LifeHacker Guy is a personal-blog. We may earn a small commission on purchases made through our links. Learn more.

MUD\WTR review

MUD WTR Review: Great Coffee Alternative?

MUD\WTR is a coffee alternative that contains a potent range of ingredients, including adaptogenic mushrooms, powerful herbs, and spices.

MUD\WTR isn’t just an alternative to coffee, with the ingredients within the formula providing a wide range of health benefits to the consumer.

The MUD\WTR formula provides a small dose of caffeine whilst supporting mental clarity, boosting the immune system, pushing toxins from the body, reducing inflammation, and more.

The formula is suitable for a wide range of people, being 100% USDA Organic, Whole30 approved and certified, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and kosher.

With such a hype around this product and the ingredients within it (such as cacao, reishi, cordyceps, and chai) in recent years, I’m really keen to take a closer look at the formula to see if it really is as good as everyone makes it out to be.

If you’re thinking of purchasing this formula or you’re also intrigued to see if this coffee alternative can boost health and replace your morning brew, check out my full MUD\WTR review below.

MudWater tub and packet review

What is MUD\WTR?

The MUD\WTR website is exceptional.

It’s sleek, informative, minimalist, and exciting. I’m instantly impressed by the brand and excited to see more as soon as I click on the site.

There’s the perfect amount of information about the Mud formula and the ingredients within it, as well as information about the company’s ethos, and a variety of important FAQs, which are answered.

Looking at the Mud formula, I’m intrigued. The packaging looks incredibly sleek and forward-thinking, if not a little ‘hippy’, and I’m definitely keen to take a closer look at the formula to see if it really is as good as it seems.

Background on MUD\WTR

MUD\WTR was founded in Venice, California in 2018 by Shane Heath. Heath was on a personal search for a coffee alternative that boosted his health rather than increased his alertness temporarily but then caused anxiety, jitters and was ultimately detrimental to his health.

However, whilst on his personal search for a powerful coffee alternative, Heath realized how many people were also on the search for a healthy coffee alternative, and hence MUD\WTR was created.

Since being founded in 2018, the company has investors such as Nick Green from Thrive Market and Brandon Shainfeld from Unilever Ventures. The company has also been commended for having such a good company culture!

MUD\WTR Benefits

Although MUD\WTR was created as an alternative to coffee, it provides the consumer with much more than just 1/7th of the caffeine in a coffee.

The brand claims that the formula will support memory and focus, boost the immune system, push toxins from the body, reduce inflammation, and provide the body with essential micronutrients needed for an optimal state of wellbeing.

In addition, the brand links specific ingredients with the claimed health benefits, which is a nice touch! For example, “Lion’s Mane added to support memory and focus”.

MUD\WTR Ingredients

MUD\WTR contains 14 ingredients, most of which exist in proprietary blends. In addition, the brand hasn’t provided any information about the amounts of the ingredients, not even the total amount of each proprietary blend!

Therefore figuring out the efficacy of the formula is very difficult, if not impossible, to do.

However, I’ll be taking a closer look at the efficacy of this formula later on in this review.

Here is the complete list of the MUD\WTR ingredients:

  • Organic Mushroom Blend – Chaga, Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps Mycelial Biomass Cultured On Organic Oats.
  • Organic Cacao
  • Organic Spice Blend – Organic Cinnamon, Organic Turmeric, Organic Ginger, Organic Cardamom, Organic Black Pepper, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Cloves.
  • Organic Black Tea Powder
  • Himalayan Pink Salt

Here is the supplement facts label:

mud-wtr-ingredients

How does MUD\WTR Taste?

The Mud formula doesn’t contain any flavoring ingredients due to the fact that the ingredients that make up the formula provide more than enough flavor!

…formula doesn’t really taste like coffee…. it’s an alternative to coffee, not a copy!

In particular, the flavor of cacao and chai in the formula really comes through, making the formula taste slightly chocolatey and aromatic.

The formula doesn’t really taste like coffee, but that’s not the point of the formula – it’s an alternative to coffee, not a copy!

Overall, reviews concerning the taste of the formula are very positive.

Related: My favorite tasting superfood powders

Side Effects

There aren’t any side effects associated with this formula. However, the brand does recommend women who are pregnant and breastfeeding check with a medical professional before consuming.

I would also like to add that if you’re under 18, on medication, or you have a medical condition, you should consult a doctor before consuming this (and any) new supplement.

Does MUD\WTR Work?

It’s really difficult to figure out whether the Mud formula will be effective due to the fact that the formula contains ingredients that don’t have standard recommended doses.

The only kind of recommendations surrounding the ingredients within this formula are recommendations stating how much shouldn’t be taken.

For example, there are some standard recommendations about the maximum amount of mushrooms to take daily to ensure no overdose occurs.

Overall, it’s unclear whether the formula will provide benefits since there aren’t any standard recommended doses linked with the ingredients.

However, all of the ingredients within this formula sit well below these ‘maximum amount’ doses and are therefore safe.

Overall, it’s unclear whether the formula will provide benefits since there aren’t any standard recommended doses linked with the ingredients.

Nonetheless, it is disappointing that the formula contains blends and doesn’t have a fully disclosed label – it’s always useful to know how much of each ingredient you’re consuming in a formula.

Reishi mushrooms

Info: Check out my article on what is Mushroom coffee, and also the health benefits of mushrooms to discover why you shouldn't ignore them.

MUD Water Reviews

MUD\WTR products aren’t available on Amazon, and therefore we can’t take a look at customer reviews on there like we usually do! However, the MUD\WTR website does have customer reviews – over 3,500 just for the 30-serving Mud formula in fact!

These reviews seem to be unbiased, with a selection of positive and negative reviews on the site.

Although, the positive reviews definitely come out on top, and overall the product scores 5 stars out of 5 stars (according to the brand though, remember that!).

Nonetheless, let’s take a look at a selection of these reviews.

I have a cup every morning and I feel no regret about leaving coffee behind… 2 months ago. I not only feel good drinking it but I feel good about my choice. Company culture is pretty impressive too. 5-star reviewer

I like this product for what it is, and I agree that it's a good coffee alternative if you're in the coffee game exclusively for the caffeine. That said, taste-wise, MUDWTR, and coffee each have their time & place. MUDWTR is this cool chai-cocoa hybrid, with all that warm spice & earthy sweetness. Coffee, on the other hand, gives me those smoky, bitter notes. If you're only drinking coffee for the energy, then yeah, MUDWTR's got you covered. But if you actually enjoy the taste of coffee, keep your favorite roast handy and enjoy MUDWTR as its own thing. 4-star reviewer

The powder doesn’t blend well with water, it settles at the bottom of the glass pretty quickly. I enjoy the product, it’s got a great earthy taste and has been helpful in breaking my coffee addiction. However, I do have to stir the drink before every sip basically. 3-star reviewer

Money-Back Guarantee / Returns Policy

MUD\WTR doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee and does not accept any refunds for opened or used products. However, the brand does accept returns of unopened products for a refund within 30 days of purchase.

Where to buy MUD\WTR?

You can buy Mud from the MUD\WTR website.

Is It Worth The Price?

The Mud formula is sold in 30 either a 30-serving tin or a 90-serving pouch.

You can also buy the Mud Starter Kit that contains a 30-serving tin, a USB chargeable frother, a guidebook, a sample of the brand’s creamer, and stickers.

You can also either sign up for a subscription or buy the products as a one-time purchase.

Obviously, if you sign up for a subscription, the price of the formula reduces.

The 30-serving tin costs $50 on a one-time purchase, making the cost per serving $1.66. On a subscription, this tin costs $40, making the cost per serving $1.33.

The 90-serving pouch costs $125 on a one-time purchase, making the cost per serving $1.38. On a subscription, this pouch costs $100, making the cost per serving $1.11.

Therefore, it’s obviously much more cost-effective to buy the 90-serving pouch on a subscription if you’re sure that you like the formula!

However, the Mud Starter Kit is also a good choice due to the fact that it only costs $60 on a one-time purchase and contains a wide range of freebies (a USB chargeable frother, a guidebook, a sample of the brand’s creamer, and stickers).

I’d say that this formula is fairly priced considering the expensive organic ingredients within the formula. However, of course, I would’ve liked to see a fully disclosed label!

My Final Verdict

I have to admit, I think initially I was a little skeptical about the potency and effectiveness of this formula, and although to some degree I still am, I really can’t argue with thousands of positive customer reviews, a trustworthy and ethical brand, well-priced formulas, and powerful ingredients.

I actually really like the idea of consuming MUD\WTR daily instead of coffee, and the product seems to really provide people benefits and improve people’s lives.

The only downside of this formula is that it contains blends and doesn’t have a fully disclosed ingredients label.

However, since the ingredients don’t have standard recommended doses, it doesn’t actually make that much difference as it’s pretty much impossible to statistically work out the efficacy of the formula. Nonetheless, though, it’s always nice to know how much of each ingredient you’re consuming.

Overall, I think if you’re interested in taking this formula, go for it!

Adam Author

About the LifeHacker Guy

Hi, I'm Adam the founder of the LifeHacker Guy.

I have a First Class Honours degree in Sports Science from Brighton University, specialising in exercise physiology and nutrition. In my youth I was a competitive Triathlete and long-distance runner placing top 10 in most triathlon races I completed.

Since suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I moved into web development, after a couple of years I then moved onto developing a number of online businesses. I've recently taken a sabbatical and I'm now looking to make big changes in my life, hopefully this may resonate with you - join me in my journey!

4 comments

  1. Thank you for the information. I don’t want to purchase just the trendy item but the most healthy one.

  2. Sadly, the mushrooms in MUD\WTR are not the fruiting body – which is the part of the mushrooms that humans have been consuming as medicine and food for over a millennia – but instead is the mycelium (or is an unidentified combination of the two). Even though the mycelium may have some of the benefits as the fruiting body (though definitely not all), it is impossible to separate the mycelium from the substrate it’s grown on – which is usually rice or some other grain. So the Polysaccharides that get boasted about on labels is often mainly coming from the grains, not the Immunomodulating Polysaccharides of the mushrooms. A good way to test this is to taste the powder from a lion’s mane or reishi capsule from a brand that has mycelium (like Host Defense) and one that is purely fruiting bodies (like Real Mushrooms). The mycelium-containing powders taste a bit sweet and bland – like grains. The pure fruiting body powders will vary depending on the taste of the mushroom, but they’ve definitely got a strong flavor (especially the reishi – so bitter!). I prefer to make my own herbal coffees and to add Real Mushroom powder to the blend – the lion’s mane is east to hide (I throw it in baking as well) and the reishi gives a bit of a cacao flavor in the right amount. MUD/WTR does make a good milk frother that I use, I just wouldn’t use their product for any real benefits from the mushrooms.

    Peace!
    Amy, Clinical Herbalism student

    1. Thank you for the information. I don’t want to purchase just the trendy item but the most healthy one.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *