Reishi powder in tea and hot cocoa

Why Reishi suits cocoa and tea

Reishi is the bitter one on our shelf, and the bitterness comes with the species rather than with the batch. In a fruit smoothie it stands out. In hot cocoa it has company: cocoa is bitter too, and the milk and sweetener that round off the cocoa round off the Reishi with it. A dark, less sweet cup hides it best.

Tea suits it for an older reason. Reishi has been simmered into tea for centuries, and a fine powder is the quick version of that habit. Stirred into a strong black tea or a spiced chai, it adds a woody edge to a cup that already has one. Johnny Blend Plus, which carries Reishi among its seven mushrooms, is the milder choice for either mug.

How do you mix Reishi powder into hot cocoa?

Put the cocoa and the Reishi powder in the mug together, add a splash of hot milk or water, and stir them into a smooth paste before filling the mug. Both are fine, dry powders that float and clump on a full cup, so one paste step handles both. On the stove, whisk the powders into a little of the milk first, then whisk in the rest as it warms.

For tea, brew the cup first and stir the powder in after the tea bag or leaves come out, so none of it stays behind with them. A whole powder keeps its fiber, so a little may settle toward the bottom of the mug; a stir before the last few sips brings it back.

How much Reishi powder goes in a mug?

A level tablespoon is the serving our labels use, and one serving a day is the routine the daily powders are built around. Reishi is the one most people start lower with: a teaspoon in a mug of cocoa or tea, working up toward the full tablespoon as the taste becomes familiar. A milky, sweetened cup carries more of it than a cup of plain black tea does.

A basic Reishi hot cocoa

One cup of milk (dairy, oat, or almond), two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, one to two tablespoons of sugar or maple syrup, and a teaspoon of Reishi powder. Whisk the cocoa, sweetener, and Reishi into a splash of the milk until smooth, then whisk in the rest and warm it on the stove until it steams. A pinch of cinnamon or a drop of vanilla rounds it off. It makes one mug.