Is Melting Forest Mushroom Coffee Good? Adaptogenic Instant Reviewed

By , MD, FACOG·

In one line

Melting Forest mushroom coffee is the cheapest fruiting-body seven-mushroom instant we have found at $0.67 a cup, with cacao, branded rhodiola and L-theanine. At 2 g per serving with no stated mushroom amounts, the dose is unknown and almost certainly small; caffeine is not published, so our 50 mg figure is an estimate, and we found no COA.

Price
$19.99 / 30 servings
Per serving
$0.67
Caffeine
50 mg (est.)
Mushrooms
7 species
Part used
fruiting body
Beta-glucans disclosed
No
3rd-party tested
Not stated
Format
instant

Figures marked (est.) — caffeine — are our estimates because the brand does not publish them. Scores that depend on them will be revised when the brand does.

What this page covers

  • The 30-serving instant Mushroom Coffee at one-time pricing
  • The ingredient list and what is unquantified
  • How the instant relates to the sparkling cans

What it does not cover

  • The Mushroom Matcha, collagen cans, or the sparkling drinks in detail
  • Medical claims — see the mushroom pages for the evidence
Our verdict

Melting Forest

Melting Forest mushroom coffee is the cheapest fruiting-body seven-mushroom instant we have found at $0.67 a cup, with cacao, branded rhodiola and L-theanine. At 2 g per serving with no stated mushroom amounts, the dose is unknown and almost certainly small; caffeine is not published, so our 50 mg figure is an estimate, and we found no COA.

$19.99 · $0.67/serving · 50 mg caffeine (est.)

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Our scorecard
3.0 / 5
  • Taste & drinkability3.5
  • Ingredient quality4.0
  • Label transparency2.0
  • Price per serving5.0
  • Third-party lab testing2.0
  • Mushroom dosage1.5

Scored on our six criteria — how we test.

What we liked
  • $19.99 for 30 servings is $0.67 a cup — second-cheapest in our set and the cheapest with fruiting-body and organic claims
  • Seven organic fruiting-body mushrooms plus branded actives (Rhodiolife rhodiola, Senactiv rosa roxburghii and panax notoginseng) and L-theanine
  • Organic Fair Trade arabica with cacao; the same brand makes the sparkling D-Stress and Energy cans
What held it back
  • A 2 g serving with no mushroom amounts — after coffee and cacao there is very little room for extract
  • Caffeine per serving is not published; our 50 mg figure is an estimate for a 2 g instant, not a brand number
  • No third-party testing statement or COA found
Who should skip it
  • You want a meaningful or even disclosed mushroom dose
  • You dislike cacao in your coffee — it is a mocha-leaning blend

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

MushroomLabel dose / servingPart usedDose in named human studies
Chaganot disclosedfruiting bodyNo completed human RCTs
Lion's Manenot disclosedfruiting body1,000–3,000 mg/day
Reishinot disclosedfruiting body1,400–5,400 mg/day of extract
Cordycepsnot disclosedfruiting body1,000–4,000 mg/day
Maitakenot disclosedfruiting bodyExtract studies at gram-level doses; no coffee-dose data
Shiitakenot disclosedfruiting body5–10 g/day dried mushroom (dietary study)
Turkey Tailnot disclosedfruiting body~3,000 mg/day of PSK extract

Why it's on our radar

Melting Forest made its name with sparkling mushroom cans — a caffeine-free D-Stress line and a 150 mg Energy line, both zero sugar — and has since added a $19.99 instant coffee and a matcha. The cans are what you will see in stores; the instant is the product most people can afford daily, and it is the one we are reviewing.

Taste

Our two-week test is not finished, so this comes from the ingredient list and reviewer consensus. Organic cacao is the second ingredient after coffee, and reviewers consistently describe the drink as a light mocha — chocolatey, a little sweet from the cacao, and low-bodied because a 2 g serving does not make a strong cup. Nobody reports a mushroom taste, which at this serving size is not surprising.

Price and value

$19.99 for 30 servings is $0.67 a cup at the one-time price, a five on our value scale and only Pella is cheaper. A 12-pack of the cans is $34.95, or $2.91 each, so the instant is the economical way into the brand.

Transparency

The species list is complete and the fruiting-body and organic claims are stated, along with an ultrasonic extraction method and two branded actives. What is missing is every number: no mushroom total, no per-species mg, no beta-glucan, no caffeine, no testing statement. A 2 g scoop leaves very little mass for seven extracts once coffee and cacao are accounted for, so we score dosage at the bottom.

Verdict

A pleasant, cheap mocha-style instant with a mushroom garnish. Fine as a budget daily cup if you like cacao; not a way to get any particular mushroom dose.

Melting Forest

Melting Forest mushroom coffee is the cheapest fruiting-body seven-mushroom instant we have found at $0.67 a cup, with cacao, branded rhodiola and L-theanine. At 2 g per serving with no stated mushroom amounts, the dose is unknown and almost certainly small; caffeine is not published, so our 50 mg figure is an estimate, and we found no COA.

$19.99 · $0.67/serving · 50 mg caffeine (est.)

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Frequently asked questions

How much caffeine is in Melting Forest mushroom coffee?

Melting Forest does not publish a caffeine figure for the instant coffee. A 2 g serving that is mostly instant arabica and cacao would typically land around 40–60 mg, so we list 50 mg as an estimate. The brand's sparkling Energy cans are a different product and state 150 mg from green coffee bean.

How much mushroom is in Melting Forest coffee?

Unknown. The label lists organic fruiting-body extracts of chaga, lion's mane, reishi, cordyceps, maitake, shiitake and turkey tail, but gives no total or per-species amount. With a 2 g serving that also has to hold coffee, cacao, rhodiola and L-theanine, the mushroom share is probably a few hundred milligrams at most.

How much does Melting Forest cost per cup?

The instant Mushroom Coffee is $19.99 for a 30-serving tub, or about $0.67 per cup at the one-time price, which makes it one of the cheapest mushroom coffees we track. The sparkling cans are $34.95 for a 12-pack, about $2.91 per can, so the instant is by far the cheaper way into the brand.

What are Melting Forest's sparkling mushroom drinks?

Two lines of 12 oz cans: D-Stress, which is caffeine-free with reishi, lion's mane, L-theanine, rhodiola and lemon balm, and Energy, with 150 mg of caffeine from green coffee bean plus cordyceps and lion's mane. Both are zero sugar and about five calories, and both are sold in 12-packs at $34.95.

Sources

  1. Melting Forest Mushroom Coffee — Adaptogenic Instant Coffee product page$19.99, 30 servings, 2 g serving, seven-species fruiting-body list, ingredient list, organic claim
  2. Melting Forest all-products collectionSparkling D-Stress and Energy 12-pack pricing, matcha and collagen SKUs
  3. Melting Forest homepageCan ingredient lists, 150 mg caffeine in Energy cans, zero sugar and calorie claims