I Tried This Adaptogenic Coffee and I Think It Actually Made Me Smarter

Juicing your daily brew with a little something extra isn’t an especially new idea. First, there was Bulletproof Coffee with butter. Then came the turmeric craze, then mixing in matcha. Lately, things have gotten notably more heady. 

Cafe sandwich boards all over the civilized world are advertising Chagaccinos, Lion’s Mane lattes, CBD coffee, and a whole litany of other adaptogenic and nootropics coffee creations. It makes sense—the thinking goes that, as long as you’re taking a daily dose of caffeine, you may as well sneak in some added benefits. But do they really work?

Bio-hacky, hippie-dippie health trends generally provoke skepticism from most normies, but where I come from (Cali, baby), we’re all about it. If we’re going to grind out next month’s considerable rent, we need all the enhanced cognitive function, mental clarity, and boosted physical stamina that nootropics have to offer. So when I was asked to test London Nootropics’s adaptogenic coffee blends, you know I was game.

If nootropics are a noo topic for you, allow the folks at London Nootropics to explain: “Nootropics are brain-boosters: They are known to enhance cognitive performance and improve brain health. They work in many ways to produce a wide range of benefits across memory, focus, motivation, verbal fluency, and more.” Again, yes, I’m fucking down, let’s go.

Testing London Nootropics Flow blend

I went straight for the “Flow” blend because as an extremely neurodivergent person with a number of attention, memory, and, shall we say, other issues (both inborn and acquired), the packet’s boasts of increased “motivation, mental clarity & focus” and benefits to “short & long-term memory, brain fog & reducing procrastination” cried out to the depths of my very soul. 

The Flow blend contains instant coffee, Lions Mane mushroom—which, per London Nootropics, is known to “support memory, focus & concentration”—and Rhodiola, which “Russian and Scandinavian people have used to treat anxiety, fatigue and depression for centuries” (Lord knows they need it over there more than I do out here in LA.)

I tore open the packet only to be greeted by a frankly lovely aroma and mixed it with hot water. I was pleased with its delightfully toasty flavor, not quite that of ordinary coffee—it’s got a sort of, well, mushroomy taste, but I mean that in a super good way. It tasted so natural and organic that I started to feel healthy and calm all over as soon as I started sipping. It tastes like how I imagine Hobbit coffee tastes.

I swear to god I absolutely ripped through my morning’s work, happy as a clam and totally focused. Which, despite my usual prodigious coffee intake, pretty much never happens (focused or happy—never both). That’s because the adaptogenic powers of Rhodiola are known to combat the adverse effects of caffeine like jitters and anxiety, and by golly, it certainly seemed to work!

Also comes in Zen and Mojo

London Nootropics also sent me their “Zen” blend as well as “Mojo,” and since I am admittedly seriously lacking in the Zen department, I decided to overlook the personal affront to my own mojo and embrace the offerings of both brews. 

Zen, with calming Ashwagandha and L-theanine, is perfect for winding down in the afternoon or chill weekend mornings when you’ve got nothing much to do. Mojo has Cordyceps mushroom and Siberian Ginseng for physical endurance and stamina, making it ideal for getting psyched up before a workout sesh.

London Nootropics’s adaptogenic coffee blends are the best-tasting mushroom coffee I’ve tried, and they work really well. Of course, depending on your tolerance for caffeine and other health factors, your results may vary. But I’m legit a fan after this experience.

I recommend picking up the Selection Box to dial in your highly specific personal vibe with the best nootropics coffee blend for you. Find your flow, baby! Here’s to chiller yet somehow more productive mornings. Bottoms up!