One of the biggest trends today is the healing power of mushrooms, and Four Sigmatic ventured out to disrupt the beverage industry with its selection of coffee, lattes and cacaos based on mushrooms. It’s is a Finnish company that started in 2012, and now feeds mushrooms to people in over 65 countries. Read more about this company here.

This blog post has two contrasting opinions. When we say “No One Voice”, we mean it. Opinions differ, tastes differ, and it’s important to us to always speak our truth.

Truth #1

I picked up the Mushroom Chai Latte Mix in my local Whole Foods. One packet cost me $1.69.

This particular concoction consists of turkey tail and reishi mushrooms. I’m not a mushroom aficionado, so I researched. Both of these mushrooms are known for their immune-enhancing and anti-cancer effects. This is information I can carry with me and share—very interesting.

Researching the product, the company, and the purpose of mushrooms pertaining to health and wellness, I hoped for positive taste tests with the Four Sigmatic latte beverage. A product that serves health and also boasts great flavor is ideal. Fingers crossed.

I ripped open the packet like it was a tea bag, but it was a powder that went flying into the air. Learn from me and open carefully. I added the powder to a cup of hot water extracted from the Keurig. The chai smell was intense—very aromatic.

The way it mixed with the water disappointed me, leaving little chunks of the powder intact, so I stepped away for two minutes then returned to my mug of latte. It still hadn’t completely dissolved, so I sipped it. Not impressed.

I started writing this blog and stirred the contents of my mug again and noted this time the latte had dissolved into the water leaving no clumps. Five minutes after adding the hot water, I tasted again. Much better! The more I drank the latte, the more I thought I could grow to like it. That’s my life story, though… it’s good for you so learn to like it. Maybe…

Truth #2

Let’s get one thing out of the way… I don’t like mushrooms. I never have and likely never will. 

As a kid, I remember arguing with my bestie, Molly — a “mushroom lover”, about what they grow in. I would firmly state “THEY ARE GROWN IN POOP.” She would respond with, “No, they grow in moldy sticks.” Either way, neither of those methods sound appealing. 

As an adult, I’ll give anything a try once. That is what lead me and my mom to the #InstagramFamous mushroom tea. Sounds like a nightmare to me. Why do people like this?

Four Sigmatic has a ton of health benefits on top of the energy boost it provides. The cashier at Whole Foods said she loves it for the energy without the jitters caused by coffee.

Interesting… I have experienced the coffee jitters. Most of the time they are caused by a roast called “Bone Shaker” from a local coffee shop.

So I gave it a shot. I was most drawn to the one marked Lion’s Mane. Turns out, the mushroom extract comes from Lion’s Mane mushrooms… not cat hair from an exotic animal. Thank goodness! 

The taste? Dirt. It was smooth, but also tasted like dirt. It might have something to do with the ingredients of mushroom, mint and rose hips. It was very aromatic. The stevia added a bit of sweetness to it, but I still dumped it out. Guys, I wanted to like this. But even our proclaimed “dirty, brown water” (a.k.a. free, office coffee) is better than the Lions Mane coffee.  

IMBHO Contributor: Alyssa C.

Editor’s Note: We recognize the benefits derived from the Four Sigmatic beverages. We also recognize consumers have different tastes and preferences. For IMBHO it’s a maybe, but if you’re looking for a product with huge health benefits, it might be worth trying.