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 proven in medical studies to promote focus and wakefulness like coffee, or are these just marketing claims? Does the product have any unhealthy ingredients? 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 based on medical research to give our take on whether the product is likely to be effective, or if it's a waste of money.
We'll highlight some questionable health claims made by the brand, compare its cost to coffee, and share real, unsponsored 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 a more concentrated, extracted form was used in most of the studies. MUD/WTR includes the raw plant material.
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.
The remaining ingredients are a blend of tea and spices including organic turmeric and organic cardamom.
Cacao and black tea powder are what 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 consider the caffeine content in MUD\WTR slightly underdosed even for a low-caffeine formulation.
Overall we consider this to be a healthy blend given that it contains a wide variety of phytonutrients. We do not find it likely that this blend will have any specific health benefits, because we can only identify animal studies showing health benefits for the mushroom ingredients, and we consider the caffeine content slightly underdosed.
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. This is a plant powder blend 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 additive ingredients.
Homemade MUD\WTR for Cheap
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 more products than the original Masala Chai blend reviewed in the previous section. Here's our quick take on their other products:
Matcha Chai
- Very similar formulation to first product, matcha inclusion is basically only difference
- Affordably priced for a matcha product
- No questionable additives
Gold
- 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.
Gold and Rest are better options for anxious or caffeine-sensitive consumers, as they're caffeine-free.
Gold 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 does contain some research-backed ingredients and we consider it likely to improve sleep quality.
Real, Unsponsored MUD\WTR Customer Reviews
A YouTube creator named Eric Finch reviewed MUD\WTR after having to stop drinking coffee for medical reasons:
A TikTok creator named Lauren Paige reviewed MUD\WTR in a 30 second video:
@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. Still much less than buying a coffee at a cafe.
But making coffee at home is a vastly cheaper option.
There are many retailers on Amazon selling whole coffee beans for around $0.50 per ounce. According to a coffee roaster called 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 MUD\WTR for the Best Price
MUD\WTR is only sold on the brand's official website and on Amazon, although the majority of products are not on Amazon.
Amazon is the best choice for MUD\WTR's plant-based creamer (link here) because this product cannot be purchased separately on the brand's website. But for all of the tea blends reviewed in this article, consumers will have to visit the brand's website to make a purchase.
Our Clean Coffee Alternative Picks
Pique is the tea brand we recommend, because it includes high-quality ingredients, no questionable additives, and is more than 10% cheaper than MUD\WTR per serving.
Pique Japanese Sencha Green Tea costs $16 for 14 servings, or $1.14 per serving. Its only ingredient is organic green tea and it's free of any questionable additives like citric acid. A medical review found that green tea helps promote a healthy body weight, to promote healthy blood pressure levels and to have “neuroprotective power.”
Interested consumers can check out Pique Japanese Sencha Green Tea at this link to the product page on the official brand website.
Pique Hibiscus Beauty Elixir is our top pick for consumers who prefer herbal tea. It costs $1.14 per serving like the green tea, and its only ingredients are organic hibiscus, organic mint and organic licorice root. Hibiscus was shown in a medical review published in the Molecules journal to have a potentially anti-aging effect due to its antioxidant properties and its ability to stimulate collagen production.
Interested consumers can check out Pique Hibiscus Beauty Elixir at this link to the product page on the official brand website.
For consumers avoiding coffee due to its stimulatory effects, decaffeinated coffee is a healthy and cost-effective option. Decaf coffee was shown in a 2009 clinical trial to have favorable effects on cardiovascular health, and has been clinically shown to reduce blood pressure, which is the opposite of caffeinated coffee.
Bulletproof Original Decaf is our top pick for decaf coffee, because it's highly affordable (only $15.99 for 12 ounces) and is free of any unhealthy additives like flavoring agents.
Pros and Cons of MUD\WTR
Here's our take on the pros and cons of MUD\WTR as a brand:
Pros:
- Totally free of unhealthy additives
- Relatively affordable
- Many anti-inflammatory ingredients
- Effective functional sleep formulation
Cons:
- More of a food product than a supplement for specific health outcomes
- Many online reviewers mention bad taste
- Unlikely to have similar effects to coffee
