Dirtea Mushroom Coffee review: we tested the Lion’s Mane blend and were surprised
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"Lion’s Mane balances the buzz, giving you energy without burnout" was the inviting promise I read from Dirtea, a mushroom coffee brand that claims to "deliver the purest, most potent, and most effective functional mushroom extracts available".
I just had to try it on my wife, a fully paid-up coffee addict, who simply can't get through the morning without her caffeine hit.
To her, "mushroom coffee" sounds like an oxymoron, because it has less caffeine than a regular coffee, despite it still having a rich flavour.
"I don't see the point", she scoffed as we opened the box which, incidentally, was a beautiful presentation set, because I'd been sent the Subscribe and Save set with a free mug and jar.
I pointed out to my significant other that mushroom coffee does still contain coffee and, in this case it's organic premium arabica coffee. She mellowed, and agreed to try a mug.
"Despite the fact I've just made a fresh pot of coffee", she grumbled, as she walked back to her office with her drink, before I had a chance to talk her through the fact that the Lion’s Mane and B vitamins help with mental clarity, nervous system health, and energy metabolism.
At least I was excited by the health benefits of mushroom coffee, so I poured myself a cup too.
In the 160g bag is a very fine powder, which looks a lot like hot chocolate powder, and doesn't smell a lot like coffee, if I'm honest.
Once poured and stirred, there's the faintest whiff of mushrooms from the hot drink, and still not as much as you might think in the way of coffee.
It didn't taste how I expected it would. I'm not sure what I expected, but there's a slight nuttiness to it from the mushrooms, a delicate but very evident coffee hit, and no earthiness or fungi flavour as you might presume. It's actually very pleasant.
A subscription pack is by far the best value, because you get a 30% discount.
Not only do you get the 160g bag of coffee, but you get a free mug, a free jar and a 2.5g measuring spoon.
You don't need to stay subscribed, you can cancel at any time after you order the first pack.
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And, miraculously, the wife agreed. "I really like this", she said, as she waved her empty mug at me, projecting the blatantly obvious "make me another one" message. Evidently forgetting there was a fresh pot of filter coffee in the utility room.
I hadn't told her, by this point, that it contains 80% less caffeine than a normal coffee, but it didn't matter, because Dirtea claims that the ingredients in every cup offer a more natural boost than caffeine, without the energy crash, or the jitters.
Personally, that's the awkward relationship I have with caffeine. I love coffee, but hate the negative effects of caffeine. Mushroom tea, at least a good one like Dirtea's blend, certainly gets around this issue.
It also has plenty of other health benefits because it's packed with B vitamins, and some other beneficial words I'd never heard before.
But the simple fact is, it's a really pleasant drink. And Dirtea's claim that it boosts energy levels and alertness without the downsides of caffeine definitely ring true. I've also since tried it with milk, and it's quite nice. Perhaps tasting and feeling more like a coffee. But, as always, I prefer it without. And there's really not a lot in the way of bitterness.
The important test though, is what Her Ladyship thought about it after two cups that swiftly became three.
"I really like it, it's much nicer than I expected", she enthused.
"I'm not sure I'd swap it for filter coffee", she added. "But it's definitely better than instant coffees."
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And there we have it. Approval from the harshest of critics. It remains to be seen whether it will do enough to quell her daily caffeine cravings, but I was informed that afternoon that she'd "smashed through a presentation" and she later came close to beating a personal best on a familiar running route.
Perhaps there really is something in mushroom coffee after all. I'd dismissed it as another health fad, and always struggled to convince her indoors to try it.
But now that we have, I don't think we'll go back to instant coffee in a hurry. It's not only a nicer flavour, it's obviously better for us.
Admittedly, it costs a lot more than even the poshest instant coffee, but I don't think I'll be switching back in a hurry. It's absolutely the way forward.