Mushroom lattes: London's new coffee trend

The East London Juice Co. is one of many cafés adding mushrooms to their lattes.

The move is thought to boost brain function and keep drinkers alert; creators are saying it stops the post-coffee headiness many of us get as well.

East London Juice Co's new twist on traditional coffee uses local mushrooms foraged from the outskirts of London and home-made "mylk", made using organic Spanish almonds. Founders say the unusual drink tastes similar to a regular latte, except with a slight earthiness.

Charisse Baker, founder of the East London Juice Co. said to Evening Standard: "You walk away feeling a little more ready to deal with city life."

They're hardly alone in infusing mushrooms into their coffee either. Curators Coffee serves its espressos with a syringe of mushroom consommé. Founders say the unique funghi taste awakens the palette and works as a one-off treat.

For those still not convinced, Four Sigmatic not only sells mushroom coffee to make at home, but it claims the combination actually counters the anxiety and hyperactivity normal coffee brings.

A new study by Malaysia's University of Malaya uncovered that certain anti-inflammatory compounds in edible mushrooms could even protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.

Alongside well known "functional foods" such as green tea and tumeric, their investigation found that mushrooms can be added to the list.

Elsewhere in coffee news, "garlic coffee" has been invented in Japan which looks and tastes like coffee despite being entirely grown from local coffee.