Mushroom coffee and mushroom supplements in Canada: a practical guide

Mushroom coffee is regular coffee blended with extracts of functional mushrooms like lion's mane, chaga, reishi or cordyceps, and most of it still has caffeine. Mushroom supplements are the same mushrooms in capsules, powders or tinctures, so we like to start with the drink or format you'll actually enjoy.

The Four Sigmatic range, by format

Four Sigmatic is the mushroom coffee brand we're asked about most, and we carry a good chunk of the range at both stores. The names are similar, so it's easy to grab the wrong bag. Here's how they compare.

Pick by how you make coffee

Just a kettle. Think Instant Coffee or the Cordyceps & Chaga instant mix dissolve in hot water. Each Cordyceps & Chaga packet lists 350 mg of chaga extract and 150 mg of cordyceps extract.

A drip machine, French press or pour-over. The Ground Lion's Mane & Chaga is a full dark roast. Focus Half Caf mixes regular and decaf beans for a mellower cup.

Your own grinder. Focus Whole Bean is the one if you grind fresh each morning.

How much caffeine is in mushroom coffee?

It depends on the product, and it's rarely zero. Four Sigmatic lists 50 mg of caffeine for a Think Instant packet. The half-caf blend uses half decaf beans, but how much ends up in your mug depends on how much you brew.

For a cup with no caffeine at all, you have two good options.

Our favourite simple iced coffee

1. Dissolve. Stir one Think Instant packet into 50 mL of warm water.
2. Fill. Add ice and 150 mL of cold milk or plant-based drink to a glass.
3. Pour and taste. Pour the coffee over and stir. Taste before you sweeten; the milk may be enough.

The four functional mushrooms

You'll also see turkey tail, maitake and others in blends. Host Defense's Stamets 7, for example, combines seven species. None of these are psychedelic mushrooms; lion's mane, chaga, reishi and cordyceps are legal to buy in Canada.

Fruiting body vs mycelium

The fruiting body is the part we think of as "the mushroom": the cap or shelf that grows above ground or on a tree. Mycelium is the thread-like network it grows from. Companies often grow mycelium on grain such as organic brown rice, so a mycelium product contains some of that grain too.

Both are used in good products, and brands choose on purpose. Teeccino lists both in its lion's mane. The label should tell you which part you're buying.

What extraction means on a label

Many of the compounds people are interested in, like the polysaccharides called beta-glucans, sit inside tough cell walls. Extraction is how they're drawn out.

Suro Canadian Organic Chaga Extract is a 1:1 liquid, so 1 mL equals 1 g of hand-harvested Canadian chaga. When a label lists beta-glucan content, that's one of the more useful numbers to compare between products.

Mushroom supplements we carry

If you'd rather have your lion's mane without coffee, these are the main routes. You'll find the full range, including Canadian brands like Harmonic Arts, NFH and Suro, in our mushroom products collection.

• Capsules: Host Defense (Lion's Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps, Chaga, Stamets 7 and more), NFH Lion's Mane SAP, Purica and Harmonic Arts. The easiest way to take a consistent amount.
• Powders: Host Defense mycelium powders and Harmonic Arts concentrated powders stir into coffee, tea or smoothies.
• Tinctures: Harmonic Arts and Suro make liquid extracts you take by the dropper.
• Drinks and treats: Four Sigmatic latte mixes (including a mushroom matcha latte with lion's mane) and hot cacao, Blume Reishi Hot Cacao, Harmonic Arts 5 Mushroom Chocolate, and Suku Super Mushrooms gummies.

Reading a mushroom supplement label

1. Check the part. Fruiting body, mycelium or both.
2. Check the extraction. Hot water, alcohol, dual, or a whole powder, and at what ratio.
3. Check the source. Where the mushrooms are sourced and grown, and whether it's certified organic. Good brands answer all of this on the box or their website.
4. Find the NPN. An eight-digit NPN on the label shows the product is licensed for sale in Canada. The recommended use printed beside it is the claim the product is licensed to make.

What about the claims?

Lion's mane is the one people ask about for focus and mental clarity, and reishi and the rest have attracted a lot of research interest too. Human research is still limited, though, and it involves particular preparations and study groups. That doesn't mean every coffee or capsule with lion's mane in it will do the same.

You can look up any NPN in the Licensed Natural Health Products Database.

Buy a mushroom coffee because you like how it tastes and fits your morning, not because of a promise on the box.

Questions we get a lot

Is mushroom coffee caffeine-free?

Usually not. Most mushroom coffee is real coffee with mushroom extracts; Four Sigmatic's Think Instant lists 50 mg per packet. Elixirs and roasted herbal blends like Teeccino are the caffeine-free options.

Does mushroom coffee taste like mushrooms?

Not really. The coffee and roast come through first. Reishi is the most bitter of the four, which is why it's usually paired with cacao.

Which is the best mushroom for coffee?

Lion's mane is the most common pairing, with chaga close behind. It mostly comes down to taste and which brand's approach you prefer.

What is Host Defense?

A mushroom supplement line from Fungi Perfecti, the company founded by mycologist Paul Stamets. Its products use organic mycelium, and we carry its capsules and powders.

Where can I buy Four Sigmatic in Canada?

At both Luminate Co stores, online with Luminate Express same-day delivery in HRM, or shipped across Canada.

Can I add mushroom powder to my usual coffee?

Yes. A concentrated powder from Harmonic Arts or a mycelium powder from Host Defense stirs into a brewed cup. Follow the serving on the label.

Mushroom coffee is in our coffee aisle and mushroom supplements are in the supplement aisle at both stores: 486 Starboard Drive in Bedford and 590 Portland Street in Dartmouth. For regular beans from local roasters, see our guide to Nova Scotia coffee roasters. Adding a herb to your morning mug? Our ashwagandha guide compares root powder, capsules, gummies and lattes. In HRM, order by 11 am with Luminate Express for same-day delivery across most of the city, or have it shipped anywhere in Canada, free over $80.

Sources: Caffeine in foods; Memorial Sloan Kettering, Lion's mane and Chaga; Licensed Natural Health Products Database. This article is general information, not medical advice.