RYZE vs Four Sigmatic: Which Mushroom Coffee Should You Buy?

By , MD, FACOG·

In one line

RYZE vs Four Sigmatic: RYZE is the better daily cup because it is smoother and cheaper — buy it if you want an easy everyday mushroom coffee. Buy Four Sigmatic instead if you want to know exactly how much lion's mane you are drinking, since it is the only one of the two that says.

What this page covers

  • RYZE original instant vs Four Sigmatic Think instant packets
  • Taste, price per cup, caffeine, disclosure and testing

What it does not cover

  • Four Sigmatic's ground and pod lines in detail — see the full review

Side by side

RYZEFour Sigmatic
Overall score3.4 / 53.8 / 5
Price$36.00 / 30$18.99 / 10
Per serving$1.20$1.90
Caffeine48 mg50 mg
Mushroomslions mane, cordyceps, reishi, turkey tail, shiitake, king trumpetlions mane, chaga
Doses disclosed per speciesNoYes
Beta-glucans disclosedNoNo
Third-party testedNot statedYes
Formatsinstantinstant, ground, pods
Taste & drinkability4.54.0
Ingredient quality3.54.5
Label transparency2.54.5
Price per serving4.53.0
Third-party lab testing2.54.0
Mushroom dosage3.03.0

Choose RYZE if…

  • You want the cheapest good cup — $1.20 vs $1.90 per serving
  • You prefer a creamy, latte-like taste over plain black coffee
  • You'd rather buy in a store (Target) than online

Choose Four Sigmatic if…

  • You want per-mushroom doses and 'fruiting body' on the label
  • You want ground coffee or pods, not just instant
  • You care about published third-party testing

The one-paragraph version

These two are the category's founder (Four Sigmatic, 2012) and its current giant (RYZE, 2020). RYZE won the market on taste, price and Target shelves. Four Sigmatic kept the clearer label. Which matters more to you decides this.

Where each wins

Taste: RYZE. Price: RYZE. Availability: RYZE. Transparency: Four Sigmatic, decisively. Formats: Four Sigmatic (instant, ground, pods). Testing: Four Sigmatic publishes third-party testing claims; we couldn't find a COA for RYZE.

Our pick

RYZE for most people, because most people are buying a nicer low-caffeine coffee, not a dosed supplement. If you are buying a dosed supplement, Four Sigmatic is the only one of the two that tells you the dose.

Our pick

RYZE

RYZE mushroom coffee is the safest first mushroom coffee: smooth, cheap per cup at $1.20, organic and easy to find at Target, with 48 mg caffeine. But it discloses only a 2,000 mg six-mushroom blend total, with no per-mushroom doses, so you can't tell how much lion's mane you're actually getting, and we found no published COA.

$36.00 · $1.20/serving · 48 mg caffeine

Check price at RYZE

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Four Sigmatic

Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee (Think) is the most transparent mushroom coffee on the market: 250 mg lion's mane and 250 mg chaga fruiting-body extract, disclosed per cup, with 50 mg caffeine and third-party testing. The trade-off is price, at a premium $1.90 per serving for the instant packets, and only two mushrooms, with no cordyceps in the Think line.

$18.99 · $1.90/serving · 50 mg caffeine

Check price at Four Sigmatic

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Both brands in one table

BrandScore$/servingCaffeineMushroomsPart usedFormat
RYZE3.4$1.2048 mglions mane, cordyceps, reishi, turkey tail, shiitake, king trumpetundisclosedinstant
Four Sigmatic3.8$1.9050 mglions mane, chagafruiting bodyinstant, ground, pods

Frequently asked questions

Which has more caffeine, RYZE or Four Sigmatic?

They're nearly identical: RYZE lists 48 mg per serving and Four Sigmatic Think about 50 mg. Both are roughly half a regular cup.

Which tastes better?

RYZE, for most people — the MCT and coconut make it creamy and mild. Four Sigmatic tastes more like straight black coffee, which some prefer.

Which has more lion's mane?

Unknown, and that's the point. Four Sigmatic states 250 mg. RYZE discloses a 2,000 mg six-mushroom total without breaking it out, so it could be more or less.

Which is cheaper?

RYZE at $1.20 per cup versus $1.90 for Four Sigmatic's instant packets. Four Sigmatic's ground bag narrows the gap.

Sources

  1. RYZE product pageRYZE price, servings, caffeine and blend total
  2. Four Sigmatic Think product pageFour Sigmatic price, per-mushroom doses and fruiting-body claim