Mushroom gummies vs mushroom coffee
Mushroom coffee and mushroom gummies both promise the same thing: functional mushrooms in something you'll actually take every day. They go about it very differently, and the right one for you mostly comes down to caffeine, timing and taste.
We make gummies, so read this knowing that. We've tried to be fair to the coffee.
Side by side
| Mushroom coffee | Mushroom gummies | |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | Usually 45mg to 60mg a serving, some up to 150mg | None in ours |
| When you can take it | Mornings and early afternoon for most people | Any time, including before bed |
| Prep | Kettle, mug, stirring | None |
| Taste | Earthy, often milder than regular coffee | Fruit flavours, such as blackcurrant in Starshroooms |
| Travel | Sachets or a tub | A pouch in your bag |
| Added nutrients | Varies by brand | Varies by brand. Starshroooms adds Vitamin B5 and iodine |
Caffeine is the big difference
Most mushroom coffees are part coffee, part mushroom powder. When NBC News compared popular brands, most came in at around 45mg to 60mg of caffeine a serving. A few of the stronger blends matched an ordinary cup at around 150mg.
For comparison, the NHS puts a mug of instant coffee at about 100mg and a mug of filter coffee at about 140mg. So mushroom coffee is often a way to drink less caffeine while keeping the ritual of a hot mug in the morning. Doctors quoted by NBC said that cut in caffeine may explain a lot of why people feel better on it.
That's a real benefit if you're trying to cut down. The NHS advises no more than 200mg of caffeine a day during pregnancy, and many people sleep better when they keep caffeine to the morning.
Gummies take caffeine out of the question. That matters most for mushrooms you'd want in the evening. Reishi is traditionally taken as a calming tonic, and a Reishi coffee at 9pm sends mixed messages to your body.
How much mushroom are you getting?
This is the hardest thing to compare, for both formats. Some products list the amount of each mushroom and whether it's an extract. Others list one combined weight for a blend.
Look for three things on any label:
- The amount of each mushroom per serving
- Whether it's an extract, and at what ratio, such as 10:1 or 20:1
- Whether it's made from the fruiting body or from mycelium grown on grain
A 20:1 extract means 20kg of dried mushroom went into every 1kg of extract, so a small amount carries a lot of mushroom. That's why we use concentrated extracts in Starshroooms: Reishi at 20:1, Chaga and Maitake at 10:1, and Lion's Mane at 2:1.
What about the evidence?
The research on functional mushrooms tests single mushrooms, usually as extracts or powders in capsules. As far as we can find, nobody has run a large trial on mushroom coffee as a drink, or on mushroom gummies. Whichever you choose, you're relying on studies of the ingredients, most of them small.
In the UK there are no authorised health claims for any mushroom. The claims we make for Starshroooms come from its vitamins: Vitamin B5 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and iodine contributes to normal cognitive function.
Cost
Prices for both formats vary widely. A 60 gummy pouch of Starshroooms is £24.99, which works out at about 83p a day at two gummies. On subscription it's £19.99, about 67p a day. To compare with a mushroom coffee, divide the price of the tub by the number of servings, then check the mushroom amounts per serving above so you're comparing like with like.
Which should you pick?
Choose mushroom coffee if you want to cut your caffeine but keep a morning coffee habit, and you like the taste.
Choose gummies if you want mushrooms without caffeine, want to take them in the evening, or just don't want to make a drink.
You can also have both: your usual coffee in the morning and two Starshroooms before bed. The gummies add nothing to your caffeine total.
If you'd like to try gummies without committing, the Starshroooms trial pack is ten gummies for £4.99 with free delivery.
