London Nootropics claims its adaptogenic coffee reduces stress – but does it?

After the first sip, we weren’t sure about the lion’s mane mushroom flavour. We hadn’t tried adaptogenic coffee before and found its flavour was too earthy for our taste. Fast forward to our third sip and we absolutely loved this beverage. Once we got past the initial earthiness, we actually enjoyed its flavour more than regular coffee.

Lion’s mane mushroom has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times, and can help support memory, focus and concentration, as well as mental clarity and brain health. Research found this mushroom contains two compounds that can stimulate the growth of brain cells. On top of that, it has strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune-boosting abilities. The other main ingredient, Rhodiola rosea – a herb found in the mountains of Europe and Asia – has been used for centuries to treat anxiety, fatigue and depression. Nootropics’ sources the plant from the Altai Mountains in Russia.

If you only want to try one blend of adaptogenic coffee, this is the one we’d recommend. While we can’t say much about benefits for our memory, we definitely didn’t struggle with our afternoon dip during our workday and felt more focused on the tasks at hand too. On top of that, with some plant-based milk added, we really enjoyed the taste of this blend and would choose it over our regular cuppa. If you want to give it a try, use the discount code “MUSHCOFFEE” to benefit from 20 per cent off.

The name of this blend made us feel a little sceptical, as feeling ‘zen’ is not something that comes to mind when we think of coffee – we tend to associate zen with a yoga session followed by a warm shower and cup of tea on our sofa. Nevertheless, this blend definitely helped us unwind and left us feeling calm, yet focused.

Its main ingredient, CBD, is made from organic hemp and has soothing nutrients that absorb rapidly and claim to help alleviate stress, anxiety and inflammation. The included KSM-66 ashwagandha is an adaptogen that has been used for thousands of years and can help tackle anxiety, enhance memory and cognition, and help adapt to both physical and mental stressors.

Flavour-wise, we thought this blend was quite similar to the flow flavour and we enjoyed drinking it with soy milk. Save 20 per cent off this blend by using the discount code “MUSHCOFFEE”.

This coffee includes cordyceps – a fungus that can reportedly improve immunity by stimulating cells and specific chemicals in the immune system. It can help increase oxygen flow to muscles as well as help build resistance to fatigue.

Siberian ginseng is also included and is traditionally used to prevent colds and flu and increase energy, longevity and vitality. It’s also used to increase mental alertness and physical performance.

The first time we tried our mojo coffee, we thought it had a real kick, a bit too much, even. We intentionally tried it first on a Saturday morning before heading off to hockey practice, as we thought its benefits would make it a fine pre-workout drink, but by the time we got to our club, we were feeling very jittery. We usually don’t drink coffee before workouts for exactly this reason, so it wasn’t quite the kick we were looking for.

After our initial cup, the effects we experienced were mellower and we made sure to plan ahead before dipping into the remaining sachets prior to our workouts, to make sure any jitters would’ve worn off, but we could still benefit from the extra energy boost.

It’s a bit more chocolatey in taste than the flow and zen mixes, which made it our top choice flavour wise. To benefit from the 20 per cent discount, use the code “MUSHCOFFEE”.