What Is Mushroom Coffee? Taste, Ingredients and What Science Says

It does not taste like mushroom soup, and it is not made from the mushrooms in your fridge. So what is mushroom coffee? It is ordinary coffee, ground or instant, blended with dried, powdered mushrooms or mushroom extracts from species such as lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps and chaga. The result looks and brews like coffee, with a slightly earthier taste.

Its popularity rests mostly on traditional use and wellness marketing. The honest scientific summary is short: human research on these mushrooms is limited, studies are small, and they usually test concentrated extracts at doses that tell us little about a cup of coffee. Below is what you are actually drinking, how it compares with regular coffee and how to brew it well.

Key takeaways

• Mushroom coffee is coffee mixed with powdered mushrooms or mushroom extracts; the coffee part works like any other coffee.
• The most common mushrooms are lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps and chaga.
• Caffeine depends on how much coffee is in each serving; check the label rather than assuming it is lower.
• Human studies on these mushrooms are few and small, with mixed results; they do not show that a cup of mushroom coffee has proven health effects.
• Expect a smooth, slightly earthy cup. Brew it like regular coffee.

In this article

1. What is in mushroom coffee?
2. The four common mushrooms
3. Caffeine: mushroom coffee vs regular coffee
4. What science says (and does not say)
5. Who should be careful
6. Taste and how to brew it
7. FAQ

What is in mushroom coffee?

There is no legal definition, so products vary. Most fall into a few formats:

• Ground coffee blended with mushroom powder, brewed in a drip machine, pour-over or French press.
• Instant coffee blended with mushroom powder or extract, stirred into hot water.
• Decaf versions for people who want the taste and ritual with very little caffeine.
• Coffee-free “mushroom coffee” alternatives, often based on cacao or roasted grains. These are not coffee at all, so read the label.

Powder vs extract

This is the detail most labels gloss over. A powder is the dried mushroom ground fine. An extract has been processed, usually with hot water or alcohol, to concentrate certain compounds. Some products use the fruiting body (the visible mushroom), others use mycelium (the root-like network), sometimes grown on grain. Research findings for one preparation do not automatically apply to another.

The four common mushrooms

Caffeine: mushroom coffee vs regular coffee

The mushrooms themselves do not contain caffeine. All the caffeine comes from the coffee. That means:

• If a serving contains less coffee because part of it is mushroom powder, it will contain somewhat less caffeine than the same scoop of plain coffee.
• If you simply brew a stronger scoop, you are back to regular caffeine levels.
• Decaf mushroom coffee has very little caffeine, like any decaf.

For reference, the US Food and Drug Administration lists 113–247 mg of caffeine for a 12 oz cup of regular brewed coffee and 2–15 mg for an 8 oz cup of decaf, and says up to 400 mg a day is generally not associated with dangerous negative effects for most healthy adults. The European Food Safety Authority uses the same 400 mg daily figure and considers single doses up to 200 mg safe for most adults. Some brands advertise “half the caffeine”; that claim depends entirely on their recipe, so check the label.

What science says (and does not say)

This is where marketing and evidence often part ways. Here is a fair summary of the human research.

Lion’s mane

The best-known trial, published in 2009, gave 30 Japanese adults with mild cognitive impairment 3 g a day of a concentrated fruiting-body extract for 16 weeks. Scores on a cognitive test improved compared with placebo, then fell back after people stopped. A 2019 trial in 31 healthy adults over 50 found improvement on one test but not on two others. A review by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation concluded that brain benefits remain unproven, that trials are small and inconsistent and that most supporting research comes from cell and animal studies.

Reishi

Reishi has the most human trials, and also the clearest verdicts. A 2015 Cochrane review of five trials concluded that the evidence does not support its use for cardiovascular risk factors. A 2016 Cochrane review on cancer found the trials small and of generally poor quality and the evidence insufficient to support reishi as a first-line treatment.

Cordyceps

A 2025 meta-analysis in Frontiers in Nutrition pooled trials in athletes and reported small improvements in some endurance measures with cordyceps, but the pooled studies were small and several results were borderline. That is a reason for more research, not a reason to expect a better workout from your morning cup.

Chaga

There is almost no human research on chaga’s benefits. Doctors have published case reports of kidney damage from oxalate in people who consumed large amounts of chaga powder over long periods.

The dose problem

Even where trials show something, they usually use grams per day of a specific extract. A cup of mushroom coffee contains an unspecified, often much smaller, amount of a different preparation. So the fair conclusion is: enjoy mushroom coffee for its taste and ritual, not for promised effects.

Who should be careful

• Pregnant or breastfeeding people: there is little safety data on these mushrooms, and caffeine limits still apply (EFSA advises up to 200 mg a day). Ask your doctor or midwife.
• People taking medication, especially blood thinners, diabetes or blood pressure medicines, or immune-suppressing drugs: ask your doctor or pharmacist, because interactions are not well studied.
• People with kidney problems or a history of kidney stones: be cautious with chaga because of its oxalate content.
• People with mushroom allergies: avoid it.
• Children and teens: caffeine is discouraged, and mushroom coffee is still coffee.

Taste and how to brew it

Most people describe a good mushroom coffee as smooth with a soft, earthy, slightly woody background. It is not savory, and in a dark roast the earthy note blends into the chocolate and roast flavors. Instant versions with real mushroom powder may leave a little sediment at the bottom of the cup, which is normal.

Brewing tips

Milk, oat milk and a pinch of cinnamon or cocoa all suit the earthy notes.

Our mushroom coffees

If you are curious about the taste, our mushroom coffees are made with specialty-grade coffee and three mushrooms: lion’s mane, cordyceps and reishi. There is a smooth Medium Roast, a bold Dark Roast with dark chocolate and earthy notes, a Decaf Coffee with Mushrooms for evenings, and an Instant Coffee with Mushrooms with about 42 servings per pack for travel and the office. The ground coffees are roasted 1–5 days before delivery.

We sell these as coffees to enjoy for their flavor. Like all foods of this kind, they are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Mushroom coffee FAQ

What is mushroom coffee made of?

Coffee plus dried mushroom powder or mushroom extract, most often from lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps or chaga. Some products also add other ingredients, so always read the ingredient list.

Does mushroom coffee taste like mushrooms?

Not really. It tastes like coffee with a softer, earthier background. You will not taste anything like cooked mushrooms.

Does mushroom coffee have caffeine?

Yes, unless it is decaf or coffee-free. The caffeine comes only from the coffee, so the amount depends on how much coffee each serving contains.

Is mushroom coffee better for you than regular coffee?

There is no good evidence that it is. Human studies on these mushrooms are small and mixed, and they use concentrated extracts rather than coffee blends. Choose it if you like the taste.

Can I drink mushroom coffee every day?

Most healthy adults can treat it like regular coffee and keep total caffeine within about 400 mg a day. If you are pregnant, take medication or have kidney problems, check with your doctor first.

Sources

1. Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, Cognitive Vitality, “Lion’s Mane” evidence report, 2020. PDF
2. Mori K et al. “Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.” Phytotherapy Research, 2009. doi:10.1002/ptr.2634
3. Jin X et al. “Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi mushroom) for cancer treatment.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016. Link
4. Klupp NL et al. “Ganoderma lucidum mushroom for the treatment of cardiovascular risk factors.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015. Link
5. Shu M-Y et al. “Effects of fungal supplementation on endurance, immune function, and hematological profiles in adult athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025. doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1670416
6. “Chaga mushroom-induced oxalate nephropathy that clinically manifested as nephrotic syndrome: a case report.” PubMed 35451393. Link
7. “Development of end stage renal disease after long-term ingestion of chaga mushroom: case report and review of literature.” PubMed 32419395. Link
8. US Food and Drug Administration, “Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?” Link
9. European Food Safety Authority, “Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine”, 2015. Link

Facts checked in October 2026.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, ask your doctor before changing your caffeine intake.

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