Hi there -
If you're into coffee and wellness, read on! I'm SO excited to introduce you to Imunika, our very first functional coffee partner: a groundbreaking South Korean coffee brand that co-ferments their specialty beans with an exclusive beta-glucan mushroom compound. The result is a delicious redefinition of what mushroom coffee (and functional specialty coffee) can be!
Tastes Like: Caramel, Blackberry, Dark Chocolate
Curator's Notes: Buckle in, because I have a lot to say about our newest coffee partner, a true pioneer in mushroom coffee and functional co-ferment.
"Mushroom coffee" is a type of functional coffee that contains adaptogens, mushrooms, or other mushroom-based supplements that aim to provide a superfood health benefit boost. However, in my experience, most mushroom coffees aren't specialty grade and/or they have these supplements mixed into the grounds in powder form or soaked into the beans, which affect the flavor in a very bad, no good way. The last time I tried mushroom coffee from another leading brand, I couldn't stomach it. It tasted like dirt. As someone who wants to enjoy her coffee, it's an automatic no-go for me, even if I'm interested in the benefits of a daily mushroom supplement.
But Imunika's coffees are a co-ferment, meaning, the beans (Direct Trade from smallholder farms in PNG) spend 4 weeks in Korea being treated to their exclusive beta-glucan complex made from 7 types of organic, locally-sourced mushrooms, including Lion's Mane, Reishi, and others. I've only seen co-fermentation enhance flavors, but if flavor compounds can carry over, why not other types of compounds? Imunika's coffees boast 500mg of beta-glucan per cup, which is well within the daily supplement recommendation. Amazing. After fermentation, they're shipped to their roasting partners Seattle, freshly-roasted, and sent all over the country. But what about the most important part? The flavor??
Jinhu Park, founder, fermentation expert and Cornell alumnus (my son's school! Go big red!), has taken his coffees all over the specialty scene, from World of Coffee in Copenhagen to the SCA expo in Portland, and he graciously sent me samples to taste. No surprises here - I can't stop drinking them. They taste like everything I want from a nice, classic PNG cup. The fermentation method softens the profile and lowers the caffeine content. They have two roast profiles, this is their darker roast, Black (more of a med-dark), but they also have a lightish (Red). Both these coffees are creamy, sweet, with a base like chocolate-flavored soy milk, toasted caramel, and some berry tones throughout. Flavors are super versatile and make a lovely pourover, drip, and, thanks to their medium-ish roast and creamy body, a killer espresso!
There's so much to say about these coffees but, long story short, we're really excited to invite Imunika into the Bean Box tribe. Like the coffee version of visiting a Korean spa, Imunika is a very special, luxury coffee experience you just can't find anywhere else. This is a really fascinating innovation in specialty coffee, and if this is something you've been curious about, I invite you to try their delicious coffees for yourself.
Bottom Line:You'll like this coffee if you like "coffee that tastes like coffee", wellness, mushroom supplements, or treating yourself.
