Rasa and MUD\WTR are two of the best coffee alternative beverages on the market today, but what’s the difference? Our Rasa vs. MUD\WTR guide will help you pick.
While I love my morning cup of coffee, there are times when I need to take a break from the caffeine. I used to dread times I couldn’t drink coffee and partake in my normal morning ritual, but today there are several high-quality coffee alternatives to replace my morning cup of Joe.
In recent years, Rasa and MUD\WTR have both established themselves as two of the most popular coffee alternatives. Not only do these companies offer tasty, no-or-low caffeine beverages, but they are packed with herbs and adaptogenic mushrooms that also make them far healthier than your average cup of coffee. Our Rasa vs. MUD\WTR guide will help you determine which is for you.
What Are Rasa And MUD/WTR?
While both Rasa and MUD\WTR advertise themselves as coffee alternatives packed with healthy adaptogens and supplements, their products are quite different from each other. So, before we compare, let’s go over the products both companies offer. If you’re still on the fence, check out our reasons why mushroom coffee is worth trying.
Rasa
Rasa offers eight beverage blends and a creamer. Initially, this is a bit overwhelming, but Rasa seems to know this as they offer a sample pack with every beverage in their catalog. They have tried to develop a product for every occasion and mood you might find yourself in.
- Rasa Original: This is the original caffeine-free coffee alternative that purports to provide natural energy thanks to the adaptogens and mushrooms. The base is a mix of roasted chicory, burdock, and dandelion roots, giving the drink a toasty, nutty flavor akin to coffee. The adaptogen blend includes Chaga, ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Reishi, eleuthero, and maca.
- Cacao: For folks who enjoy chocolate and mocha beverages, the Cacao beverage is the same as the original plus cacao. Cacao naturally has a bit of caffeine, but still much less than a normal cup of coffee.
- Dirty: For folks who aren’t trying to quit coffee but do want the adaptogenic benefits of Rasa, they also offer the Dirty blend. This is the same as the original, with some coffee mixed in to get it up to 35 mg of caffeine.
- Bold: This blend packs as many energy-promoting adaptogens and mushrooms, including Schisandra, shilajit, and lion’s mane, as it can. Bold was designed to give drinkers the biggest energy boost possible without actually having any caffeine.
- Calm: Designed to promote restfulness, this blend includes blue lotus, blue vervain, and reishi, along with cacao and vanilla, to give it a taste to match.
- Golden Chai Recovery Tonic: This chai golden milk beverage was designed to help you recover after a workout (or stressful situation). Featuring a chai blend and loads of turmeric, it includes adaptogens explicitly chosen to help with recovery.
- Spicy Rose Cacao: Designed to rev up your libido, this drink combines several aphrodisiacs to create a perfect blend to get you in the mood. Plus, it is a delicious rose-infused spicy hot chocolate.
- Super Happy Sunshine: This citrusy happiness tonic is meant to give your serotonin and dopamine systems a refresh. With sceletium and mucuna, this blend promotes the activation of your reward system, leaving you feeling great. They do note, however, that people should consult with a doctor before taking this one.
- Creme de la Creamer: Their non-dairy creamer pairs oat and coconut milk powder with MCT oil powder, ginseng, and tremella mushroom extract.
Since this list can be overwhelming, Rasa has a quiz module on its website that you can take, and it will recommend the ideal drinks for your needs! For more choices, check out our round-up of the best mushroom coffee brands.
MUD\WTR
MUD\WTR’s catalog features four drink blends, a creamer, and a sweetener. MUD\WTR’s offerings are a bit more straightforward in that they have two caffeinated morning options, an afternoon caffeine-free option, and an evening beverage to help you wind down before bedtime:
- Rise Masala Chai: MUD\WTR’s original beverage, Rise, blends together lion’s mane, cordyceps, Chaga, and reishi with a masala chai black tea blend. With only one-seventh of the caffeine of a normal cup of coffee and packed with adaptogenic mushrooms, this beverage is more similar to chai tea products than coffee.
- Rise Matcha: In this blend, MUD\WTR replaced the Masala Chai with matcha green tea. With notes of ginger and cardamom, this blend provides less caffeine than coffee but will get you that morning boost!
- Balance Golden Milk: Marketed as their afternoon blend, this golden milk beverage pairs a hearty dose of turmeric with adaptogenic mushrooms and rooibos chai. The turmeric gives the drink a rich, earthy flavor and beautiful golden color. They are designed as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up to get you through the rest of your day.
- Rest Rooibos Chai: The evening beverage is most similar to the Rise Masala Chai, except the caffeinated black tea has been replaced by rooibos, and several energizing mushrooms like lion’s mane and cordyceps have been replaced with calming supplements like valerian root and ashwagandha.
- Coconut Creamer: This powdered creamer is primarily made with coconut powder and MCT oil powder. These give beverages a nice creamy texture and offer slow-burning energy to help you get through your day.
- Coconut And Lucuma Sugar Sweetener: This sweetener pairs coconut sugar with lucuma sugar. Lucuma is a fruit long-prized by the Incas for its many health benefits.
Like Rasa, MUD\WTR also has a quiz you can take to help give you product recommendations for your needs. You might also be interested in our Renude Chaga Mushroom & Adaptogen Superfood Coffee Boost review.
What Do Rasa And MUD\WTR Have In Common
If you are looking to reduce your caffeine intake while also adding adaptogenic mushrooms and supplements to your diet, then both Rasa and MUD\WTR are going to be great products for you. First, Rasa and MUD\WTR offer caffeine-free and caffeine-light options – whether you are trying to quit caffeine or cut back, both companies have products you will enjoy.
As well both companies offer a wide range of products that serve different functions. With coffee, we are used to regular and decaf. Rasa and MUD\WTR are both more focused on providing a catalog of beverages, some that are coffee replacements, but others (like the nighttime beverages) are meant to stand alone.
Rasa Vs. MUD\WTR: The Differences
| Rasa | MUD\WTR |
| More affordable | More expensive |
| Tastes more like coffee | The mushroom taste is more prominent |
| Uses a wider range of mushrooms & herbs | Uses the same blend in several products |
| Offers more drink options | Less drinks choices but offers a sweetener |
What’s Better About Rasa?
First and foremost, as a coffee replacement, Rasa is more akin to a standard coffee experience. Their blend of chicory, dandelion, and burdock gets much closer to the taste of coffee than any of MUD\WTR’s offerings. Rasa also offers a wider catalog of options that attempt to address all of our potential beverage needs with more diverse flavors.
Each of Rasa’s beverages includes mushrooms and herbs in different combinations. It is worthwhile to investigate each product more deeply before consuming them, as the list of different supplements is long. In particular, the happiness tonic appears to have some supplements you should discuss with your doctor adding this product to your diet, particularly if you have depression or thyroid issues.
Rasa’s packaging is bright-and-colorful, with a color profile that matches the intended function of each product. Their packaging is vibrant yet tasteful and may end up being one of the prettiest works of art in your pantry.
Both companies know that they aren’t just selling a beverage; they are also educating customers on the health benefits of their products. Overall, Rasa’s website provides a more streamlined set of resources. Everything is easy to find through the header menu, from their mission statement to their blog.
MUD\WTR’s website is a bit more difficult to navigate – it took me about ten minutes to discover that the “Trends w/ Benefits” link was actually for the company’s blog.
Overall, MUD\WTR’s website and blog give you the feeling of a newspaper. There are lots of articles to read, but it can feel hard to navigate and find what you are looking for. But, if you just want a daily article that is MUD\WTR adjacent to read while you drink your MUD\WTR, then their “Trends w/ Benefits” blog is great!
Rasa, on the other hand, seems quite self-aware that many people are skeptical of the potential benefits of adaptogens. They even have a 30-page report on what adaptogens are (and what they are not).
What’s Better About MUD\WTR?
MUD\WTR’s selections are easier to navigate and, thus, simpler to figure out how to incorporate into your day. They offer two-morning coffee replacements, an afternoon beverage, and an evening beverage. It can be tricky to work out the best time to consume Rasa’s offerings, whereas MUD\WTR makes it easy!
While Rasa has done better at making a coffee replacement, MUD\WTR’s products are better described as enhanced mushroom tea than a coffee alternative. While this may be a downside for some potential customers, the result is that MUD\WTR has created a cohesive line of mushroom tea beverages that all taste how the tea ought to taste!
I really like the 30-serving tins that MUD\WTR offers; it’s simple and sleek. We save every single one of them as they match the aesthetic of most kitchens. They are cute and functional, and easy to find a way to use them around the house.
If you are purchasing MUD\WTR for the first time, they offer starter kits. These come with a USB-chargeable frother which is a necessary purchase, as MUD\WTR does not blend very well without it.
Who Should Get Rasa (And Why)?
Rasa is best for customers who want a true coffee replacement. For those simply wanting to reduce their coffee intake, they even have a blend that has a small amount of coffee in it.
Rasa gets closer to matching the taste and feel of coffee with several of its blends. This is likely because their base of chicory, burdock, and dandelion provides a toasty, nutty flavor that is more comparable to coffee.
Rasa is also best for customers that are excited to explore a wider range of mushrooms and supplements. The research required to know about each product can be daunting, but for those excited about the health benefits, Rasa has a lot to offer.
Who Should Get MUD\WTR (And Why)?
MUD\WTR is more akin to mushroom-enhanced tea. For fans of masala chai and matcha, MUD\WTR may provide a more suitable and welcoming flavor profile than Rasa. MUD\WTR is best for people who enjoy tea products, this may not best serve people who love the taste of coffee, but it is a great option if you enjoy a spicy cup of tea.
MUD\WTR is easier to navigate as a product, so it’s best for those new to mushroom coffee. The mushroom blend is pretty consistent across products, so you don’t need to deeply research each drink in their catalog. Learning about one teaches you most of what you need to know about the other products in their line.
MUD\WTR relies on a narrower set of mushrooms to supplement their beverages. This makes transitioning from product to product a bit easier, as additional research is not needed, given that many of the beverages have the same mushroom blends in them.
