New fitness fad? Turbocharging your coffee!

How do you like your coffee? Dubbed ‘the original superfood’, your daily cup is brimming with health benefits: it wakes us up in the mornings, sharpens concentration and can boost mental health.

And that’s before we even mention its heart-healthy antioxidants. But what if you could now make your coffee even healthier? Bring on the good-for-you brew: a new raft of ground and instant coffees and coffee alternatives designed to supercharge your wellbeing.

But are they good enough to swap for your daily cuppa? LUCY DUNN pops on the kettle…

Keeps the doctor away

Vitamin Coffee Complete, £3.49, Holland and Barrett

This ground coffee is enriched with 14 essential vitamins and minerals (your recommended daily allowance) to give you both a caffeine and nutritional lift in one morning cup. All beans are sustainably sourced and freshly roasted in the UK.

Verdict: A clever multitasker for people too busy to remember to take their supplements. The nutty mix of Asian, African and full-bodied Monsoon Malabar beans with hints of cocoa really came into their own.

Totally chilled  

CBD Coffee, £9.99, Cheerful Buddha

CBD Coffee, £9.99, Cheerful Buddha. Stressful day ahead? A mug of this brew contains a gentle boost of feel-good vibes to stay calm and focused

It’s free of THC, the compound in cannabis, so won’t give you a high. Pictured: CBD Coffee, £9.99, Cheerful Buddha

Stressful day ahead? A mug of this brew contains a gentle boost of feel-good vibes to stay calm and focused. It’s free of THC, the compound in cannabis, so won’t give you a high.

Verdict: A surprisingly smooth, silky drink. The CBD is derived from organic hemp, but there’s no grassy tang. Drinking CBD through coffee apparently means you metabolise it more slowly, producing a longer lasting effect.

Mushroom magic 

Boost Shroom coffee, £19.99 for 150g, Antioxi

Boost Shroom coffee, £19.99 for 150g, Antioxi. Great for people trying to cut down on caffeine

Half-and-half mix of arabica instant coffee with mushroom extracts of chaga, cordyceps and maitake, together with the antioxidant-rich herb ginseng root for added oomph. Also great for people trying to cut down on caffeine.

Verdict: Smells and tastes like chocolate-y mushrooms with a hint of Bovril, and while this may sound disgusting, it turns out coffee and mushrooms make surprisingly good flavour partners. While it didn’t give a noticeable boost, I did feel virtuous drinking it.

Top of the morning 

Rokit’s Mind Boost coffee pods, £4, Tesco

Rokit’s Mind Boost coffee pods, £4, Tesco. Mixing health with convenience, these coffee pods are enriched with vitamins

Mixing health with convenience, these coffee pods are enriched with vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12 to support your nervous system and contribute to mental performance.

Verdict: The flavour profile promised nutty, milk chocolate notes with a ‘chocolate orange richness’, although this didn’t taste very strong.

Pulling pints

Guinness 232 Coffee, £8, TikiTonga.co.uk

Guinness 232 Coffee, £8, TikiTonga.co.uk. Coffee and Guinness have a lot in common – they both contain antioxidants thought to improve heart health

Coffee and Guinness have a lot in common – they both contain antioxidants thought to improve heart health and reduce the risk of some chronic health conditions. No Guinness is added to Guinness 232 Coffee, though: instead, to emulate the beer’s malty, bitter sweetness, beans are roasted at the same temperature as the barley is when the beer is made.

Verdict: Not the novelty you might first suspect. Instead it does a clever job of subtly emulating the beer’s velvety mouthfeel and the liquorice taste complements the coffee nicely. You may be relieved (or disappointed?) to learn that it contains no alcohol — nevertheless, it’s a fun drink to serve at the end of a dinner party. 

The beet goes on 

Organic Beetroot Latte With Ginger, £9.95, Sweet Revolution

Organic Beetroot Latte With Ginger, £9.95, Sweet Revolution. eetroots are fast gaining a reputation for their antioxidant properties

Beetroots are fast gaining a reputation for their antioxidant properties and are one of the richest sources of glutamine, an amino acid essential for good gut health.

Verdict: A warming, savoury drink, the sweetness of the ginger taking a welcome edge off the earthiness of the beetroot.

Glow for it 

Collagen + Coffee, £24, Ancient + Brave

Collagen + Coffee, £24, Ancient + Brave. This cuppa blends ground coffee with collagen for improved digestive health

This cuppa blends ground coffee with collagen for improved digestive health, stronger bones, joints and healthy skin; ashwagandha, an ancient herb believed to ease stress; and nutrient-rich baobab fruit which is high in vitamin C.

Verdict: Raw cacao and roasted chicory root enhance the roasted notes to give this an earthy yet luxurious flavour with hints of cherry and chocolate. A superior sip. 

Health booster

Organic Medium Ground House Roast, £20, exhalecoffee.com

Organic Medium Ground House Roast, £20, exhalecoffee.com. The self-confessed ‘coffee boffins’ at British firm Exhale tasted and independently lab-tested over 45 coffees from around the world

The self-confessed ‘coffee boffins’ at British firm Exhale tasted and independently lab-tested over 45 coffees from around the world to create what they call ‘ridiculously healthy coffee’. The result is Organic House Roast – they claim one cup has as many antioxidants as the equivalent of 1.8kg (approx 12 punnets) of blueberries.

Verdict: An energising coffee with fruity notes of apricot and hazelnut made from the top-quality beans so you don’t suffer that energy-sapping post-caffeine crash.