What Is Mushroom Coffee And What Types Of Mushrooms Are Used To Make It?

Wait.. what? Mushroom in coffee? If you’re imagining chunks of mushroom floating over your cuppa joe like unsolicited guests, then think again. Mushroom coffee is in vogue amongst coffee aficionados, and it isn’t as ghastly as it sounds! So, what’s with fungi making it to your morning brew, and are there any health benefits that have made it the new talk of the town? Let’s spill the coffee!

Mushroom Coffee Is In Vogue!

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Mushroom coffee is a delicate brew of coffee beans blended with ground mushrooms. The result is a brew that is rife with dark, bold and nutty flavours. This isn’t the first time mushrooms have entered the cafe scene. During World War II, Finland faced a shortage of coffee beans. And guess what they substituted for coffee beans? Mushrooms! In China and other Asian countries, edible fungi have been used specifically in Chinese medicine for their nutritional and health benefits.

To prepare mushroom coffee, a variety of mushrooms like chaga, lion’s mane, reishi, turkey tail and cordyceps are used. Many consumer reviews point out that the flavour profile of mushroom coffee isn’t far from the taste of regular coffee.

Also Read: Confused Between Cappuccino & Latte? Barista Suggests A Simple Hack To Differentiate Between The Two!

India’s First Lion’s Mane Mushroom Brew Launched By Bengaluru Cafe

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Recently, Bengaluru’s Maverick & Farmer, a cafe known for its specialty brews, collaborated with Nuvedo to launch India’s first whole-bean mushroom coffee. The groundbreaking fusion of specialty Arabica coffee and lion’s mane caters to the burgeoning demand for functional wellness beverages.

If you’re wondering how mushrooms are incorporated into coffee, then here’s how. First, they are dried by a dehydration, free drying or air-drying process. Then, the fungi are ground into fine powder and mixed into ground coffee beans in a 1:1 ratio. This coffee can be purchased as instant coffee packets, coffee pods or ground coffee blends.

Also Read: Chef Regi Mathew’s Chatti Takes Toddy Shop Culture To NYC With Fiery Seafood & Tropical Drinks

Benefits Of This Trending Drink

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So, what’s the appeal of this drink that’s taking over the discourse and shelves of specialty cafes? The appeal is in its potential health benefits. Here’s a list of them:
  • Medicinal mushrooms are known to improve immunity.
  • Mushroom coffee contains less caffeine than regular brew.
  • Chaga mushrooms, also used in brews are known to fight ulcers.
  • Reishi mushroom is consumed as it benefits heart health.
  • A variety of mushrooms, like reishi, lion’s mane, chaga, are known to support cancer therapies as they combat nausea and vomiting.

While medicinal mushrooms have announced their arrival in the coffee on your breakfast table, it’s potential health benefits and effects on your health still require further investigation. But the trending brew, mushrooming in cafes across the globe, has certainly piqued the interest of coffee aficionados and how!

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Sanjana Shenoy: Content, Coffee and Cats these are a few of Sanjana's favourite things. Born in Baroda, brought up in Kuwait, settled in Bangalore, travel and food is her blood, bread and butter. When she isn't brewing delicious, wanderlust content, she's busy planning the smatter of restaurants she'd visit over the weekend.