Coffee Culture
Pass by any busy street and you'll catch the site of caffeine junkies. By some measures 90% of us are addicted.
Craving a boost, a wake up call, to focus and prepare for the morning tasks.
It is a habit that has extended into nearly every home and business. Even supplanting the cup of tea as our favourite national brew.
From latte art to coffee clubs, subscribers to the cult have incorporated everything from syrups and infusions to sweets and shakes.
Sometimes it feels like every pleasure becomes pathological.
Instead of balance we experience the coffee jitters.
Instead of a healthy morning ritual, we feel incapable of functioning without.
So what exactly is our relationship with coffee?
Our relationship with coffee flourished in Europe in the sixteenth century with the introduction of coffee houses.
Coffee houses were often places of intellectual debate, where different classes engaged one another, spurring enlightenment revolutions in France and the United States.
Boiling coffee helped to sanitise water, making it safe to drink; transforming health; reducing alcohol consumption and energising people to work earlier, later and longer than ever before.
Coffee and cafe culture were foundational to our enlightenment. But now a new enlightenment is needed. As today, coffee symbolises many of the problems we face; from globalisation, pollution, exploitation, excess and climate change.
Why Mushroom Coffee Is A Thing
Mushrooms have been consumed as a coffee substitute since at least the 1940's in Finland. When during World War 2, imports of coffee beans were restricted.
The inclusion of mushrooms in coffee is highly complimentary both in taste and effect.
Mushrooms can be earthy or slightly bitter in taste with some containing vanilla or cocoa undertones similar to coffee.
Extracts from mushrooms such as Cordyceps, Chaga, Lions Mane and Reishi have been shown to increase energy and improve mood, memory and attention amongst a host of other health benefits.
These benefits are far more sustained than caffeine and don't lead to a crash. Mushrooms can also offer a host of rare but vital vitamins and boast some of the highest levels of antioxidants available.
Unlike coffee, these functional mushrooms can be grown productively in the northern hemisphere since they require little space, are high in biological efficiency and can be grown indoors.
So the inclusion of mushrooms creates an opportunity to improve our health, implement efficient indoor farming technologies whilst subtly shifting towards a more sustainable alternative.
Can coffee really be good for us? What is a healthy relationship with coffee?
It may seem like a small change to include a portion of functional mushrooms (between 5-25%) in your coffee. But the impact shouldn't be underestimated.
For one thing; the concentration of extracts verses their fresh mushroom equivalents is over 9000% higher.
Functional Mushrooms can be a great way to support a balanced, healthy start to your day and regain the joy of coffee.
Notice the subtle tastes and aromas and find a greater harmony in the medicinal effects modulating your mood to one of calm, focussed, flow rather than erratic, restless energy.
Furthermore, mushrooms can help by acting as a catalyst for wider changes in our lives.
With greater focus and clarity our reasoning and decision making skills improve which can often lead to new regimes in diet, exercise and in support of mental health.
What steps can we take to improve our coffee rituals?
- Reduce your caffeine intake by supplementing with functional mushrooms and decaffeinated coffee.
- Limit your intake to 3 cups a day. No more than 95 mg of caffeine per cup.
- Avoid milk and sugar syrups where possible. Don't break your fast until lunch.
- Don't consume caffeine after 12pm.
- Serve coffee with a glass of water (sparkling or still) to stay fully hydrated.
- Learn how to make a great tasting mushroom coffee by downloading 'The Complete Guide To Mushroom Coffee'.
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