MUD\WTR is a powdered tea brand that's marketed as a coffee alternative. Its founder claims on the MUD\WTR website to have formulated the product seeking a "more balanced approach to boosting focus and wakefulness."

But does MUD\WTR contain ingredients that can promote focus and wakefulness like coffee? Does it have any unhealthy additives? How does the price-per-serving compare to coffee? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of MUD\WTR?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in MUD\WTR to give our take on whether or not the product is likely to have coffee-like effects, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll highlight some questionable health claims made by the brand, compare its cost to coffee, and feature real MUD\WTR customer reviews.

Ingredient Analysis

MUD/WTR is primarily composed of four mushrooms: chaga, reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps.

Chaga was shown in a medical review to have anti-tumor effects, anti-diabetic effects and anti-inflammatory effects, but an extract was used in most of the studies, while MUD\WTR contains the raw plant material (which is less potent).

Reishi was found in a clinical trial published in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms to delay memory declines in rats.

We haven't come across human trials proving the same.

Lion's mane has been clinically shown to improve some parameters of cognition by 5%, as we documented in our review of another functional food product called NoonBrew.

Cordyceps was shown to improve learning and memory in a 2018 animal study.

Cacao and black tea powder provide the 30 milligrams (mg) of caffeine. 

The minimum threshold for caffeine to be effective as a nootropic (cognitive-enhancer) appears to be around 40 mg based on a 2016 medical review, so we do not consider the caffeine dose in MUD\WTR likely to have nootropic effects like coffee.

Overall, we consider this to be a healthy blend given that it contains a wide variety of plant material and phytonutrients.

MUD\WTR is more like one of those "superfood" shakes in our opinion than it is a coffee alternative.

Coffee is one of the most well-studied nootropic compounds in the world; clinically proven to increase focus, attention, physical power and energy. MUD\WTR is a plant powder blend that may be healthy, but that we don't believe will support any of those specific outcomes.

The good news about MUD\WTR is that it's free of any unhealthy or questionable additives like flavoring agents or refined sugar.

Make MUD\WTR Cheaper at Home

A YouTube creator named Lauren Nicole Jones has a video explaining how to buy the bulk ingredients for MUD\WTR and make it at home for under $1 per serving:

Other MUD\WTR Product Reviews

MUD\WTR sells a variety of different coffee alternative blends. Our Ingredient Analysis section was on the Original blend.

Here's our take on the other MUD\WTR products:

Matcha

• Very similar formulation to Original, matcha inclusion is basically only difference
• Affordably priced for a matcha product
• No questionable additives

Turmeric

• Zero caffeine
• Higher turmeric dose than other formulations
• Contains lucuma, which is a Peruvian fruit that may have a blood-pressure-lowering and cholesterol-lowering effect according to medical research

Rest

• Contains valerian root extract which can support sleep quality
• Contains passionflower which is clinically shown to increase total sleep time as documented in our Zleep reviews article

All MUD\WTR formulations are relatively similar, and contain a mushroom and spice blend. 

Turmeric and Rest are better options for anxious or caffeine-sensitive consumers, as they're caffeine-free.

Turmeric is the most anti-inflammatory option, so this is the product we'd recommend to consumers considering MUD\WTR specifically for the nutritional and functional food benefits.

Rest contains some research-backed active ingredients, and we consider it likely to improve sleep quality. 

Real People Try MUD\WTR

A YouTube creator named "LearnWithTravis" shared his experience after using MUD\WTR for a year:

A TikTok creator named Lauren Paige shared her experience with MUD\WTR:

@kindergartenthoughts The real scoop is… it tastes like dirty cinnamon water… so MUD WTR is a great name for it. But you start to like it and I’m gonna keep drinking it instead of coffee. #mudwtr #mudwtrreview #mudwater #mudwaterreview #nomorecoffee #caffeineaddicts #mushrooms #mushroomhealth ♬ original sound - Lauren Paige

Is MUD\WTR Overpriced?

Since MUD\WTR is branded as a coffee alternative, we figured it would be interesting to compare the cost-per-serving to coffee.

MUD\WTR currently costs $40 for 30 servings, or $1.33 per cup. That's significantly less than buying a coffee at a cafe.

But making coffee at home is a vastly cheaper option.

Some retailers on Amazon sell whole coffee beans for around $0.50 per ounce.

According to a coffee roaster named Presto Coffee, one cup of coffee equates to 0.38 ounces of coffee grounds. This means that coffee costs $0.19 per cup when made at home.

MUD\WTR is a specialty product with more active ingredients, so we wouldn't consider it necessarily overpriced.

But for cost-conscious consumers, making coffee at home may be a better option.

Where to Get the Best Price

At the time of updating this article, the only official online retailers of MUD\WTR appear to be Amazon, Target and the brand's website.

Target only sells a 12-serving version which is more expensive per-serving, so we'll leave that one out.

Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase of MUD\WTR Original at the time of updating this article:

Amazon: $49.99 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)

Brand website: $40 (free shipping, link)

MUD/WTR is currently 20% cheaper at the brand's website, however, the brand's website requires a subscription purchase.

Amazon is a better option for consumers who just want to try the product once. 

Our Clean Coffee Alternatives

Nandaka by Pique is our top coffee alternative pick.

This product contains slow-release caffeine from black tea, cacao butter which has documented health benefits, nootropic mushrooms and phytonutrient-rich spices like cinnamon and ginger.

Pique Breakfast Black Tea Sticks is our top whole food energy pick.

Black tea consumption is "associated with rapid increases in alertness and information processing capacity" according to a clinical trial, and Pique's tea is organic and comes in convenient stick packs that can be mixed into water, so a teapot or kettle are not needed.

Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.

MUD\WTR Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of MUD\WTR in our opinion:

Pros:

• No unhealthy additives
• May support cognition
• Relatively affordable
• Many anti-inflammatory ingredients
• Effective functional sleep formulation

Cons:

• We consider it unlikely to have coffee-like effects
• Ineffective caffeine dose
• Brand's website requires subscription purchase
• Some online reviewers mention bad taste

Conclusion

MUD\WTR isn't really a coffee alternative in our opinion, even though it's marketed that way. It's a mushroom tea.

There's nothing wrong with taking a mushroom tea on a regular basis, and doing so may provide health benefits due to the phytonutrients from all of the plant-based ingredients.

That being said, we do not believe that MUD\WTR is likely to increase focus, attention, energy, or to have any specific health outcomes like caffeine or caffeinated coffee.

We're unable to identify any clinical research suggesting the ingredients in these products, at their stated doses, have any specific health or functional outcomes, apart from the Rest blend, which we do believe can promote better sleep.

As shown in one of the YouTube videos featured in this article, it may be possible to recreate MUD\WTR at home for a lower cost.

At the time of updating this article, the brand's website has a better price on MUD\WTR than Amazon, but requires a subscription purchase.