This chaga coffee recipe results in a creamy, slightly sweet morning treat. It is absolutely the best, creamiest, super-beverage coffee that I have ever come across. The use of the medicinal mushroom chaga is comparable to use of reishi mushrooms by the coffee company Organo Gold.
It is an amazing way to sneak the superfood powers of mushrooms into your daily life. No need to drink mushroom tea! The flavor of coffee completely masks the earthy mushroom flavor. The coconut butter makes the coffee velvety and creamy and the maple sweetens it just enough. This is a great way to start you’re day off with healthy fats, immune boosting properties and minerals from the maple syrup. Read more about chaga at the end of this article. Lately, we’ve been drinking our coffee black, without the coconut butter and maple syrup, this is fine and there is no weird taste from the chaga.
Equipment: French Press, cheese grater
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
- high quality whole bean organic coffee
- organic coconut butter (not oil)
- pure organic maple syrup
- wild harvested whole chaga
Steps:
- Use a cheese grater to add up to 1 tablespoon of powdered chaga
- Boil water first (212 F) and then reduce to simmer and add chaga and leave until water is brown. Traditional knowledge describes that chaga is best decocted in temperatures between 150F and 180F, although many people give it a boil for up to 30 minutes (including us because a slow extraction is more time consuming and because we like hot coffee, we believe that many benefits are retained).
- Add to 4 tablespoons ground coffee in french press, steep for 5 minutes, and press the top down to strain.
- In coffee cups add 1 heaping tablespoon coconut butter and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
- Pour less than ¼ cup hot coffee in cups and cream the coconut butter until smooth.
- Add rest of coffee and enjoy!!!
Chaga
(Inonotus Obliquus) is a mushroom that grows exclusively on birch trees. It feeds off of a non-toxic parasite in infected trees in cold areas like the northern parts of US, Canada, Europe, Russia, and Korea. It has been used traditionally though out history as food and as medicine.
We use chaga primarily to boost our immune system, but it has several other health benefits due to it’s antioxidant properties (named in parentheses). It’s antioxidant properties are partially due to melanin, a natural black pigment which has many polyphenols. Chaga also protects against oxidation and free radicals (super oxide dismutase enzymes).
Chaga has the highest ORAC score of any superfood. Beyond helping with the immune system (Beta-D-Glucans), it helps to maintain healthy blood vessels, can help with ulcers and gastritis, can normalize blood pressure and cholesterol levels (betulinic acid), can help fight cancer (phytosterols), can aid in pain. It also reduces blood sugar in people who suffer abnormal blood sugar peaks. It is known for reductions in fatigue and inflammation, as well as increased mental sharpness. Traditionally, Siberians used it in their stews, soups, and teas. They extracted it with hot water. It is also important not to boil the chaga past 180 degrees, which would destroy the proteins, sterols, and enzymes.
Chaga is available whole, in chunks and in powder. Like many ingredients, the more whole the product when you receive it, the fresher, and more health benefits it will impart. I buy my chaga on Etsy. Here is a link one seller that I’ve bought from.
Contraindications:
- high in oxalates, which in large doses can prevent the absorption of nutrients and may be toxic in high doses
Chaga resources
- http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/chaga-mushroom-the-immune-boosting-superfood/#3
- http://www.faim.org/sites/default/files/documents/PPNF-Journal-Chaga.pdf
- https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/chaga-mushroom
- https://oriveda.wordpress.com/chaga-the-facts/
- http://www.organogold.com
