Iced mushroom coffee and iced matcha: five ways we make them for an Australian summer
From about October to March, most of Australia does not want a hot drink at 3pm. The good news is that both Mello blends are fully soluble, so they dissolve in cold liquid as well as hot, and the iced versions are honestly where a lot of our regulars have ended up. Here are the five we make most, with the ratios, in the order of least effort to most.
How to stop mushroom coffee clumping in cold milk
Dissolve the scoop in a small splash of warm water first, then build the cold drink on top. Coffee powder and matcha powder both clump if you tip them straight into cold milk. Two tablespoons of warm water, a quick stir until it is a smooth paste, and everything after that is easy. This is the difference between a cafe quality iced latte and a glass with green sediment at the bottom.
1. Iced mushroom coffee latte recipe (two minutes)
One scoop of Mushroom Coffee into a glass. Add two tablespoons of hot water and stir to a paste. Fill the glass with ice, then top with about 200ml of cold milk. Oat milk works best with this blend in our experience; the coconut milk already in the coffee gives it a rounder body than a black instant coffee, so it does not need anything else. Stir once. That is the whole recipe, and it is the one we would tell a first time buyer to start with.
2. Cold brew style iced mushroom coffee (two minutes, plus a wait)
For people who drink their coffee black. One scoop dissolved in two tablespoons of hot water, then topped with 250ml of cold water and left in the fridge for ten minutes. The wait lets the coffee settle into the water properly and takes the edge off, which is what people like about cold brew in the first place. Serve over ice. At about 48mg of caffeine a serve it is a lighter afternoon drink than a bottled cold brew, which often runs well over 150mg.
3. Iced mushroom matcha latte recipe (two minutes)
One scoop of Mushroom Matcha, two tablespoons of warm water (not boiling, around 80 degrees if you have a thermometer, or kettle water left to sit for two minutes), stirred to a smooth paste. Ice, then 200ml of cold milk. Oat or full cream dairy both work; almond makes it a touch thin. The pink salt in the blend does a quiet job here, which is why it does not need sugar the way cafe iced matchas often do. If you like it sweeter, a teaspoon of honey dissolved in the warm water step is the cleanest way.
4. Sparkling matcha lemonade (three minutes)
This is the one that surprises people. One scoop of matcha dissolved in two tablespoons of warm water, then a glass of ice, the juice of half a lemon, 200ml of sparkling water and a stir. No milk. It is sharp, green and very refreshing, and it is the drink we make when someone says they do not like matcha. The mushroom blend is fully in the background; you taste lemon and green tea.
5. Coconut water matcha cooler (five minutes)
One scoop of matcha dissolved in warm water as above. In a shaker or a jar with a lid, add 150ml of coconut water, 100ml of cold milk, the matcha paste and a handful of ice, and shake for ten seconds. Pour over fresh ice. It is closer to a smoothie in texture, sits well after a workout, and the coconut water carries the matcha better than plain water does. If you have blue spirulina on the shelf you will notice the blend already contains a little; it is what gives the matcha its slightly deeper green.
How to batch prep iced mushroom coffee for the week
Both blends can be made up ahead. Dissolve four scoops in 100ml of warm water, stir to a smooth concentrate, and keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to three days. Each morning, pour a quarter of it over ice and top with milk or water. It saves the daily paste step and it is how we get through a hot week. Give the jar a shake before pouring, since the powder settles slightly overnight.
How much caffeine is in an iced mushroom coffee?
Iced drinks go down faster than hot ones, so it is easy to have two in an afternoon without noticing. Each serve is about 48mg of caffeine, roughly half a flat white, so two iced serves is still under one cafe coffee. Our guide to the best time to drink mushroom coffee covers the afternoon cut off if sleep is something you are careful about.
Who should skip these drinks
The same people as always. Anyone with a mushroom allergy should avoid both blends. The coffee blend contains coconut milk and MCT oil, so anyone with a coconut allergy should stick to the matcha or skip it. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, on regular medication or managing a medical condition, have a word with your GP or pharmacist before adding any mushroom extract to your routine. The research behind the six mushrooms in both blends is summarised on our Lion's Mane research page and the pages linked from it.
Iced mushroom coffee and matcha: the short version
Paste first, cold second. Iced mushroom latte with oat milk if you are a coffee person, iced matcha latte if you are not, matcha lemonade if you think you do not like matcha. Both pouches are 30 serves and ship free Australia wide, and if you are choosing between them for summer, our mushroom matcha guide explains the difference in how the two carry their caffeine.