Four Sigmatic Think Instant Coffee is designed as an alternative to your usual morning coffee. The Four Sigmatic company blends the benefits of drinking coffee and eating functional mushrooms yet has half the caffeine, is organic, and is easy to use as a hot or cold brew.
Is it worth ditching your morning cup of coffee for a more health-conscious version by Four Sigmatic?
Pros
- Both of the Four Sigmatic mushrooms are proven to be helpful.
- Completely organic, gluten-free, and paleo and vegan-friendly.
- It tastes pretty pleasant, whether you drink it hot or iced.
Cons
- It is not as effective as regular coffee or a top mushroom coffee.
- Does not offer good value for money.
Quick Verdict
On the surface, Four Sigmatic Think Organic Instant Coffee is a good mushroom coffee. Unfortunately, based on a combination of factors that include its efficacy, value, and taste, there are better mushroom coffee options.
Instead, I recommend Nootrum Coffee Fusion. It’s the best mushroom coffee I’ve tried. It benefits from drinking coffee and eating adaptogenic mushrooms while tasting great hot or iced without causing caffeine crashes.
Who Is Four Sigmatic?
Four Sigmatic is a health and wellness company founded by Tero Isokauppila, who grew up on a family farm in Finland that has been around for 13 generations.
The company provides high-quality, nutrient-dense products that combine traditional health practices with modern science.
They are best known for their mushroom-infused coffee, which offers a range of health benefits without the typical side effects of regular coffee.
Four Sigmatic’s name is inspired by the statistical concept of “four sigma,” representing the top 100 most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.
The company uses these foods, exceptionally functional mushrooms like Lion’s Mane and Chaga, to create products that support health and wellness in a convenient and delicious form.
The company emphasizes sustainability and ethical sourcing, using ingredients harvested from responsibly managed farms and forests.
Their products are certified by trusted organizations such as Fair Trade and USDA Organic, ensuring high quality and sustainability standards.
Four Sigmatic
Four Sigmatic Think Organic Mushroom Coffee
The most coffee-tasting mushroom coffee made from organic beans.
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Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee Ingredients
Four Sigmatic has multiple products, so I’m focusing on their Think Organic Instant Coffee. It is their most popular and combines ground coffee with Lion’s mane, chaga mushrooms, and Rhodiola extract, where most have been grown on the founder’s family farm.
Organic Instant Coffee Powder
The core component of any cup of coffee is some extract of coffee beans, which are known for their high caffeine content and distinctive taste.
They can boost your energy levels and help you focus, which is why drinking coffee in the morning is so popular. Coffee also offers several other beneficial effects.
This includes supporting the brain, liver, and heart, lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and preventing certain health conditions [1].
However, a regular cup of coffee usually contains around 5 g of coffee beans, regardless of how it is brewed.
Servings of Four Sigmatic Think weigh 2.5 g and contain three ingredients besides the coffee beans, so they will likely provide half the beneficial effects of a regular coffee.
Log Grown Organic Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract
The Lion’s mane mushroom is a prevalent tooth fungus with many culinary and medical uses.
This is because it has a distinctive taste and texture, offers an incredible range of health benefits, and is the most effective species of medicinal mushrooms.
Lion’s mane supplement can boost brain health and functions, cognitive performance, brain cell growth, blood flow to the brain cells, focus, memory, and concentration, combat brain fog, mental decline, and many mental health issues.
The Lion’s mane mushroom also offers several physical benefits. These include improving the immune and nervous systems, aerobic capacity, athletic endurance, oxygen utilization, energy levels, ATP production, and reducing inflammation.
The problem is that Lion’s mane mushrooms will only produce any of these effects when consumed at least 1,000 mg daily.
The lack of stated dosages makes it impossible to know if Four Sigmatic Think contains this amount of organic Lion’s mane mushroom extract.
However, the fact that each serving weighs just 2.5 grams and is the second listed ingredient makes it highly unlikely. When you consider how it tastes, it does not seem that the product is equal parts coffee and Lion’s mane [2].
Wildcrafted Organic Chaga Mushroom Extract
The Chaga mushroom is a species of edible macroscopic fungus that grows primarily on birch trees.
It is rich in several beneficial compounds, including melanin, polyphenols, triterpenoids, and polysaccharides, and it is quickly becoming one of the most popular medicinal mushroom species.
These nutrients offer mental and physical health benefits, like boosting your digestive and immune systems, focus and energy levels, reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and preventing or treating cell mutation, fatigue, and certain chronic illnesses and somatic ailments [3][4].
Unfortunately, research has shown that at least 500 mg of chaga extract must be consumed daily to produce these effects.
While the lack of dosages makes it impossible to tell if enough is present to produce these results, it is doubtful.
Perhaps worse still, if enough is present, the Lion’s mane extract is dosed too small, which is the more effective of the two mushrooms.
Organic Rhodiola Extract
Rhodiola extract comes from the roots of the Rhodiola rosea plant, an adaptogen very similar to a mushroom.
It contains more than 140 different micronutrients and has been used in various herbal medicines for centuries due to its human health benefits.
It can help prevent or treat stress, anxiety, depression, mental fatigue, and inflammation, boost mental energy levels, brain health, focus, cognitive function, metabolic processes, concentration, and mood, and combat certain illnesses.
The issue is that it will only do any of this if you take at least 50 mg per day [5]. While it is certainly possible that Four Sigmatic Think contains this amount, the lack of any stated doses makes it impossible to know for sure. Its position at the very bottom of the ingredients list makes it less likely that it does.
Four Sigmatic Price
Four Sigmatic Think retails for between $16 and $72 a box, which works out at $0.90 to $1.25 per cup and is reasonable for a good mushroom coffee.
| Mushroom Coffee | 1 Bag (One Time Purchase) | 2 Bags (One Time Purchase) | 4 Bags (One Time Purchase) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Sigmatic Think Organic Mushroom Coffee | $20.00 ($1.25 per serving) | $38.00 ($1.19 per serving) | $72.00 ($1.13 per serving) |
| Mushroom Coffee | 1 Bag (Subscription) | 2 Bags (Subscription) | 4 Bags (Subscription) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Sigmatic Think Organic Mushroom Coffee | $16.00 ($1.00 per serving) | $30.40 ($0.95 per serving) | $57.60 ($0.90 per serving) |
The price variance depends on several factors, including the amount of the product you buy at a time and if you sign up for a subscription.
Who Is Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee For?
People Who Want Less Caffeine In Their Coffee
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee is ideal if you love coffee but hate the jitters. Infused with functional mushrooms like Lion’s Mane and Chaga, it provides a smoother caffeine experience without the crash, making it perfect for those who want to cut back on caffeine without sacrificing their coffee ritual.
Health-Conscious Individuals Seeking Mushroom Benefits Without the Taste
For those who are health-conscious but not fans of mushroom flavor, this coffee blend is a dream come true. The rich, dark coffee flavor masks the taste of mushrooms, allowing you to enjoy the myriad benefits of mushrooms, like enhanced immunity and cognitive function, without any compromise on taste.
Coffee Lovers Who Want a Smooth, Crash-Free Brew
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee offers a delicious, full-bodied coffee experience with none of the bitterness. Thanks to the addition of nutrient-dense mushrooms, each cup supports sustained energy levels, focus, and productivity without the typical coffee crash.
Individuals Seeking Enhanced Focus and Creativity
Lion’s Mane mushroom, known for its nootropic properties, is a critical ingredient in Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee. Perfect for those who need to stay sharp and creative, this coffee helps improve focus and mental clarity, making it an excellent choice for busy professionals and students.
Those Looking for Immune Support
Each cup of Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee includes 250mg of wild-harvested, organic Chaga mushroom, known for its powerful immune-supporting properties. This makes it an excellent choice for individuals looking to boost their immune system naturally.
Sustainable and Ethically-Minded Consumers
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee is made with ingredients harvested from responsibly managed farms and forests, certified by Fair Trade and USDA Organic. This makes it an excellent option for those prioritizing sustainability and ethical sourcing in their purchases.
My Experience With Four Sigmatic
For my first cup of Four Sigmatic Think, I brewed it hot in a French press. It brews dark mushroom coffee with a very distinctive smell and a pleasant taste, although it may be an acquired smell and taste.
I then experimented with different ways of making it, such as brewing it with cold water or pouring it over ice, and each time, it produced fairly similar results. However, the cold water option made its coarse grind much more noticeable.
Unfortunately, while this can make it a pleasant drink option for many people, after finishing an entire box, I have not felt any beneficial effects comparable to standard coffee, let alone a top mushroom coffee.
Four Sigmatic Customer Reviews
When looking at the customer reviews of Four Sigmatic Think, things look very positive on the surface. Based on feedback from past users, the product currently has a 4.3 out of 5 star rating on Amazon.
When looking at the positive reviews, the most common compliments were its reasonable price tag and the fact that it has a “delicious” taste, whether you drink it with or without milk or sugar, hot or iced.
However, several negative reviews were also posted. These seemed more telling than the positive ones, as they focused primarily on how the mushroom coffee affected them. Many people said it did nothing and was less effective than a regular cup of coffee.
Some people also complained that the taste was strange or too weak. Others said that its price tag and efficacy compared to regular coffee simply did not offer good value for money.
Four Sigmatic Alternatives
Nootrum Coffee Fusion
On the surface, Nootrum Coffee Fusion is a very similar mushroom coffee, as it combines ground coffee beans with Lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms.
However, there is one major difference, besides the fact that Rhodiola extract is not included here, which is that the mushrooms are used in their correct dosages.
As a result, Nootrum Coffee Fusion can produce the best benefits possible. This means it helps manage stress and promote sustained energy levels and focus, makes it easier to concentrate, and improves your productivity and the health and functions of your brain and body.
This is while being a delicious coffee, making each cup enjoyable to drink. You will not have to add sugar, honey, coconut milk, or other sweeteners or flavor enhancers.
Elm & Rye Mushroom Complex Coffee Creamer
Elm & Rye Mushroom Complex is unlike the other mushroom coffee products we have examined; it is not a true mushroom coffee.
Instead, it is a mushroom supplement made from high-quality ingredients, which includes the two mushrooms we have already looked at, maitake and cordyceps mushrooms. It is unique as it is available in three different forms, one of which is a coffee creamer.
This makes it an excellent option for people who want to continue using their regular coffee but also want to add the beneficial effects of a mushroom blend.
You have greater control over their caffeine intake and the flavor and texture of each cup.
Nootrum Powder
Nootrum Powder is another product not designed specifically as a mushroom coffee. However, it is the most potent powdered mushroom supplement today.
It’s why Nootrum is ranked as my best mushroom supplement.
It is made from cordyceps, reishi, royal sun agaricus, shiitake, maitake, and turkey tail mushrooms, as well as inulin, green tea leaf extract, fermented ginger root, acerola cherry extract, and cassava maltodextrin, all of which are organic.
By adding this to your regular coffee, you will have greater control over the flavor of each mug, and you will be able to enjoy more energy and the benefits of medicinal mushrooms. You’ll also be able to lower your caffeine intake and avoid the crashes it can cause.
My Nootrum review goes into more detail about this potent supplement.
Summary
Four Sigmatic claims that its Think Organic Instant Coffee offers all the beneficial effects of regular coffee and medicinal mushrooms without causing the crashes that caffeine can.
Unfortunately, based on my own experiences and those of many other customers, I can comfortably say there are better alternatives.
Instead, try Nootrum Coffee Fusion. Using a very similar recipe with ingredients correctly dosed offers the benefits of mushrooms while offering significantly better value and tasting great.
Four Sigmatic
Four Sigmatic Think Organic Mushroom Coffee
The most coffee-tasting mushroom coffee made from organic beans.
CHECK CURRENT DEALSReferences
- Poole, R., Kennedy, O. J., Roderick, P., Fallowfield, J. A., Hayes, P. C., & Parkes, J. (2017). Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes. bmj, 359.
- Lai, P. L., Naidu, M., Sabaratnam, V., Wong, K. H., David, R. P., Kuppusamy, U. R., … & Malek, S. N. A. (2013). Neurotrophic properties of the Lion’s mane medicinal mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia. International journal of medicinal mushrooms, 15(6).
- Tian, J., Hu, X., Liu, D., Wu, H., & Qu, L. (2017). Identification of Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide with broad-spectrum antiviral activity against multi-feline viruses. International journal of biological macromolecules, 95, 160-167.
- Hu, Y., Teng, C., Yu, S., Wang, X., Liang, J., Bai, X., … & Qu, J. (2017). Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide regulates gut microbiota of chronic pancreatitis in mice. Amb Express, 7, 1-11.
- Duncan, M. J., & Clarke, N. D. (2014). The effect of acute Rhodiola rosea ingestion on exercise heart rate, substrate utilisation, mood state, and perceptions of exertion, arousal, and pleasure/displeasure in active men. Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014(1), 563043.
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