Laird Superfood vs Peak State: Two Real Coffees With 500 mg of Mushroom

By , MD, FACOG·

In one line

Laird Superfood vs Peak State: Laird Superfood is the better value because it delivers the same 500 mg of fruiting-body extract in organic ground coffee for less than half the price, $0.59 versus $1.36 a cup. Peak State is the pick if you want single-origin whole beans, Regenerative Organic and B Corp credentials, and a testing claim.

What this page covers

  • Laird PERFORM medium roast ground, 12 oz bag, versus Peak State Brain Sustain light roast, 12 oz bag
  • Price per cup, dose per species, caffeine, sourcing, testing and format

What it does not cover

  • Laird's K-Cups or DEFEND blend
  • Peak State's Immunity Boost, Stress Less and decaf SKUs

Side by side

Laird SuperfoodPeak State Coffee
Overall score3.3 / 53.3 / 5
Price$20.00 / 34$29.95 / 22
Per serving$0.59$1.36
Caffeine100 mg95 mg
Mushroomslions mane, chaga, cordyceps, maitakelions mane, cordyceps
Doses disclosed per speciesNoNo
Beta-glucans disclosedNoNo
Third-party testedNot statedYes
Formatsground, whole-bean, podswhole-bean, ground
Taste & drinkability4.04.0
Ingredient quality4.04.5
Label transparency3.03.0
Price per serving5.03.0
Third-party lab testing2.03.5
Mushroom dosage1.52.0

Choose Laird Superfood if…

  • You want the cheapest cup — $0.59 versus $1.36 per serving
  • You want four mushrooms rather than two, including chaga and maitake
  • You want pods as an option alongside ground and whole bean

Choose Peak State Coffee if…

  • You want specialty single-origin beans with Regenerative Organic and Fair Trade certification
  • You want a testing claim for potency, mold and heavy metals; Laird makes none
  • You want more of each mushroom — 500 mg across two species is about 250 mg each, versus roughly 125 mg across four

The short version

Laird Superfood and Peak State are the two brands that treat mushroom coffee as coffee first. Both are organic arabica you brew normally, both carry about 500 mg of fruiting-body extract per cup, and both keep the mushroom dose small enough that the coffee still tastes like coffee. The difference is $0.77 a cup and what that buys in sourcing.

Where each wins

Taste: both score 4. Laird is a medium-roast Peruvian blend; Peak State's Brain Sustain is a single-origin Ethiopian light roast with the extract applied after roasting, so neither tastes mushroomy. Price: Laird, at $0.59 per cup against $1.36. Caffeine: effectively a tie. Laird states about 100 mg; Peak State gives no figure, and our 95 mg is an assumption for a standard brewed cup. Disclosure: even. Both state 500 mg total and fruiting body; neither splits by species. Peak State's two-mushroom blend means more of each, roughly 250 mg versus 125 mg. Testing: Peak State says batches are tested for potency, mold and heavy metals; we found no testing claim from Laird. Formats: Laird, with ground, whole bean and pods; Peak State offers whole bean, ground and 5 lb bulk plus a decaf SKU. Diet fit: both organic and vegan. Peak State adds Regenerative Organic, Fair Trade and B Corp certification; Laird adds Non-GMO Project verification.

Our pick

Laird Superfood, because the mushroom dose is identical and it costs less than half as much. Peak State is the better coffee on paper and the better company on paper, and if you already buy specialty beans the premium is small. Both make our best mushroom coffee list.

Our pick

Laird Superfood

Laird Superfood mushroom coffee (PERFORM) is the cheapest real-coffee option in the category, about $0.59 per cup of organic Peruvian ground coffee with 100 mg caffeine. The four-mushroom fruiting-body blend of lion's mane, chaga, cordyceps and maitake is only about 500 mg total with no per-species breakdown, so it is coffee first and mushrooms a distant second.

$20.00 · $0.59/serving · 100 mg caffeine

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Peak State Coffee

Peak State mushroom coffee is the choice if you want specialty whole-bean coffee carrying a mushroom extract: B Corp, Regenerative Organic and third-party tested, at $1.36 a serving. But 500 mg per cup split across lion's mane and cordyceps is a small dose, and caffeine is not stated in mg, so our 95 mg figure is an unverified estimate.

$29.95 · $1.36/serving · 95 mg caffeine (est.)

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Both brands in one table

BrandScore$/servingCaffeineMushroomsPart usedFormat
Laird Superfood3.3$0.59100 mglions mane, chaga, cordyceps, maitakefruiting bodyground, whole bean, pods
Peak State Coffee3.3$1.3695 mg*lions mane, cordycepsfruiting bodywhole bean, ground

* estimate — the brand does not publish this figure.

Frequently asked questions

Is Peak State better than Laird Superfood?

On sourcing, yes: single-origin, Fair Trade, Regenerative Organic Certified beans from a B Corp, with a stated testing claim. On value, no: it costs $1.36 per cup against Laird's $0.59 for the same 500 mg of fruiting-body extract. Both are organic real coffee; Laird simply charges far less.

Which has more caffeine, Laird Superfood or Peak State?

Probably about the same, but only Laird states a figure. Laird lists about 100 mg per 10 g serving brewed as a 12 oz cup. Peak State does not publish caffeine in milligrams; because it is ordinary arabica, we have assumed a standard cup of around 95 mg, which is unverified.

Which is cheaper, Laird Superfood or Peak State?

Laird, by more than half. Its $20 12 oz bag brews about 34 servings at 10 g each, or $0.59 per cup, the lowest per-cup price we track. Peak State's 12 oz bag is $29.95 and rated at 22 cups, or $1.36 per cup, falling to $23.96 on subscription.

Which has more mushrooms, Laird Superfood or Peak State?

Both state about 500 mg of fruiting-body extract per cup, so the total is a tie. Laird spreads it over lion's mane, chaga, cordyceps and maitake; Peak State's Brain Sustain roast uses just lion's mane and cordyceps. Neither splits by species, but evenly divided Peak State gives roughly 250 mg each and Laird roughly 125 mg.

Sources

  1. Laird Superfood PERFORM Medium Roast Ground product pageLaird price, bag size, ~100 mg caffeine per 10 g serving, ~500 mg blend, fruiting-body, organic and Non-GMO claims
  2. Peak State Brain Sustain Light Roast (Ethiopia) product pagePeak State price, 22 cups per bag, 500 mg fruiting-body extract per cup, lion's mane and cordyceps, certifications and testing claims