I’ve tried quite a few mushroom coffees in recent years. The goal behind products like Beyond Brew is to minimize caffeine use while replacing the energy-boosting effects with the benefits of functional mushrooms, specifically cordyceps, which boosts energy, and lion’s mane, which can improve attention.
The flavor profile varies greatly, and sadly, many of these products put too little mushrooms to reach their full potential.
So, this time, I’m testing Beyond Brew, one of the most popular mushroom coffee alternatives on the market, to see how it compares to my current top choices.
Pros
- Palatable taste: The taste is a bit of an acquired taste, but the inclusion of stevia leaf extract offers a natural sweetness that makes it more pleasant to drink
- Affordable: An average price for the product
- Organic and non-GMO: Beyond Brew is vegan, non-GMO, shellfish free, peanut free, dairy free, and gluten-free
Cons
- Proprietary blend: Unfortunately, when you look at the ingredients within the blend, you have no idea what percentage of any of the principal ingredients are included within the blend
- No coffee inside: This is a mushroom coffee alternative, but it doesn’t taste like coffee, and it doesn’t boost energy like coffee
Quick Verdict
Beyond Brew may be regarded as an adequate product, but when compared to Nootrum’s coffee, you will quickly understand that Nootrum Mushroom Coffee is significantly superior, featuring standardized mushroom extracts for quality and purity and blended with a rich dark roasted Brazilian coffee bean.
There are various mushroom coffee brands on the market today, but Nootrum mushroom coffee deserves to be recognized for its taste and excellent ingredients, which is why it is the preferred morning brew for everyone who has tried it.
What is Beyond Brew Mushroom Coffee Alternative
Beyond Brew is a caffeine-free coffee alternative that replaces coffee beans with cacao and functional mushrooms. Designed for those looking to reduce caffeine intake while still enjoying an energy boost, Beyond Brew combines cordyceps for stamina, lion’s mane for focus, and reishi for stress support.
Unlike traditional mushroom coffees that blend mushrooms with coffee, Beyond Brew relies on cacao as its base. While this offers a rich and slightly bitter flavor, it doesn’t fully replicate the taste of coffee. The addition of cinnamon and stevia provides natural sweetness and warmth, making it more palatable.
Beyond Brew markets itself as a health-focused alternative, boasting organic, non-GMO ingredients. However, the proprietary blend lacks transparency regarding the exact dosage of its active compounds, making it difficult to determine its effectiveness.
While it provides some benefits, the lack of standardized mushroom extracts means it may not deliver the full potential of these ingredients.
Beyond Brew Ingredients
Beyond Brew believes that by substituting cacao for coffee beans, they can create a beverage that is delicious, full of health benefits, and free of the caffeine jitters that some people want to avoid. This blend combines the ancient wisdom of medicinal mushrooms with the delicious appeal of cacao.
Cacao Powder
Cacao powder is used as a coffee bean substitute and contains caffeine, albeit in small amounts. So, this is not the best option if you want to avoid caffeine entirely. It’s also not the tastiest cacao I’ve had. Cacao has benefits beyond taste, as it contains various antioxidants, minerals, and mood-enhancing substances.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus)
Lion’s mane is renowned for its capacity to improve cognitive performance; however, it is a compound known as erinacines that achieves this, and you must either standardize for it or use a lot more lion’s mane than what is in Beyond Brew.
So that’s a little disappointing if you were hoping to gain from its potential to increase NGF, or Nerve Growth Factor, in the brain. Beyond Brew, like many mushroom coffees, contains beta-glucans, which might enhance your immune system but won’t deliver the full benefit of these mushrooms.
Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum)
It is sometimes referred to as the “Mushroom of Immortality,” and it is most known for its capacity to reduce stress and bolster the immune system—either boosting it when it is underactive or relaxing it when it is overactive.
However, like the rest of the mushrooms, the amount is likely too small to elicit meaningful results.
Chaga Mushroom (Inonotus obliquus)
Chaga is often praised for its remarkable antioxidant features. In Beyond Brew, Chaga is included because of its high concentration of polyphenols and flavonoids—compounds that help neutralize free radicals, which can harm cells and contribute to aging and chronic diseases.
It’s worth mentioning that a higher concentration of Chaga is required to get its complete protective properties, but you’ll most likely get some of them with Beyond Brew.
Cordyceps Mushroom
Beyond Brew contains Cordyceps to help with endurance and energy levels, but the most significant effects require a much greater dosage. It’s theoretically possible that there is enough cordycepin in here, but it’s highly unlikely.
And based on my experience consuming Beyond Brew versus other mushroom coffees, I’m sure it doesn’t have enough Cordyceps.
Cinnamon and Natural Spices
Beyond Brew uses cinnamon to improve flavor, providing warmth and depth. For health advantages, Beyond Brew likely contains Ceylon cinnamon, which has more antioxidants. Cinnamon contains several antioxidants, including polyphenols, which protect the body from oxidative stress.
What Are Mushroom Coffees
Mushroom coffee is a blend of traditional coffee and medicinal mushroom extracts, such as lion’s mane, chaga, and reishi.
While it retains the rich, bold taste of regular coffee, the addition of mushrooms introduces mild earthy or nutty undertones, adding depth to the flavor.
The roasting process helps balance these flavors, ensuring coffee lovers enjoy a familiar taste. Those sensitive to subtle changes can enhance the flavor with milk, cream, or natural sweeteners like honey. Spices such as cinnamon or vanilla can also complement the coffee’s natural notes.
Beyond taste, mushroom coffee is popular for its potential benefits, including lower caffeine content, improved focus, and immune support.
It can be brewed like regular coffee, making it an easy way to enjoy both the comfort of coffee and the wellness properties of functional mushrooms.
Beyond Brew Price
| Mushroom Coffee | One Time Purchase | Subscription | 2 Bottles Subscription | 4 Bottles Subscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond Brew | $37 ($1.23 per serving) | $31.20 ($1.04 per serving) | $29.60 per jar ($0.98 per serving) | $28.00 per jar ($0.93 per serving) |
My Experience With Beyond Brew Mushroom Coffee Alternative
After trying Beyond Brew Mushroom Coffee Alternative, I don’t think it will make it into my top ten list of mushroom brews.
As a coffee replacement, I found the flavor somewhat bland, especially if you ignore the faint cinnamon flavor. The final overtones from the mild earthy taste are fine, but the cacao doesn’t completely cover them.
Adding this to coffee was alright for my taste buds, and it masked all of the earthy flavors. Personally, this was the only way I could appreciate Beyond Brew’s Mushroom Coffee Alternative.
As for whether it raised my energy levels without the jitters, yes, but no more than cacao alone would.
Especially given that the company “Live Conscious” markets its products as containing medicinal mushrooms, there is no information on the amount of beta-glucans, hericenones, erinacines, or triterpenoids, all of which are important when purchasing mushroom coffee or mushroom coffee alternatives.
Overall, Beyond Brew left me feeling unsatisfied, like I had wasted my money.
Beyond Brew User Reviews
It’s annoying when consumer feedback is nothing more than basic compliments such as “Great product” or “So easy to take.”
These ambiguous comments provide absolutely no insight into the actual performance or benefits seen by their customers who use this product, leaving many potential consumers hesitant and, like me, skeptical.
When feedback lacks substance, it fails to instill faith in both the reviewers and the product. Detailed, insightful evaluations are preferred since they provide real-world experiences and specifics that assist others in making informed selections.
Overall, most of the reviews are positive, which is likely because this is one of the most affordable supplements of its kind.
After all, it’s many people’s first time substituting coffee for a cacao-based product, and it’s only when you compare it to significantly better alternatives that you’ll find it doesn’t quite cut it.
However, if you compare it to ordinary coffee, there is a noticeable difference.
However, as someone who has tried a variety of mushroom coffees and supplements, Beyond Brew fell short in terms of functionality.
Most customers recommend the Beyond Brew mushroom coffee alternative for the energy boost commonly associated with medicinal mushrooms and some immune support.
What is disappointing is the lack of information about the dosages of the key compounds, which are insufficient to deliver the more targeted effects these mushrooms are known for.
Beyond Brew Mushroom Coffee Taste
Many customers claim to enjoy the taste of Beyond Brew Mushroom Coffee, but anyone expecting a deep dark, roasted, luxurious coffee bean will be disappointed. Cacao has a distinct flavor profile that is nutty, woody, and somewhat acidic.
When you combine this with the earthy flavors of mushroom extract, the drink becomes quite distinctive and not to everyone’s taste. While the cinnamon’s undertones and warmth assist in concealing some of the cacao flavors, it’s not exactly an impressive beverage.
When I blended it with my regular roast coffee, the flavor was wonderful, with a faint cinnamon warmth that was welcome on a cold morning.
For anyone who likes their morning coffee taste, this product may not be for you, especially if you add in the cost of your preferred brand of coffee simply to cover the taste of Beyond Brew.
Beyond Brew Alternatives
Nootrum Mushroom Coffee
Nootrum mushroom coffee is one of the best-selling coffee mushroom supplements on the market today. This is the standout performance in terms of user reviews, flavor, quality, and efficacy.
Nootrum has set its stall by employing the highest grade of dark Brazilian roast beans and infusing them with excellent mushroom extracts to target the desired health benefits. Nootrum uses only standardized ingredients in all of its mushroom products, ensuring purity and quality. T
his differs from Beyond Brew in that they do not go into standards on their website. Nootrum’s attention to detail guarantees that the taste you get encompasses the dark roast Brazilian bean flavor while also offering a mild earthy flavor that is not unpleasant.
Nootrums provides a solution based on the most recent medical and scientific research formulated to address a wide range of health conditions.
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee
For mushroom coffee fans, starting your trip with a Four Sigmatic drink is almost a rite of passage—it’s one of the most recognizable brands on the market today. They provide a diverse selection of beneficial mushroom coffee blends catering to taste and wellness.
Four Sigmatic makes their coffee from 100% organic Arabica beans and incorporates functional mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane and Chaga.
Unlike Beyond Brew, they prioritize both flavor and effectiveness, ensuring that each mushroom is present in appropriate levels to provide genuine, verifiable benefits.
If you prefer a morning coffee, they taste better than Beyond Brew—earthy and smooth—but their stronger focus on bioactive ingredients makes them an excellent alternative if you want a more pronounced brain boost or immune support.
While Four Sigmatic is more expensive than Beyond Brew, I believe the added coffee makes up for the difference. While Four Sigmantic has a pleasant and slightly earthy flavor, it falls short of Nootrum mushroom coffee’s morning punch.
You can read my experience and breakdown in my Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee review.
RYZE Mushroom Coffee
RYZE distinguishes itself from many other mushroom coffee brands by providing a creamy, slightly sweeter brew.
They combine their functional mushrooms with medium-roast coffee and MCT oil for an added energy boost, creating a distinct flavor profile that sticks out.
Their blend contains six distinct mushrooms, including Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps, which provide a broader range of potential benefits than Beyond Brew’s more basic formulation.
RYZE is also offered as a caffeine-free coffee substitute for those who want to enjoy the stimulating and health-promoting benefits of mushrooms. RYZE tastes smoother and less robust than Beyond Brew, which may appeal to those who prefer a lighter coffee experience.
While it is slightly more expensive than Beyond Brew, the addition of MCT oil and a greater mushroom variety make it an appealing alternative for those looking for more from their mushroom coffee.
Again, Nootrum Mushroom Coffee outperforms this mushroom coffee in terms of flavor and components.
My experience and breakdown are in my RYZE Mushroom Coffee review.
Summary
While Beyond Brew is a tasty and nutritious coffee alternative, it may not give all the functional benefits you might anticipate from mushroom coffee.
The taste is acquired, and even after two weeks of trying, I needed to add it to my favorite coffee bean to appreciate it.
There are clearly better products on the market today; Nootrum is the top choice, followed by Four Sigmatic. While RYZES’ inclusion of MCT oil may provide some customers with a quick boost, it does not appear to be as long-lasting as the Nootrum brand or Four Sigmatic.
Best Mushroom Coffee
Nootrum Coffee Fusion
Properly dosed mushroom coffee to give you the health benefits of mushrooms with your morning caffeine.
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