You know that feeling — you're in the kitchen first thing, already in gym gear, staring at the kettle. Tired, big day ahead, and you're about to make another strong coffee even though you know it's going to spike you, fry your nerves and leave you crashing mid-afternoon. Guys, that's been me for years. So when a brand called AdaptoLatte reached out and said they had a mushroom coffee that's huge in Japan and the UK, was launching in Australia, and did I want to properly test it — I was very curious. It's a mushroom coffee and matcha blend built for smoother energy and steadier focus, and I've been working it into my real routine here on the Gold Coast.

Today I'm testing all three flavours — the Original Mocha, the Matcha and the Decaf Cocoa — and making every one of them in front of you in my kitchen, so you can see how they mix, smell and taste in real life, not just on a fancy landing page. Then it's out onto the water with my sister Corina, who's a proper matcha fanatic, for a second opinion. Quick note up front: I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice — it's real-world taste, routine and what's on the label.

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01What Is AdaptoLatte?

At a basic level, AdaptoLatte is a powdered blend you mix with hot water or milk. It looks like a hot chocolate, but it's built around functional mushrooms, adaptogens and nootropics — ingredients aimed at brain health, steady energy, mood, immunity and gut support, all in one drink. So instead of one big hit of caffeine, you're getting a spread of different ingredients working together.

The whole set arrived with lovely branding, a matching cup and an AdaptoLatte mixer. It comes in three colour-coded flavours — red for the Original Mocha, green for the Matcha and blue for the Decaf Cocoa — so you can grab the right one without reading the packet at 6am.

02What's Inside — and Why the Label Matters

Flip any packet over and there's a heap of ingredients on the back. The Decaf Cocoa, for example, has lion's mane for focus and memory, cordyceps for energy and performance, reishi for calm and stress support, plus chaga and agaricus. Then there are plant adaptogens like maca, rhodiola, bacopa and ginkgo. (I probably didn't pronounce all of those right in the video — let me know in the comments, happy to learn.)

On top of that you've got cocoa for the chocolate base, coffee extract or ceremonial matcha for caffeine depending on the flavour, and B vitamins and vitamin C from plant-based sources.

Here's the nerdy bit I love: they list the dosages on the pack. No "proprietary blend" hiding how much of each thing is actually in there — you can see exactly how much lion's mane, how much reishi and so on. It's one of the most complete blends I've seen, and that level of transparency is very rare.

They've also gone hard on taste. Most mushroom coffees I've tried taste like instant coffee with a bit of dirt mixed in. AdaptoLatte pitches itself as tasting like hot chocolate, not mushrooms — and honestly, that's pretty accurate.

03The Red One: Original Mocha

This is the coffee replacement — coffee extract plus cocoa, with about 80mg of caffeine per cup. Making it is simple: three scoops into the cup, around 250ml of hot water, then the AdaptoLatte mixer. Pop the mixer in, press it, and it gives it a lovely stir. You can use hot water to keep it lighter, or oat or almond milk if you want it creamier.

Smell-wise it's chocolate first. No strong mushroom smell at all — it smells like a proper hot chocolate with a bit of coffee in the background. First sip: it's actually really nice. More like a dark chocolate mocha than a straight coffee. Cocoa up front, gentle coffee underneath and a tiny bit of earthiness, but nothing weird.

How I'm using it: one normal coffee early, then when I'd usually reach for coffee number two or three, I make an AdaptoLatte instead. On heavy filming or editing days I'll have one as a focus drink before I sit down at the desk — or before the gym. What I've noticed is my energy feels smoother across the day. Not wired, but my focus feels a bit more stable when I'm scripting and editing for hours. That's just my experience, but it lines up with what the ingredients are meant to do — a steady bump instead of a spike and crash.

04The Green One: Matcha

I was most curious about this one, because I already drink matcha occasionally, especially on training days. The AdaptoLatte Matcha swaps the coffee extract for ceremonial-grade matcha powder, with the same mushrooms and adaptogens underneath. Open it up and it's that lovely green powder with a very similar consistency to straight matcha.

Same process — three scoops — but this time I used milk. The mixer really matters here to get it through properly, and it's so much easier than whisking by hand. You can also do it iced in summer, which is a nice option up here.

It smells like real matcha — grassy and slightly sweet, with cocoa sitting behind it. Taste-wise you get that proper green tea profile, but the cocoa takes the edge off the bitterness. It doesn't taste like someone dumped mushrooms into a random drink; it feels like a thought-through matcha latte with extras built in. It's creamy, and the flavour isn't harsh at all.

This is the one I reach for when I want calm focus — mid-morning, looking out over the water before I head to the gym. You get the matcha plus L-theanine combo for that zoned-in feeling without being wired. For big talking-to-camera days, or when I don't want a pre-workout that makes me hear my heart racing, it makes a lot of sense. It's my favourite of the three, and probably the nicest matcha blend I've tasted.

05The Blue One: Decaf Cocoa

This is the night-time, caffeine-free option — mushrooms, adaptogens and cocoa, but no coffee extract. So no added caffeine, just the tiny amount that's naturally in cocoa. Again about three scoops, with boiling water or hot milk (or iced if you prefer). I'd normally make this one creamier because I drink it like a dessert, but I used water in the video so you could see how it looks.

It smells beautiful — straight hot chocolate, and you can't smell the mushrooms at all; they're hiding behind the cocoa. It tastes like a dark hot chocolate with a more grown-up vibe. Not super sweet, and no sugar crash.

This is the one I'd have in the evening instead of a sugary dessert or a second cup of coffee. You get reishi, L-theanine, rhodiola and the calming adaptogens without stimulating your nervous system at night. For me it's become the last cuppa on the balcony, winding down and watching the lights over the water.

06The Matcha Expert Test: Corina on the Water

I needed a tougher critic for the matcha, so I took it outside on the Gold Coast with my sister Corina. She lives and breathes matcha — when she heard I was doing this review she was very excited, and she doesn't come on many of my videos, so that tells you something.

Her verdict: it's really smooth and easy to drink, and it's become her go-to in the morning and when she needs a pick-up in the afternoon. What impressed her most was how many ingredients are packed in while still ending up with that flavour. She's tried it with different milks and with hot water, and it works well every way. And as you can see in the video — no lumps, no bumps, it all mixes smoothly. She's also already taken most of my stash, so that's a pretty honest review.

07How I Actually Use All Three

After testing all three, here's my plan: Red Original Mocha on heavy work days when I need the extra kick but don't want to overdo coffee. Green Matcha on filming or training days when I want calm and focus. Blue Decaf at night as a hot chocolate replacement while I'm winding down.

The big thing is it turns that mindless "another coffee" moment into something more intentional — standing in the kitchen looking at the water, making a drink that actually supports what I'm trying to do with my health and fitness.

It also sits well on the stomach. There's no residue after you drink it — it tastes nice and settles well — and with plant milk a lot of people will find it gentler than a really strong coffee. Cheaper matcha brands often don't manage that.

08The Benefits — Keeping It Grounded

AdaptoLatte positions itself around four things: brain health, lasting energy, immunity and gut health. Here's how that maps to the label, and to how it felt for me:

Brain & focus

Lion's mane, bacopa, ginkgo and B vitamins are ingredients that have been studied for memory, focus and long-term cognitive support. For me, when I'm consistent with it, that shows up as feeling more switched on and less foggy.

Energy & mood

This is where cordyceps, maca, shilajit and reishi come in. The idea is one or two AdaptoLattes instead of three or four coffees and a crash. As someone who trains regularly, I like using the Mocha or Matcha as a gentle pre-workout on days I don't want a big stimulant hit.

Immunity & gut

Chaga, agaricus, turmeric and vitamin C. You're not suddenly becoming invincible — but as part of an overall routine it's a nice bonus.

⚙Full Specs & Details

A few other things worth knowing. It's 100% vegan, 100% natural and sugar-free, and the mushrooms are organic. They've got the boring-but-important certifications, and they say they third-party test the mushrooms before and after extraction. At the time of filming there were over 2,500 reviews averaging around 4.8 out of 5, so people are clearly coming back.

You can buy it as a one-off to try it, or set up a subscription if you drink it daily. The subscription brings the price per cup down and includes free shipping in Australia, plus a few extras on some plans. Compared to buying a coffee every day it works out cheaper per cup, with a lot more functional ingredients. Check the link for current Australian pricing, because that'll change.

$Where to Buy + Giveaway

Any purchase through these links supports the channel at no extra cost to you. Have you tried mushroom coffee or adaptogen blends before? Did it help, did you feel nothing, or did it mess with your sleep? Let me know in the comments on the video — I'd love to compare notes, especially now AdaptoLatte is coming to Australia. For more real-world reviews, subscribe to MrYouWho on YouTube — who tests it for you? MrYouWho.

?Frequently Asked Questions

Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an AdaptoLatte affiliate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. AdaptoLatte supplied the products for this review. All opinions are based on hands-on real-world testing.