Mushrooms coffee dates back to World War II when the Finnish substituted mushrooms for coffee when there was a coffee bean shortage. Since then, many have discovered the extra benefits of this combination. But it was not until the brand, Four Sigmatic (founded by a couple of Finnish Americans), took this trend to a new level by introducing Americans to the many benefits of mushrooms (we have reviewed one of their products here). Chagaccino by Renude Beverage takes the original concept further by introducing a mushroom-based Mochaccino. Let’s take a look at this product to see how beneficial it really is.
Monk Fruit Sweetener (Monk Fruit Extract, Erythritol)—Monk fruit is a plant-based sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Erythritol occurs naturally in small amounts in certain fruits, but commercially it is produced from corn using fermentation and enzymes.
Wild Foraged Chaga— Most known and studied for its immune boosting properties, chaga mushroom contains antioxidants that fight off the effects of inflammation in the body. It is also known to increase energy levels and improve gut health.
Organic Peruvian Cacao— A raw, unprocessed version of chocolate. Cacao contains a high amount of phytonutrients (plant nutrients/antioxidants) as well as iron, zinc, magnesium, and copper. It tastes slightly more bitter than its traditional chocolate counterpart but it’s much healthier.
Organic Ceylon Cinnamon—Full of antioxidants, cinnamon is most studied for its anti-diabetic effects. Studies have shown that it helps reduce fasting blood sugar over time. This type of cinnamon is more beneficial than the standard cinnamon available in the grocery stores.
Final Evaluation
Ingredient Quality: A-. This product is vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free. However, the product is not certified in any of these claims.
Ingredient Clarity: A. All ingredients are purposely added and make sense to the overall product.
Functional Benefit: B+. Chaga mushroom has benefits in maintaining a healthy cholesterol and blood sugar, but is most known for its ability to fight acute and long term inflammation in the body (including fighting cancer). This leads to improvement in immune health and fighting against the signs of aging. Most of the studies around chaga’s benefits are animal-based or test tube; there are little human-based studies on its benefits. As such, there is no effective dosage for its benefits. This product claims 500 milligrams of chaga, which is in the mid-range of what is typically seen on the market. Cacao is loaded with antioxidants that help reduce long term inflammation (compliments the chaga) as well as other minerals like zinc and plant flavonoids that support healthy blood sugar management. Effective dosages for blood sugar management are between 500-1000 milligrams. This product contains less than 200 milligrams, well below the effective dosage. This leads to believe that the cacao is added as a flavoring agent, rather than any functional value. Ceylon cinnamon is a higher quality version of the grocery store cinnamon and is most known to reduce fasting blood sugar and cholesterol over time. The effective dosage for blood sugar management is between 1-6 grams. From calculation, this product contains less than 200 milligrams of cinnamon per serving, far less than the effective dosage. Like the cacao, the cinnamon is added as a flavoring component, rather than any functional value.
Nutritional Value: B+. This product contains zero calories but has 6 grams of erythritol. Erythritol can cause gastrointestinal issues for some people.
Overall Score: B. Plenty of animal and test-tube based studies have shown that chaga mushroom has many immune supporting and anti-inflammatory benefits. Combined with cacao powder (which also has its own immune and anti-inflammatory benefits), this product packs a serious punch. This product contains 500 milligrams of chaga, which is in the mid-range of what is typically seen on the market (chaga has no effective dosage since there are no human-based studies surrounding its benefits.) Although there are plenty of benefits of cacao, this product contains 200 milligrams or less; well below the effective dosage for blood sugar and cholesterol management. Additionally, the cinnamon is included well below an effective dosage for blood sugar and cholesterol management. This leads the individual to believe that these ingredients are added for flavoring, rather than any true functional value (not necessarily a bad thing). The only glaringly objectionable thing about this beverage is the sweetener blend. The blend lists monk fruit as the first (primary) ingredient. Since there are 6 grams of erythritol, this means that the amount of monkfruit present needs to be above 6 grams. With this amount, there is no way that the product would taste palatable. This leads to the conclusion that the sweetener blend is listed incorrectly. Additionally, erythritol is known to cause gastrointestinal issues for some people. At $3/packet, this is more expensive that its direct competitor, Four Sigmatic. (Four Sigmatic’s mushroom cacao packets come in at $2/serving.) However, Four Sigmatic does not offer a chaga mushroom based cacao powder, so if reaping the benefits of chaga is important, then this product would be worth it.
Would you buy this product? Why or why not?