1 day ago
3
The world has been addicted to caffeine for centuries, and in the year 2025 the scientific argument over whether coffee is good or bad for you remains unsettled. One might believe the lack of consensus is a Mainstream Media™ psyop to keep people scrambling for marketable solutions to a problem that’s completely made up, but the cottage industry of coffee alternatives that’s proliferated by this endless tug of war is an interesting outcome regardless of which side you’re on. This is where mushroom coffee makes its inevitable entrance.
Some quick googling revealed 10 known players in the game, all of which offer their own riff on a common base formula of dried mushrooms–usually a combo of lion’s mane, chaga, and cordyceps—boosted with buzzy add-ons like probiotics and nootropics. I spent a week with each, swapping out my morning coffee for each brand's recommended dose of powder and hot water. After day five I allowed myself to experiment with sweeteners and milks, which you’ll need with almost all of these to get through the entire cup without gagging.
Photograph: Pete Cottell
Some hit like a mild cup of coffee, some were actual coffee, and others were uncanny concoctions no normal person would ever crave unless they were fully indoctrinated in the heady lifestyle this unique alt-beverage industry revolves around. I laughed, I cried, I got the runs, and I crashed on my couch in the early afternoon more times than I could count, all for science, and all so you don’t have to try this on your own.
Also be sure to check out our guides to the Best Energy Drinks, Best Coffee Makers, and Best Electric Kettles.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.
Best Overall
Atlas Coffee Club Atlas+ Latte Superblend
As its name denotes, Atlas Coffee Club is a subscription-based mail order coffee service. And a darn good one at that! So when it announced it was dipping its toes in the dark arts of adaptogen-infused mushroom coffees, we trusted it could deliver the goods without all the superfluous lore and manosphere cosigns that most others come bundled with.
The starter kit includes a frother and a scoop and comes with your choice of Atlas’ riffs on mushroom coffee: a coffee superblend or a latte superblend. The former is a straightforward take on mushroom-infused instant coffee. The fine powder dissolves quickly, the coffee flavor is muted with a roasty aftertaste, and only the last two sips had any amount of silty residue. If this was all Atlas offered, it would do well enough in this space.
The latte superblend, on the other hand, is a real treat. Upon my opening the bag, a strong whiff of toasted coconut wafts through the room. The powder emulsifies easily in hot water without any need for a frother. Lacing on the edge of the mug is minimal, and there’s almost no gunky residue or powdery finish to speak of. The flavor of the finished product has a pronounced coconut aroma up front without the requisite sweetness that’s omnipresent in tiki drinks. The swallow offers subtle notes of earthy spice and a soft acidic tang akin to a shot of espresso pulled from Kenyan or Ethiopian beans. It’s an absolute delight to drink.
After three mornings of Atlas’ latte superblend standing in for my coffee, I found myself wondering if I could permanently replace my morning brew with this delicious powder. The caffeine buzz was smooth and devoid of any mind-rattling peaks, but the probiotics did a number on my stomach on the two final days of the weeklong experiment with this one. I would not pair this with a rich, fatty breakfast loaded with eggs and dairy unless you work from home by yourself all day. Intermittent rangus aside, Atlas Coffee Club struck gold here.
Score 9.5/10 Key ingredients Coffee, coconut milk, functional mushrooms, prebiotics, probiotics, adaptogens, collagen, vitamins Caffeine 45 milligrams Photograph: Pete Cottell
Best Nootropic Cocktail
Lucid Nootropic + Mushroom Coffee
A cursory scan of the About Us section on Lucid’s website reveals it was founded by what appears to be an extreme sports bro, a DJ, and a former marine. The trio’s aesthetic is a trippy minimalist vibe that’s aligned with the bisexual lighting most Twitch streamers use in their backgrounds, and its marketing leans on a preference for nootropics like alpha-GPC and creatine to kick things up a notch so you can rage or do push-ups all night. One tablespoon mixed with 8 ounces of hot water yields a deep black liquid, with a slight tingle on the front of the sip and notes of toasted sesame on the finish. It’s nothing to write home about on its own, but lack of dusty mouthfeel and off notes make it supremely drinkable. A splash of Chobani Sweet Cream really brought this cup to life, and a mix of steamed oat milk and agave nectar did wonders as well.
The upfront effects of Lucid were hard to discern, but the last few days with this pleasant dust were punctuated by an elevated sense of excitement for the rote tasks I carried over from one day's checklist to the next. My girlfriend and I finally cleaned out our attic to make room for some spare boxes of hardwood flooring, and then repetitive schlepping up and down three very tall floors in our 150-plus-year-old house left me invigorated and craving more small domestic victories. I organized the spice drawer after that and felt amazing while doing so.
Score 8.7/10 Key ingredients Lion’s mane, cordyceps, turkey tail, tremella, alpha-GPC, L-theanine, L-tyrosine, creatine, ginkgo Caffeine 35 to 45 milligrams
English (US) ·