Have the hipsters gone too far?

By Ben Malandrinos

Would you like a sprinkle of chocolate or mushroom? Credit: UnSplash

A mushroom sits perfectly next to a hash brown in a full English, or in a lovingly made Italian risotto. But not in my coffee. Please.

Several cafes around London have started offering fungi-infused coffee options to their menu. The mushrooms are air dried and then finely ground into powder before being mixed into a normal coffee blend. Lion’s mane, chaga and codyceps are among the different types of fungus that can be added to your morning brew, but why would you do that?

The immune-enhancing properties of mushrooms are widely accepted. According to the US National Library of Medicine, extensive scientific research over the last 40 years has confirmed that eating mushrooms as part of a healthy diet can decrease your risk of heart decease, increase your resistance to common illnesses and even help your body fight cancer.

However, advocates of this trend say the extra ingredient also counters the headiness and hyperactivity of normal coffee. For myself, and many others, these are the very reasons we drink a coffee in the morning. If adding mushrooms to my coffee will take away its desired effect, then I’d much rather get my fungus fix from eating them. It seems someone has missed the point here.

Other fungi fanatics push the idea that mushrooms may boost brain function and alertness, but with little scientific evidence to prove this, the homeopathists can keep their lion’s mane. East London Juice Co. have taken the trend a little further, offering customers locally foraged mushrooms from the forests surrounding the city. Their concoction includes an organic, homespun Spanish almond milk called “mylk”.

Now, imagine ordering that at your local café: “Can I have the London mushroom Spanish almond “mylk” latte please”. Something tells me this has gone too far.

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