LIKE most working adults in 21st-century Britain, I’m more or less addicted to caffeine.
I drink coffee every day for both the taste and the productive effects, but there are downsides.
I’m prone to crashing in the afternoon, struggling to stay focused (and, if I’m honest, awake) for the hour or so after I’ve eaten lunch.
Sleep can also be evasive if I’ve had coffee after 3 pm or so.
London Nootropics claims that its “Adaptogenic coffee” delivers many of the same benefits as a real cup of Joe — plus more — without any of the cranky side effects.
Shop London Nootropics Adaptogenic Coffee
It has three main blends: Mojo, which helps with “Endurance and Vitality”, Flow, which helps with “mental clarity and focus” and Zen, which is designed to aid “calm and balance”.
But at £15 for a pack of 12 sachets, it’s not cheap — and can a coffee packed with mushrooms and various plants actually taste good?
I’ve done a London Nootropics review to find out.
London Nootropics review: Quickfire Q&A
What is London Nootropics? A “nootropic” might sound like a family of diseases or a minor Marvel villain, but London Nootropics is a purveyor of “adaptogenic coffee”: coffee with added ingredients designed to improve your brain function.
How much is it? Not cheap — a pack of a dozen sachets goes for £15 (although it’s currently on sale for £12). The starter bundle I tried, which includes 36 sachets and a genuinely great travel cup, is £60 down from £80.
Who’s it best for? People who love the kick that caffeine provides but suffer from unfortunate side effects like energy crashes or jitteriness.
What we loved: Those “adaptogenic” benefits might sound like marketing fluff, but they’re real: I felt less drowsy in the afternoon, had more sustained energy levels and didn’t suffer from any coffee jitters.
What we didn’t: There’s no getting around the fact that this doesn’t taste as good as a freshly brewed cup of coffee. The price is a bit off-putting, too.
- Shop London Nootropics Adaptogenic Coffee – here
What on earth is adaptogenic coffee?
Shop London Nootropics Adaptogenic Coffee
Put simply, London Nootropics’ blends are instant coffee with the addition of brain-enhancing ingredients.
They’re made with 6% freshly ground roasted coffee, and a cup gives you more or less the same amount of caffeine as your normal morning flat white.
However, alongside caffeine, they also include ingredients like Lion’s Mane Mushroom, cordyceps mushroom, Siberian ginseng, ashwagandha and a plant called Rhodiola Rosea.
These are all claimed to have cognitive benefits, which range from reducing stress to enhancing focus and concentration and generally improving brain health.
However, some of these ingredients have a lot more scientific backing than others.
Take the two biggest ingredients in the blend I drank the most, the Mojo blend.
Cordyceps mushroom has a pretty strong — if not absolute — backing in science, with several studies finding that it has provable benefits.
It’s been indicated to improve performance in exercise, and another study found that it was effective in “antitumor, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, sexual and reproductive function enhancement, hypoglycemic, and antifatigue activities, and [has] a protective effect on the kidney and liver”.
An example often used to illustrate the effectiveness of cordyceps — including by London Nootropics — is the 1993 Chinese Olympic team, who, after breaking three world records at the national games, attributed their success to the fungus.
However, that’s not the same for Siberian Ginseng, Mojo’s other headline ingredient.
London Nootropics includes it for its “ability to help you adapt to physical and mental stressors and increase endurance”, but according to WebMD, there’s “no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses”.
The taste test
Shop London Nootropics Adaptogenic Coffee
I tried the blends in a few ways, in the name of giving them a fair shot.
However, whichever way you make it, you first need to mix the contents of the sachet with boiling water, unleashing the smell of the coffee.
The most noticeable scent is that of unsweetened cocoa, like powdered hot chocolate.
And there’s a distinct savouriness, too — is that… Bovril?
I suppose when you’re making a drink out of mushrooms, a savoury note is going to be difficult to avoid, and thankfully, while it’s noticeable in the smell, it’s not very present in the taste.
In fact, it’s pretty decent — it’s sort of an unsweetened cocoa/coffee blend, like a grown-up Mocha.
It’s certainly as good as any instant coffee I’ve ever had, but that’s not a high bar to jump.
The issue is sort of similar to when you see plant-based “meat” branding itself as “tofurkey” or “watermelon steak”.
I know this does contain coffee, but it’s a pale imitation of a cup of the real thing. You don’t get any of the fruity, dark chocolatey or nutty notes that you get when it’s freshly ground, and for that reason, I’d struggle to completely replace coffee with this in my day-to-day life.
If you consider it as completely its own thing, though, it’s perfectly drinkable.
After some trials and tribulations, I decided my favourite way to drink it was like an iced americano — I mixed the powder with just enough water for it to dissolve, then poured this into a glass of very iced water.
However, you could also simply add milk and sugar.
How did I feel?
Shop London Nootropics Adaptogenic Coffee
Surprisingly great.
London Nootropics certainly makes some big claims about its coffee, but it really does deliver.
The main thing I was hoping for when drinking the Mojo Coffee was to swerve the drowsy hour I endure from around 2pm-3pm every working day, when my productivity takes a hit and I struggle to keep my eyes open.
I was also hoping to feel generally more energetic.
It definitely accomplished both of these things — I had sustained focus all day after drinking it, feeling locked in and undistracted, which is usually a hard frame of mind for me to find.
Many reviewers have reported feeling calmer, clearer and full of “clean energy”, and that’s something I can definitely get behind.
The other effect I was really surprised by was my level of physical energy — I felt much more spritely during my evening round of tennis, and didn’t feel the usual level of fatigue after.
I’d definitely recommend the Mojo blend before a workout if you’re looking for an energy boost using natural ingredients.
How much are London Nootropics coffees?
As is so often the case with these sorts of products, the main stumbling block is the price tag.
A pack of a dozen sachets — a two-week supply, if you’re stingy — is £15, working out at £1.25 per cup of coffee.
If you were to drink one per day, you’d spend over £30 — although London Nootropics does have subscription plans that make it slightly cheaper.
The temptation is always to point out that it’s cheaper than getting a latte from a coffee shop every day, but in reality, despite the brand’s luxury packaging and honestly decent taste, this isn’t indulgent enough as a drink to compare.
It’s also many times the price of a single Nespresso pod, which works out at around 40p or 50p.
However, while I’m not in the tax bracket to make this a part of my day-to-day life after this review, if I could afford it, I’d certainly be tempted.
The effects on my focus and physical energy are certainly worth £1.25 per day.
The Verdict: Is London Nootropics worth it?
London Nootropics recommends its starter pack for new customers, which contains 36 sachets and a travel mug and costs £80.
Personally, I wouldn’t do that. Instead, spend £15 on a pack of 12 — I’d recommend the Mojo — and see the effects. If you like it, then opt for a subscription.
While it’s not perfect — it doesn’t compare to the flavour of normal coffee and it’s expensive to boot — I was blown away by the levels of energy and focus I had after drinking it.
If you can get away from the idea of it as a direct coffee replacement and view it as its own, unique thing, it’s well worth gambling £15 on trying it.
- Shop London Nootropics Adaptogenic Coffee – here