Grateful Earth Super Brain Coffee Review: 250 mg Lion's Mane, Coconut Creamer and Brown Sugar

By , MD, FACOG·

In one line

Grateful Earth mushroom coffee is the sweetened, creamer-included instant of the group: 250 mg each of lion's mane and chaga plus 50 mg L-theanine in a coconut-and-brown-sugar stick with 50 mg caffeine. It is convenient and clearly labelled, but not organic and not cheap at $1.85 a stick direct, near the top of the category despite its budget reputation.

Price
$36.99 / 20 servings
Per serving
$1.85
Caffeine
50 mg
Mushrooms
2 species · 500 mg
Part used
fruiting body
Beta-glucans disclosed
No
3rd-party tested
Yes
Format
instant

What this page covers

  • The Super Brain Blend medium roast 3-in-1 sticks, 20-count bag
  • Label doses versus the lion's mane research
  • Cost per stick on the brand's site

What it does not cover

  • The Espresso dark-roast version (75 mg caffeine)
  • Amazon and Walmart pricing, which fluctuates
Our verdict

Grateful Earth

Grateful Earth mushroom coffee is the sweetened, creamer-included instant of the group: 250 mg each of lion's mane and chaga plus 50 mg L-theanine in a coconut-and-brown-sugar stick with 50 mg caffeine. It is convenient and clearly labelled, but not organic and not cheap at $1.85 a stick direct, near the top of the category despite its budget reputation.

$36.99 · $1.85/serving · 50 mg caffeine

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Our scorecard
2.9 / 5
  • Taste & drinkability4.0
  • Ingredient quality2.5
  • Label transparency4.0
  • Price per serving2.0
  • Third-party lab testing3.0
  • Mushroom dosage2.0

Scored on our six criteria — how we test.

What we liked
  • Per-ingredient amounts on the label: 250 mg lion's mane, 250 mg chaga, 50 mg L-theanine, 32 mg turmeric, 10 mg black pepper
  • Creamer and sweetener are already in the stick — nothing to add, and it dissolves in a mug of hot water
  • Brand states its ingredients are third-party lab tested and non-GMO; sticks are vegan and gluten-free
What held it back
  • Contains brown sugar and a coconut creamer, so it is closer to a flavoured instant latte than a plain coffee
  • Not organic — the brand says so directly
  • $36.99 for 20 sticks is $1.85 each on the brand's site, near the top of the category despite the 'budget' reputation
Who should skip it
  • You avoid added sugar or want a black coffee
  • You need organic certification

What's on the label vs. what the research used

MushroomLabel dose / servingPart usedDose in named human studies
Lion's Mane250 mgfruiting body1,000–3,000 mg/day
Chaga250 mgfruiting bodyNo completed human RCTs

The 3-in-1 idea

Grateful Earth sells the mushroom coffee equivalent of a 3-in-1 sachet: coffee, creamer and sweetener in one stick, with the functional ingredients folded in. Tear, pour hot water, stir. That convenience is the whole product, and it explains both the taste and the ingredient list. The label is unusually specific — 250 mg lion's mane, 250 mg chaga, 50 mg L-theanine, 32 mg turmeric, 10 mg black pepper, 5 mg cinnamon — which puts it among the more transparent brands even though the mushroom amounts are modest.

Taste

Reviewers consistently describe it as sweet, creamy and easy — closer to a café-style instant latte than to black coffee — with a faint warmth from the turmeric and cinnamon and no detectable mushroom. The coconut creamer gives it body without dairy. People who like RYZE's smoothness tend to like this too, but sweeter. If you take your coffee black, the brown sugar is a deal-breaker.

Price and value

This is where the "budget instant" reputation does not survive contact with the current price. $36.99 for 20 sticks on the brand's site is $1.85 per serving, in the same bracket as Four Sigmatic's packets. Amazon and Walmart often list it lower and in 40-count bags, but those prices move week to week, so we score value at the direct price. At $1.85, it is expensive for what is in it.

Transparency

Per-ingredient milligrams and a fruiting-body claim earn a good score. Missing: a beta-glucan figure, organic certification (the FAQ says plainly that it is not organic), a published certificate of analysis behind the "lab tested" badge, and a sugar-per-serving number, which for a sweetened product is a notable omission. At 250 mg, the lion's mane is roughly 8 to 25% of the trial doses.

Verdict

The easiest, sweetest mushroom coffee to actually drink, with an honest label. Buy it on sale in the 40-count bag; at full direct price, RYZE gives you a similar experience for a third less.

Grateful Earth

Grateful Earth mushroom coffee is the sweetened, creamer-included instant of the group: 250 mg each of lion's mane and chaga plus 50 mg L-theanine in a coconut-and-brown-sugar stick with 50 mg caffeine. It is convenient and clearly labelled, but not organic and not cheap at $1.85 a stick direct, near the top of the category despite its budget reputation.

$36.99 · $1.85/serving · 50 mg caffeine

Check price on Amazon

We may earn a commission, at no cost to you.

Frequently asked questions

How much caffeine is in Grateful Earth mushroom coffee?

The medium roast 3-in-1 Super Brain Blend has 50 mg of caffeine per stick, about half a brewed cup. The espresso dark roast version has 75 mg. Both also contain 50 mg of L-theanine, which most people report smooths the caffeine into a calmer lift than plain coffee.

How much lion's mane is in Grateful Earth coffee?

Each stick lists 250 mg of lion's mane and 250 mg of chaga, which Grateful Earth describes as fruiting-body mushrooms. That matches Four Sigmatic's disclosed dose and is half of VitaCup's, and it is well under the 1,000 to 3,000 mg per day used in the human cognition trials.

Does Grateful Earth mushroom coffee have sugar?

Yes. The 3-in-1 medium roast includes brown sugar and a non-dairy coconut creamer, which is why it tastes like a sweet instant latte and needs nothing added. The brand does not print a grams-of-sugar figure on its product page. The espresso version is the same blend without the creamer profile.

Is Grateful Earth mushroom coffee organic?

No. Grateful Earth states that it is not organic, but that its ingredients are all-natural, non-GMO and third-party tested. The coffee is a medium roast blend; the brand does not specify origin. If organic certification is a requirement, RYZE, La República and Laird are cheaper organic options.

Sources

  1. Grateful Earth Super Brain Blend medium roast product pagePrice, 20 sticks per bag, 50 mg caffeine, 250 mg lion's mane, 250 mg chaga, 50 mg L-theanine and other per-ingredient amounts, ingredient list, fruiting-body claim, lab-tested badge
  2. Grateful Earth FAQ50 mg (medium) and 75 mg (espresso) caffeine figures, 'not organic' statement, third-party tested and non-GMO claims