• FOOD & BEVERAGE

Four Sigmatic Review: Is Mushroom Coffee Actually Good?

Reviewed by Nathaniel Lang

Last Updated January 2022

If you’re like us and looking for new ways to power up your morning coffee, then Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee may be just the ticket!

Featured Product: Four Sigmatic Ground Lion’s Mane Mushroom Coffee

Ratings Breakdown

Who is Four Sigmatic?

His company sold medicinal mushroom elixirs, drinks, and extracts in the Finland area to begin with. But, once he realized there was a much wider audience, he shook things up a bit. Tero changed the name to Four Sigmatic and began focusing more on creating mushroom coffee to sell in the United States. And he’s been on fire ever since!

Four Sigmatic has a 3-leg approach to how they want to do business.

These legs include:
- Production of innovative, well-balanced health food products
- Engaging in charitable actions
- Giving free natural health education

The first 2 were easy for Four Sigmatic, but the third leg was the most difficult for them to flesh out. Initially, they engaged in different charitable organizations every year and rotated. The hope was that they could have a larger impact through diversity with their charitable giving. But, after a couple of years they decided to get more specific with their philanthropy.

Now, Four Sigmatic works only with their own charity to create medicinal mushroom boxes for cancer patients. Every 6 months they take a look at the profits to determine exactly how many medicinal mushroom boxes they can send out.

In order to get on the list for a box, Four Sigmatic goes in order of who has contacted them or been referred to them to receive a box. Each box contains a 6 month supply of 5 different medicinal mushrooms. These specific types of mushrooms have been tested and proven to help those with cancer.

Their passion to positively impact the world through knowledge and delicious products really helps to set them apart from other companies.

Four Sigmatic Taste & Preparation

But, other than a few grounds in my cup, the coffee tasted just like coffee. And not mushrooms, which I was expecting. It was a little more bitter than I’m used to, however. I think that may be due to the mushrooms in the blend and could just take some getting used to.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but would need to add sugar to drink it regularly due to the excess bitterness.

The drink I was really excited to try was the Four Sigmatic Golden Latte Mix with Turkey Tail. This is their version of a turmeric golden milk as a nighttime drink. It was warm, soothing, and delicious.

I can’t say if it helped me sleep any better, since that’s not usually an issue for me. But it did help me wind down at night, which I liked. I would drink this one again more regularly just for the flavor and benefits of the turmeric. It only comes in at $2 per packet ($20 per box of 10 servings), so it’s easily justified to me for an occasional nightcap.

The Four Sigmatic Mushroom Cacao Mix was the next drink I tried. I was excited to try this one as another nighttime option to stimulate more relaxation prior to bed. The flavor was really good since this one is mixed with hot water to make a hot chocolate drink. It does contain Stevia, though, which a lot of consumers have shied away from recently.

However, it’s promoted as a nighttime drink but it just kept me awake. I even tried to complete a sleep log to see how well it affected my sleep. But after two restless nights, I terminated the test. I believe it had to do with the fact that cacao is a stimulant. Which is usually the opposite of what I want before bed. Although this drink is blended with Reishi mushroom for its sleep promoting abilities to help counteract the cacao.

It just didn’t really work that well for me. So, if I were to drink this one again, it would be earlier in the afternoon or on a cold day. At $20 per package of 10 servings, the price tag on this one isn’t inconceivable. Especially when I consider how much I’ve spent on coffee or hot chocolate previously.

The Four Sigmatic Plant Based Protein with Superfoods Powder was an unexpected surprise for me. I’ve tried a lot of protein powders and am usually pretty disappointed with the flavor or the performance. But, with this one they succeeded on both accounts. The only sweeteners they use for this protein powder are:

• Organic Coconut palm sugar
• Organic Yacon juice powder
• Organic Monk fruit

I was happy to see that there wasn’t any Stevia in this product. While the brand says you can just mix it with water or a plant based beverage in a bottle and go, I prefer to add more foods to my smoothies. How I made my smoothie was by combining:

• Handful each of blueberries and kale
• 1 banana
• ½ c plant based yogurt
• 1 scoop Four Sigmatic protein powder
• Some coconut milk to make it all blend

This quickly became one of my favorite smoothies! But, with a price tag of $50 per 15 serving container, it’s only something I can consider enjoying on rare occasions.

The last product I tried was the Four Sigmatic Coffee Latte Mix with Lion’s Mane. This is more of an instant coffee product, in that you only have to add hot water, stir, and go. However, since I normally drink fresh ground coffee in my French Press, I was the most hesitant about this one.

Ultimately, I didn’t really enjoy the latte mix. It didn’t taste like the type of coffee that I am used to and was exceptionally more bitter. However, if you’re an instant coffee purveyor, or are on the go a lot, this could be a great alternative. I would consider bringing this while camping, or backpacking, for ease of use. This latte mix also contains 10 packets and costs $20, which makes it a pretty steep instant coffee option to drink regularly for a lot of consumers.

Is Four Sigmatic Good Quality?

They wanted to ensure that all of the mushrooms used in Four Sigmatic products are of the utmost quality and not just parts and pieces of the mycelium.

With products that just use the mycelium, it’s usually more of the grain the product is grown on that’s in the “mushroom” product instead of actual mushrooms. Four Sigmatic knew that they needed their products to be sourced from the fruiting bodies only, so that’s what they did. They searched for the best organic producers of the mushroom varieties they were looking for and use them only.

Therefore, most of the mushrooms they use in their products are grown on an organic family farm out of China. China is one of the countries that has been growing and cultivating mushrooms the longest, so they’re good at what they do. The mushrooms they get from this farm include:

• Cordyceps
• Lion’s Mane
• Maitake
• Reishi
• Shiitake
• Tremella
• Turkey Tail

Their Chaga mushrooms are grown and harvested in the largest Birch forest in the world, the Taiga, which is in Siberia. No matter which mushrooms are harvested and brought back to the United States, they are all third party tested prior to any production. This third party testing is to ensure they meet the quality standards for:

• Allergens
• Bad bacteria
• Heavy metals
• Molds
• Mycotoxins
• Pesticides
• Yeasts

The fact that Four Sigmatic is extremely transparent about where they source their products and their testing practices is really comforting. Especially in today’s society when companies continually do a lot to hide the truth about their brand claims.

Is Four Sigmatic Worth It?

But, if you’re in a place where you can afford to spend a little bit more on your overall health, then I say go for it. After all, prevention and boosting the immune system can potentially save you a lot of money in the long run on health care. And if there’s a way to make prevention more delicious, like Four Sigmatic does, then why the heck not?

Four Sigmatic Coupons & Discounts

They also offer a subscribe and save program to help consumers save on recurring purchases. Some of the best benefits of this rewards club are:

• 20% off your order
• Free shipping
• Samples and gifts
• Members-only swag

If all of these perks weren’t enough, we just happen to have a Four Sigmatic discount code you can also use. Use code THEFASCINATION at checkout for 10% off.

FAQs

Four Sigmatic Summary

While the prices of their products can seem a bit steep to most consumers, they are well worth the price tags. So, if you’ve been looking for a new way to incorporate healthier options into your regular diet, Four Sigmatic may have just what you’ve been looking for.