Zak Haddad has been starting his mornings with coffee infused with lion’s mane mushroom for three years, saying it gives him a “clear, focused feeling” without the “spike and crash” he associates with stronger coffee. Drinks with ingredients such as mushrooms, collagen and protein are known as functional coffees, designed to offer effects beyond caffeine alone. Once limited to health food shops, these drinks are now appearing more frequently on high street menus.
Coffee Shops Expand Into Functional Ingredients
When Zak opened Sipp, his coffee shop in Chorlton in late 2023, he added four types of mushroom powder to the menu, each priced at an extra £1. Customers can add the powders or collagen to drinks ranging from lattes to cappuccinos.
Nutritionist Eli Brecher said mushrooms like lion’s mane, reishi and chaga are believed to support focus without jitters, though she noted that research is still ongoing. Holland and Barrett said demand has pushed it to almost double its mushroom coffee range in the past year.
Starbucks introduced barista-made protein coffee in its U.S. stores in September, using high-protein milk and cold foam. In the UK, shoppers can find bottled Starbucks protein coffees in its stores and in supermarkets, alongside similar products from brands such as Jimmy’s and Emmi.
Tastewise, a food research company, listed functional coffee as a top trend for 2026. It reported that UK coffee shop menus now feature 30% more mushroom coffees compared with last year.
Brands Report Rising Customer Interest
Brecher said functional coffees are moving from niche wellness offerings into the mainstream as more people look for support with stress, wellbeing and stable energy. She said adding powders or supplements to existing drinks feels like a small, manageable change for many.
Black Sheep Coffee has offered protein powder and CBD as add-ons for some time, but earlier this year launched a “functional health” latte line. One latte includes prebiotic fibres for gut health, another uses collagen for skin support and a lion’s mane latte has become the chain’s bestseller. Chief operating officer Ben Fenton said customer interest has exceeded expectations, and around 15% of all coffee, matcha and smoothie orders include functional add-ons.
Prices vary by store. At Black Sheep Coffee in Birmingham, adding lion’s mane costs 99p and collagen costs £1.09. Buying a functional coffee daily can increase monthly spending by about £30. Starbucks customers in the U.S. pay $1 (76p) for high-protein milk or $2 (£1.52) for high-protein cold foam.
Not All Consumers Are Convinced
At Liverpool Street Station in London, some customers said they had never heard of functional coffees and were unsure about paying extra for mushroom or ashwagandha drinks. Others are enthusiastic.
Every day, 31-year-old Mariam Begum drinks coffee with collagen and sometimes adds protein powder. She makes the drinks at home or buys iced coffees and flat whites with added supplements from shops near her London home.
Former competitive power-lifter Lauren Devlin has never bought a functional coffee from a café but said she would if she saw one on the menu. She began mixing protein powder into coffee at home five years ago and now buys instant versions containing collagen and protein online. She said the drinks make her feel fuller than regular coffee.
Taste, Confusion and Ingredient Questions
A lion’s mane coffee from Black Sheep Coffee, ordered with oat milk and described as its “brain blend,” tasted similar to a regular oat-milk latte. The mushroom version was slightly more bitter, though texture and appearance were nearly identical.
Andrew Salter, cofounder of mushroom drink brand Dirtea, said lion’s mane has a subtle flavour. He added that many people are unfamiliar with functional coffee and sometimes assume mushroom-based drinks are psychoactive. Lion’s mane and other varieties used in coffee are not the same species as magic mushrooms.
Some regular drinkers say functional coffee improves their concentration. Cardiff resident Ana Richardson said lion’s mane coffee helped her focus but became too expensive, so she switched to lion’s mane tinctures in water. She also tried coffee with ashwagandha and said the drink left her “awake” without feeling jittery or anxious.
Experts Weigh In on Benefits
Nutritional therapist Rakhi Lad said early research on lion’s mane and brain function is promising but noted that most high street coffees use small amounts of the ingredient, and quality varies. For protein coffee, sports nutrition professor James Fleming said most people already meet their protein needs, and only the elderly or professional athletes usually require extra protein.
Bini Suresh of the British Dietetic Association said functional coffees often contain ingredient doses too low to mirror results seen in research trials. She said there is no firm evidence that typical coffee servings of lion’s mane can meaningfully improve memory, focus or brain health.
Brecher said research is continuing and encouraged people to treat functional coffee as an optional add-on rather than a solution.
Featured image credits: Brad via Unsplash
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