Rob Griffiths just got his dream job working for a beverage company, Iris Nova, as an account manager in New York City, only to be laid off four months later due to the pandemic. But that didn’t stop him from moving away from The Big Apple to launch his own Charleston-based company, Chítta Latte, a mushroom and collagen-based coffee enhancer. The website launched in October, and Griffiths introduced his formula to the Lowcountry at Charleston Wine + Food.
“During that super brief period of time [at my dream job], I found MUD\WTR,” Griffiths said. “And that was the first time I was exposed to the idea of mushrooms and coffee. I tried the product. I didn’t love it. But I saw the potential.”
Griffiths then researched the mushroom-based enhancer and soon found others like it, but what pushed him to launch Chítta Latte was that all the other companies sold themselves as coffee alternatives. Griffiths believed a coffee substitute wasn’t the solution.
“I feel like the market for people who want a coffee alternative, like matcha or chai, or quitting caffeine altogether is arguably smaller than the market of people who are going to drink coffee no matter what,” Griffiths said. “I just wanted to be able to make something that was kind of pulling off of what was already proving to be popular, but reframe it like, ‘OK, this is meant to be mixed with coffee to make your coffee better,’ as opposed to, ‘Buy my product and drink this instead.’”
Mycology — the study of mushrooms and fungi — was new to Griffiths, but he had made his way back to the internet for more hours of research on types of mushrooms, the benefits and how to blend them together to add in a drink. Fortunately, he found an expert in the Pacific Northwest who helped guide him in the right direction. Developing the recipe was “a process of elimination,” he said, testing different combinations of mushrooms, mushroom types and coffee blends.
“There were certain cups that were like, ‘Oh, this blends perfectly with it,’” he said. “But then I’d have it with a different coffee blend, and it changed the composition of the cup entirely.”
Mushrooms, he determined, generally just don’t taste good in coffee. The issue steered Griffiths to instead rely on flavorless mushroom extract. “So you’re still getting a ton of those health benefits, but without really any of the flavor,” he said.
The original enhancer recipe contained 15 different ingredients. But, as development continued he settled on a mere seven-ingredient blend.
“A lot of similar companies try to make a mushroom coffee alternative,” he said. “And they’ll put in all sorts of flavors. I wanted it to be able to go into the coffee that I love drinking, without really changing any of those flavor notes.”
Three of Chitta Latte’s mushrooms are wild harvested. Lion’s mane, which comes from China, helps reduce anxiety, boost memory and balance mood. Siberian chaga works as an anti-inflammatory and immunity booster. Reishi is used to reduce stress, clear the mind and improve sleep quality. Cordyceps, however, comes from high in the Himalayas and as such, is wildly expensive and prone to over-harvesting, which can disrupt sensitive high-altitude ecosystems. Griffiths instead uses a strain grown in California.
“You also get a lot of ‘gut support’ with the mushrooms,” he added. “They kind of bring the acidity down to a neutral level to help with heartburn and acid reflux.”
Also found in Griffith’s blend are L-theanine, the same chemical abundant in matcha and green tea. It’s added to help regulate the body’s consumption of caffeine, providing a smooth ride, opposed to caffeine’s rush and crash.
Studies show too, according to Griffiths, that caffeine inhibits the body’s natural production of collagen. To counter this, Chítta Latte adds a pescatarian collagen supplement from Alaskan salmon which is also flavorless but rich in amino acids. Griffiths noted he hopes to find a vegan alternative in the future. Finally, he adds decaf espresso powder to blend the other ingredients and enhance the flavor of your cup. “I found that the mushrooms are kind of like tofu.” Griffiths said. “They take on the flavor of whatever you put it with.”
Chitta latte is available online at chittalatte.com in a 24-serving tin for $36 or in a 10-serving “dime bag” for $15. Chítta Latte is also available for retail purchase at Nosh Cafe and Wine Bar on 466 Savannah Hwy.
“The look of the product itself is so cool,” said Nosh manager Annalise Fyrwald. “We do coffee and wine, but we also want to incorporate a lot of superfood lattes and stuff like that. So it was really something that can kind of help with the caffeine intake and can benefit the coffee drinking experience — why not?”
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