect for the summer heat! It’s also easier and faster to make, meaning you can go on with your outdoor activities, making heat discomforts and interruptions a thing of the past. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 teaspoon of brewed coffee
• 1 teaspoon of your preferred mushroom extract
• 2 tablespoons of agave syrup
• 200 ml of your favorite frothy dairy-free milk 
• A handful of ice cubes

Directions:

• Mix the water, coffee mushroom extract, and agave syrup to form a coffee paste.
• Fill your coffee cup with frothy dairy-free milk and ice, and add the coffee paste.
• Stir the drink for the coffee paste to combine with the milk and ice.
• Enjoy your deliciously refreshing iced mushroom coffee!

If you liked our mushroom coffee recipes, be sure to check out our other mushroom coffee options:

• Mushroom Coffee Nudge Cocktail Recipe
• Caramel Iced Mushroom Coffee Recipe
• Blueberry and Mushroom Coffee Cake With Sour Cream Recipe
• Mushroom Coffee Cake Cookies Recipe
• Best Mushroom Latte Recipe
• Mushroom Coffee Nudge Cocktail Recipe
• Cozy Mushroom Coffee Recipe for Winter 
• Mushroom Coffee Smoothie Recipe
• Simple Mushroom Cappuccino Recipe

Types of Mushrooms Used in Mushroom Coffee

Now that you know how to make mushroom coffee, let’s discuss the essential ingredient! As stated, mushroom coffee contains medicinal or adaptogenic mushrooms, making this drink very popular. Here are common types of mushrooms for your coffee. 

Reishi

Scientifically known as Ganoderma lucidum or lingzhi, reishi^[3] is a medicinal mushroom from the Far East. It contains various bioactive ingredients, such as long chains of sugar molecules, fats, and proteins, which makes it a healthy addition to your coffee cup. Here are some unique benefits of reishi:

• Immune Support: The ingredients found in reishi mushrooms may helps build immune resilience by promoting the production of white blood cells, which potentially allows the body to build resistance against diseases. 
• Stress Reduction: Like other functional mushrooms, reishi has adaptogenic properties that may help the body cope with stress and reduce chronic feelings of distress..
• Sleep Improvement: The mushroom potentially improves sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing sleep problems. 

Chaga

Chaga mushroom^[4] is another type of mushroom for coffee making. It grows on birch trees, and it originates from the Northern Hemisphere. Chaga is rich in antioxidants and other essential nutritional components, including triterpenoids, melanins, polysaccharides, polyphenols, and flavans. Adding it to your diet gives you the following potential health benefits. 

• Preserves Body Cells: Its rich antioxidants defend your body cells from damage commonly caused by free radicals. 
• Immune Support: Chaga betulinic acid reduces overactive pro-inflammatory molecules and swelling in your body.
• Better Skin: Chaga is linked with potential collagen production, a vital protein for healthier skin.

Lion’s Mane

Lion’s mane mushroom^[5] is extracted from dead hardwood tree trunks like oak. It contains elements that protect the body from diseases and promote brain growth. Here’s an overview of its benefits.

• Brain Health: Lion’s mane is famous for its potential to support cognitive function. Its compounds stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF), which is crucial for brain health and function. It also improves memory and concentration.
• Nervous System Support: The NGF-promoting compounds in lion’s mane can also benefit your nervous system by aiding in nerve regeneration and growth.
• Stress Resilience: According to researchers, the nerve reformation and growth effect of lion’s mane creates an anti-distress action, making it a good stress tonic. 
• Improved Gastrointestinal Health: According to the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms^[6], lion’s mane is an excellent option if you struggle with ulcers. Its components contain ulcer-inhibiting properties that help disable Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria. 

Turkey Tail

Another critical functional mushroom coffee you should try is turkey tail^[7]. It grows in decomposing woods of trees and stumps and contains polysaccharide krestin (PSK) and polysaccharide peptide (PSP), which have positive value to the health. Here are some potential benefits of regularly taking turkey tail mushroom coffee: 

• Immune Support: The polysaccharides found in turkey tail mushrooms may help reduce overactive pro-inflammatory molecules and strengthen the weakened markers, resulting in optimizing    immune functional  harmony. 
• Improved Gut Health: It may contribute to a healthier gut by promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and maintaining a balanced microbiome.

Reasons to Make Your Own Mushroom Coffee

Buying pre-made dietary mushroom packets and adding them to your instant coffee seems like an easier and quicker way of prepairing mushroom coffee. However, the real thrill and satisfaction of mushroom coffee comes from making it on your own from scratch. It gives you complete control of your beverage and the flexibility to make it exactly how you want. The following are other unique advantages of making mushroom coffee by yourself:

• You get to make high-quality mushroom coffee as you control the quality of extracts and flavors you pick.
• Making mushroom coffee yourself is environmentally friendly because it limits waste from single-use packets of pre-made coffee. 
• It also allows the personalization of your coffee. You can create a customized flavor recipe that suits your taste and nutritional needs.
• Another important benefit of making mushroom coffee on your own is the assurance that you’re drinking healthy stuff since you know your mushroom source.

Selecting Your Mushroom Supplement

As a first-timer, picking the perfect mushroom supplement that suits your taste and health goals might be challenging. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. The following are vital considerations to achieve the perfect combination of flavor, taste, and health needs. 

Tip 1: Research the Mushroom

The first thing to do is conduct online research or consult a professional on different types of mushroom coffee supplements. This helps you understand the properties and benefits of each supplement and make a choice that aligns with your needs. 

Tip 2: Prioritize Quality 

Getting the best quality product is always a key consideration when selecting any item or product, including mushroom supplements for your coffee. To get the finest ingredient, choose extracts from the mushroom’s fruiting body, which is often very potent. You can also go for supplements that a third party has tested, so there is no question about purity and potency. 

Tip 3: Consider the Extraction Method

There are different extraction methods for mushroom supplements for making mushroom coffee, i.e., single, dual, and triple extractions. The extraction approach influences the bioavailability of beneficial compounds. The longer the extraction process, the broader the spectrum of nutritional components. 

Tip 4: Understand Your Health Goals

Understanding your health needs is crucial when selecting coffee supplements, especially when considering mushroom coffee. This awareness helps you choose options that address your specific health concerns, including being mindful of any potential mushroom coffee side effects. Seeking reviews and recommendations from healthcare professionals or consulting trusted wellness websites may provide valuable insights into how these supplements might affect you.

Conclusion

Learning how to make your own mushroom coffee is a lifelong adventure! Mushroom coffee isn’t just about sipping. It’s about savoring the uniqueness of every blend you create. As you’ve seen, it has numerous benefits beyond energizing your body and staying alert. Moreover, there is still ongoing research on these benefits, meaning there’s more to be unraveled.

Knowing how to prepare mushroom coffee independently takes your coffee experience to a realm beyond. With recipes from simple delights to creamy lattes and refreshing iced versions for the summer heat, there are endless possibilities for your creativity. 

As you embark on this journey of making mushroom coffee, it’s also essential to remember that selecting the right supplement is pivotal. Get to know each mushroom’s benefits, prioritize quality, understand different extraction methods, and align your health goals to the perfect mushroom supplements. Savor the experience of a lifetime making this drink. Enjoy!

References:

[1] Rd, J. K. M. (2021, March 19). What are adaptogenic mushrooms? Benefits, risks, and types. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/adaptogenic-mushrooms

[2] Milnea. (2023, March 9). Mushroom coffee: Is it healthier than your average cup of Joe? Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/mushroom-coffee-should-you-be-drinking-it/ 

[3] Sheikha, A. F. E. (2022). Nutritional Profile and Health Benefits of Ganoderma lucidum “Lingzhi, Reishi, or Mannentake” as Functional Foods: Current Scenario and Future Perspectives. Foods, 11(7), 1030. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8998036/ 

[4] Szychowski, K. A., et al. (2021). Inonotus obliquus – from folk medicine to clinical use. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 11(4), 293–302. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8240111/ 

[5] Lai, P.,  et al. (2013). Neurotrophic Properties of the Lion’s Mane Medicinal Mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 15(6), 539–554. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24266378/ 

[6] Wang, M., et al. (2015). Anti-Gastric Ulcer Activity of Polysaccharide Fraction Isolated from Mycelium Culture of Lion’s Mane Medicinal Mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes). International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 17(11), 1055–1060. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26853960/ 

[7] Benson, K. F., et al. (2019). The mycelium of the Trametes versicolor (Turkey tail) mushroom and its fermented substrate each show potent and complementary immune activating properties in vitro. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 19(1). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6889544/

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