Last Updated on February 10, 2022 by James Matthews
Both of these companies focus on the incorporation of functional mushrooms and coffee into a single blend. While mushrooms and coffee do not sound like they would be a good pair, they’re surprisingly good together. The power of the coffee masks the mushroom taste (mostly).
In this article, we will dive through the benefits of mushrooms and then look at the products that each company offers. Finally, we will compare the products to each other with the hopes of finding the one that best suits you.
Benefits of Mushrooms
An adaptogen is a substance used in herbal medicine. They are known for their mutualistic relationship with the human body. Mushrooms are included in a long list of adaptogens. Some of the more familiar ones include aloe vera, ginseng, licorice, and rosemary.
It would then come as no surprise that humans have been using this type of medicine for thousands of years. The Chinese are the most famous culture that has integrated herbal medicine into their lifestyle.
Mushrooms have some truly unique benefits on their own. Some of the most popular include:
- Improved quality of sleep
- Reduced stress
- Immune system boost
- Enhance cognitive function
- Elevated energy levels
- Anti-inflammatory
Mushroom Coffee
Mushroom coffee is becoming the new age tea; it seems like. To produce the blend, the makers dry the mushrooms first. Then they go through an extraction process to capture all those compounds that produce the benefits. This then gets blended with the beans to give a powder that only needs to be mixed into hot water.
In most cases, the caffeine levels of mushroom coffee are lower than those of standard coffee. Your morning brew could actually have better energy-enhancing properties, with a lower amount of side effects
Along with better energy, mushroom coffee offers a plethora of health benefits. Many drinkers tend to experience calmness with a sharper focus, a lack of jitters, a relaxed digestive system, and no crash.
In addition, functional mushrooms, on their own, offer benefits to optimize brain and body function. Continue to find what mushrooms are commonly found in mushroom coffee and the features that come with each.
About the Mushrooms Used
The mushrooms that are typically found in the coffee include Cordyceps, Reishi, Chaga, and Lion’s Mane. There are a few others that we go over, but these four will be seen often in your search of finding the perfect blend.
Cordyceps are known as a natural caffeine replacement. This is why they are seen in the athletic community sometimes. They are reported to give athletics a performance boost. Other claims to their properties include protection from health complications such as depression, asthma, fatigue, and respiratory tract infections.
Next up is reishi, one that may not be as known as the others. Reishi’s are known for their ability to boost immune function and may have the potential to turn around liver damage. It is also known for its natural sedative properties, which is why mushroom coffee can make you feel tranquil.
Chaga may sound like a magic mushroom, and it is. But not the hallucinogenic kind. Chaga has exceptionally elevated antioxidant elements, which helps defend your cells from oxidative harm. Other properties that are seen in this mushroom are a digestive aid and potentially fight tumor growth.
Lion’s Mane has surged in popularity over the last few years. This is because some research has concluded that when consumed, it can provide cognitive benefits. It has been named your brain’s best friend because of its ability to strengthen memory, boost concentration, and enhance creativity. Perfect for someone who needs that morning boost without feeling scatterbrained. It is also one of the only foods to show neuroprotective capabilities.
The long-stemmed Enoki includes a surplus of antioxidants, and the turkey tail mushroom fights disease and heightens immunity.
For those who are looking for a mushroom that is able to help physical characteristics, they should look into maitake and shiitake. The first can help with weight loss, while the latter has the ability to improve skin vitality.
As one can see, mushrooms come with a variety of benefits. There is also the possibility to purchase these as a supplement or even grow them yourself.
Ryze Superfoods
A new mushroom coffee on the market that was just released earlier this year, March 2020, it has lots of mushrooms and less than half a cup of coffee of caffeine. As of right now, they only have a single product listed on their website. Here is what they have to say about it
“Loaded with adaptogenic mushrooms, our coffee blend delivers calmer energy, sharper focus, and immune support for a balanced body and clear mind. Taste? Smooth, creamy, and earthy. All with less than half the caffeine of normal coffee. No jitters, no crash.”
So what mushrooms are included in their blend? Purchasing a Ryze pack of mushroom coffee gives you access to a 2000 mg blend that includes
- Cordyceps
- Reishi
- king trumpet
- shiitake
- lion’s mane
- turkey tail
With only 48 mg of caffeine, their coffee is advertised as keto, paleo, vegan, non-GMO, no sugar, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. 100% organic has not made it onto the list yet, but they are working towards that goal. The components that need to be certified organic are the coffee beans and MCT oil, so that means the mushroom blend is organic.
There was a lot of work that needed to be accomplished before their formula was perfected. Andrée and Rashad, the creators, wrote about the process and the goals they wanted in their blend. Below is an excerpt from their blog post.
We sourced and tested for months, making sure we landed on the perfect combination that covered all the aspects of body and mind health that we needed. Imagine a coffee that not only wakes you up but gives you energy that lasts ALL day. It’s also good for your brain health long term. It burns fat, reduces stress, supports immunity, and is easy on the gut unlike acidic black coffee. That’s it, simple. We spent over a year formulating and finally in march 2020 it was ready to share.
Their loaded blend is not just for coffee, though. Navigating through their website they show off customer-created recipes. There are dozens of different items on the list that range from mocha coffee waffles to coconut coffee ice cream. I highly recommended you check out that page if you purchase their blend.
Four Sigmatic
Next up is Four Sigmatic. They are a more established company that offers and variety of products—some for a morning boost and some for a nighttime wind down.
Four Sigmatic sources their coffee from Honduras, at 5,500 feet above sea level. They are organic and bought at a fair trade price. They tout that all of their products are gluten-free and vegan friendly.
For those that use pods, Four Sigmatic would be the right choice. They offer most of their blends in pods for your convenience. In the case that you are looking for a non-coffee product as well, they would be the right choice. They offer a protein mix as well as cacao for those dessert lovers.
Below is a table of their different blends, the ingredients, and the results each produces.
| Blend | Ingredients | Results |
| Instant Mushroom Coffee with Lion’s Mane | Contains a combined 500 mg of Lion’s Mane and Chaga mushroom extracts along with wild rhodiola root. This coffee has 50mg caffeine per serving. | Lion’s Mane helps you to focus and power on your brain |
| Instant Mushroom Coffee with Chaga and Cordyceps | A combined 500mg of Chaga and Cordyceps mushroom extracts along with eleuthero. This coffee has 50mg caffeine per serving. | Combining this with Cordyceps helps you to produce and maintain steady energy levels while Chaga helps support your immune system. |
| Instant Adaptogen Coffee | Contains 200mg of Ashwagandha and Tulsi along with Chaga mushroom and eleuthero. This coffee has 50mg caffeine per serving. | This product is best to master stress and cut out the caffeinated jitters, so you can take on the demands of everyday life! |
| Ground Mushroom Coffee with Lion’s Mane | Combined 500 mg of Lion’s Mane and Chaga mushroom extracts. This mushroom coffee contains a full serving of caffeine. | So if you’re looking for an extra caffeine boost, this is the best option! |
| Ground Adaptogen Coffee | Contains 300mg of Ashwagandha and 150mg of Chaga mushroom. This mushroom coffee contains a full serving of caffeine. | This coffee contains a full serving of caffeine and helps support balance and stress relief. |
| Ground Mushroom Coffee with Probiotics | 300mg of Chaga mushroom and 200mg of Turkey Tail mushroom, along with yacon juice powder and a heat resistant stain of probiotics. This mushroom coffee contains a full serving of caffeine. | This coffee contains a full serving of caffeine and helps support a happy gut as well as your immune system. |
Comparison
Since Ryze Superfoods only has a single product, we thought it would be best to compare it to the most similar of Four Sigmatics. The Four Sigmatic product we chose was their Instant Mushroom Coffee with Lion’s Mane. Below is a list of our comparisons
| Ryze | Four Sigmatic | |
| Mushroom Blend | 2000 mg blend that includes: Cordyceps, reishi, king trumpet, shiitake, lion’s mane, turkey tail | 500 mg of Lion’s Mane and Chaga mushroom extracts along with wild rhodiola root. |
| Caffeine | 48mg | 50mg |
| Servings included | 30/60 | 16 |
| Price | $36/$60 | $20 |
| Price per serving | $1.20/$1 | $1.25 |
| Rating | 4.5 with +1K reviews | 5 with +1.5K reviews |
When it comes to taste, you can taste the mushrooms more in Ryze – after all, they use 4x as many mushrooms as Four Sigmatic. While most readers are buying these products for the mushroom benefits, they should be aware that the mushrooms add an earthy, umami flavor to the coffee as well.
Ryze Pro and Cons
First we will talk about the pros and cons of Ryze. They offer a blend that has more variety. Neither company promotes a list of the exact amounts of each mushroom, so it is hard to tell what dose of each you will get. For an overall higher load of functional mushrooms, Ryze is the way to go. They are also a quarter cheaper per serving when compared at the 60 serving size to Four Sigmatics.
The downside to Ryze is that they only offer a serving size that is 30 or 60. For someone who wants to try different blends it may sway them the other direction.
Ryze adds a little gift in their package as well, an acacia stirring spoon.
Four Sigmatic Pros and Cons
As for Four Sigmatics, they are the choice if you want to try a few different blends. All in one location, they give you several options to give you the freedom of choosing the perfect blend. They offer a package that contains two bags, for those who want to stock up on your favorite blend. They are also certified USDA organic, which is a big plus for many individuals.
Another plus to shopping with Four Sigmatics is product selection. Maybe you are looking to branch out and try a cocoa or protein blend. If you want a ‘one stop shop’, Four Sigmatic may be a better option.
Four Sigmatics lacks in the all in one blend category. They have plenty of variety options, but none of the blends listed have more than a few different mushroom combinations. It may be a dealbreaker for someone who is looking to get all the benefits of a variety mushroom blend.
Both offer a subscription service that with lower the price as well. This will reduce the price difference between the two brands. Using a subscription service is a good idea to use if you find a blend you like, because you will definitely run out at some point.
In the end, both are great products, and it is up to you to choose what blend it going to work best with your daily needs.
