Coffee alternatives like Beyond Brew and MUD\WTR have been growing in popularity over the past few years. These drinks contain functional mushrooms and adaptogens instead of caffeine from coffee beans.
They aim to provide energy, focus, and other benefits without the jittery side effects or crash associated with regular coffee. But how exactly do Beyond Brew and MUD\WTR compare?
Here is an overview of both mushroom coffees along with their pros, cons, features, and frequently asked questions.
A Brief Comparison Table
| Category | Beyond Brew | MUD\WTR |
| Ingredients | Lion’s mane mushroom, cordyceps mushroom, cacao, coconut milk powder | Cordyceps mushroom, chaga mushroom, reishi mushroom, lion’s mane mushroom, cacao, masala chai spices |
| Flavor | Rich, nutty, creamy, coffee-like taste | Earthy taste with cinnamon, cardamom and spice notes |
| Texture | Smooth and frothy | Grainy |
| Packaging | Single-serve packets | Canisters and stick packs |
| Dietary | Vegetarian, dairy-free options | Vegan |
| Pros | Creamy texture, coffee-like flavor, portable packets, contains adaptogenic mushrooms | More mushroom varieties, includes gut-health mushrooms, masala chai spice flavor, less packaging waste with canister option |
| Cons | Only contains 2 mushroom types, too sweet for some, more packaging waste | Grainy texture, earthy flavor may be strong for new users |
Key Takeaways:
- Both Beyond Brew and MUD\WTR provide sustained energy, mental clarity and other benefits from a blend of functional, adaptogenic mushrooms.
- Beyond Brew mimics the flavor and texture of coffee while MUD\WTR has an earthier, spiced taste from masala chai spices.
- Beyond Brew comes in convenient single-serve coffee-like packets but causes more packaging waste. MUD\WTR offers a reusable canister option for zero-waste.
- MUD\WTR contains a larger variety of mushroom types, including gut-health mushrooms like chaga and reishi. Beyond Brew only has lion’s mane and cordyceps.
- Choosing between them depends on if you prefer Beyond Brew’s coffee-like properties or MUD\WTR’s greater mushroom variety and sustainability.
- Both make tasty, healthy substitutes for coffee, energy drinks, or pre-workout supplements by using functional mushrooms rather than caffeine or sugar.
What Is Beyond Brew?
Beyond Brew is a blend by VitaCup that contains lion’s mane and cordyceps mushrooms along with coconut milk powder and cacao. The lion’s mane mushroom is said to benefit focus and mental clarity. Cordyceps provides antioxidants and adaptogens for energy and vitality. Beyond Brew comes in single-serve packets that you mix with hot or cold water. It has a creamy, nutty flavor that resembles coffee.
Here are some of the key features and claimed benefits of Beyond Brew:
- Provides sustained energy, focus and mental clarity from mushroom adaptogens
- Includes antioxidant-rich lion’s mane and cordyceps
- Creamy, nutty flavor similar to coffee
- Packets are portable and easy to mix into water or milk
- Dairy-free, soy-free, non-GMO and vegetarian
What Is MUD\WTR?
As an alternative To Beyond Brew coffee, MUD\WTR is a mushroom blend made up of cacao, masala chai spices, cordyceps, chaga, reishi, and lion’s mane mushrooms.
The combination of adaptogenic mushrooms and functional spices is said to provide calm energy, mental clarity, immunity and gut health support.
MUD\WTR has an earthy flavor with hints of cinnamon and cardamom from the chai spices.
You mix spoonfuls into hot water, plant-based milk alternatives, or smoothies.
Here are some of MUD\WTR’s main features and touted upsides:
- Provides sustained energy and focus from mushroom adaptogens
- Includes antioxidant and gut-health mushrooms like chaga and reishi
- Masala chai spices for flavor and metabolism support
- Packets are portable for on-the-go use
- Dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan
Beyond Brew And MUD\WTR: Key Differences
Now that we’ve covered the basics of both products, here is a quick look at how Beyond Brew and MUD\WTR differ:
- Ingredients: Beyond Brew contains lion’s mane, cordyceps, cacao and coconut milk powder. MUD\WTR has a blend of cordyceps, chaga, reishi, lion’s mane plus cacao and masala chai spices.
- Flavors: Beyond Brew has a rich, nutty, creamy coffee-like taste from the coconut milk powder. MUD\WTR has an earthy, spiced flavor from the functional mushrooms and chai spices.
- Texture: Beyond Brew mixes into a smooth, frothy drink. MUD\WTR has a grainier texture.
- Packaging: Beyond Brew comes in single-serve packets. MUD\WTR is sold in canisters and individual stick packs.
- Dietary: Beyond Brew is vegetarian with dairy-free options. MUD\WTR is fully vegan.
Now let’s compare some of the notable upsides and downsides of both functional mushroom coffees.
Also Read: Differences Between Rasa And Ryze Mushroom Coffees.
Beyond Brew Pros & Cons
Beyond Brew Pros:
- Has a rich, creamy texture and coffee-like taste
- Includes adaptogenic mushrooms for sustained energy
- Specifically contains lion’s mane for mental clarity and cordyceps for antioxidants
- Portable single-serve packets are easy to mix into water or plant-based milk
- Provides vitamin and antioxidants from the mushrooms and cacao
Potential Downsides:
- Only contains two types of mushrooms compared to the larger blend in MUD\WTR
- Has a nutty flavor that may seem too sweet for some coffee drinkers
- Packets create more single-use waste compared to MUD\WTR’s reusable canister
- Contains coconut milk powder, so not suitable for nut allergies
MUD\WTR Pros & Cons
MUD\WTR Pros:
- Has a larger blend of four functional mushroom varieties
- Includes gut-health mushrooms like chaga and reishi
- Unique flavor from masala chai spices
- Packets and canisters provide portability
- Reusable canister creates less packaging waste
- Fully vegan and allergen-friendly
Potential Cons:
- Grainy texture isn’t as smooth as Beyond Brew
- Earthy flavor may be strong for those new to mushrooms
- Only available online direct-to-consumer
- Mushroom blend doesn’t contain cordyceps specifically for energy
As you can see, both mushroom coffee alternatives have their own advantages and disadvantages that will suit different needs and tastes. Beyond Brew offers a coffee-like flavor and creamy texture in portable packets. MUD\WTR provides a larger functional mushroom blend with gut-health varieties and comes in zero-waste packaging.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, the functional mushrooms and spices in MUD\WTR provide a range of research-backed wellness benefits:
Sustained energy: The cordyceps mushrooms act as adaptogens to support sustained energy through regulating cortisol response. This leads to less jitters or crashes compared to caffeine.
Mental clarity: Lion’s mane mushroom contains hericenones and erinacines that are linked to nerve growth factor to support focus and cognition.
Gut health: The chaga and reishi mushroom varieties contain specific polysaccharides that may benefit digestion and immunity.
Antioxidants: All the mushroom varieties provide antioxidants to counter free radicals and inflammation. The cacao is also packed with antioxidants.
So while not an instant fix, drinking MUD\WTR as a coffee substitute over time provides science-backed wellness advantages with no downsides.
MUD\WTR and Ryze are both mushroom coffee blends with similar benefits. However, MUD\WTR stands out with more mushroom variety for gut health and its masala chai spices.
Main Differences:
Mushrooms: MUD\WTR contains chaga and reishi for digestion plus the usual cordyceps and lion’s mane. Ryze only has cordyceps and lion’s mane.
Flavors: MUD\WTR uses masala chai spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and clove for aroma and metabolism support. Ryze relies on cacao, coffeeberry and lucuma powder that make it sweeter.
Packaging: MUD\WTR’s reusable canister has less waste than Ryze’s single-use packets.
For someone focused specifically on energy, either blend would provide a caffeine-free boost. But MUD\WTR’s greater mushroom variety and masala spice blend give it more health upsides. The masala chai flavor also helps MUD\WTR stand out from the usual cacao taste of mushroom coffee competitors.
Based on online reviews and expert testing, Four Sigmatic Ground Mushroom Coffee is generally considered the highest quality mushroom coffee brand overall.
It comes in convenient single-serve packets with 10 functional mushrooms including cordyceps. It has the characteristic smooth, rich flavor that Four Sigmatic is known for. And it provides better energy, immunity and performance than typical instant coffees.
While Four Sigmatic doesn’t have the exact masala chai spice notes of MUD\WTR, it remains a top-rated blend for anyone focused purely on function from medicinal mushrooms.
The key benefits provided by drinking Beyond Brew include:
1. Sustained energy, alertness and productivity: The lion’s mane and cordyceps provide adaptogens that regulate cortisol response instead of a short caffeine spike. This prevents the crash later on.
2. Mental clarity and memory: Lion’s mane contains nerve growth factors that support nerve signaling for improved focus and cognition over time.
3. Daily vitamin dose: The coconut milk powder provides vitamins A, D, E and B, while the mushrooms offer a range of nutrients and antioxidants for overall wellness.
4. A coffee flavor without drawbacks of caffeine or sugar crashes later.
So in summary, Beyond Brew gives an energy and productivity lift similar to coffee but fueled by functional mushrooms instead of caffeine or sugars. Over time, it enhances mental performance and general health from the mushrooms and vitamins too.
Closing Remarks
When comparing Beyond Brew and MUD\WTR, both provide tasty, caffeine-free energy drinks using research-backed functional mushrooms. Beyond Brew mimics the texture and flavor of coffee while MUD\WTR has an earthier masala chai taste.
Either can fit into a morning routine in place of regular coffee or energy drinks.
Which mushroom coffee is right for you depends on your priorities: Beyond Brew for convenience and coffee flavor or MUD\WTR for larger mushroom variety and zero-waste packaging.
But both deliver on the core benefit of sustained energy with no crash later on. They beat out sugary, high caffeine energy drinks while giving you a health halo from the adaptogenic mushrooms inside.
So if you’re curious about the mushroom coffee trend, it’s worth giving Beyond Brew, MUD\WTR or similar products a try. Functional mushrooms provide a range of unique advantages as coffee substitutes.
And swapping out even one cup of regular coffee per day can add up to better productivity, immunity and overall wellbeing over time.
