How do you start your day? If you’re like 64% of Americans (ourselves included) it likely starts with a cup of coffee. In the mornings we like to practice what is known as “procaffeination,” or the tendency to not start anything until we’ve had at least one cup of coffee and until the caffeine has had a chance to kick in.

Coffee has become such a ubiquitous part of our lifestyle and our culture, with more Americans choosing it per day than any other beverage. But in the pandemic era of WFH, caffeine can become a mental and emotional crutch. More people are feeling the pressure of an always-on work culture with the shift from in-person meetings to virtual ones. This, combined with a year of irregular sleep schedules and coping with a collective uncertainty, can have you reaching for an extra cup (or four) to feel like you can keep up. In a world that doesn’t ever switch off, burnout is very real—and so is our addiction to caffeine.

If you’re anything like us, it’s likely hard to imagine starting a typical morning without coffee—in fact, the mornings without coffee commit to memory in much greater detail–and so the thought of giving it up permanently seems unbearable.

But, what if we told you there's a replacement that could give you natural, sustained energy without the caffeine crash you would normally get from coffee. What if it also included a variety of age-defying benefits as well as those for digestive health and joint health, AND improved endurance, while helping the body maintain balance with stress-relieving and immune-boosting properties.

Enter Further Food’s Matcha Collagen Peptides.

You’ve likely heard of matcha before; a high-grade green tea that has been ground into powdered form. Because of the unique way that it is grown and harvested, matcha has more antioxidants than other green teas and is considered a true nutritional powerhouse.

Further Food combined delicious, superior tasting organic matcha (cultivated by a 10th level Japanese Tea Master, the highest level of Chasi and one of only 13 people in the world to hold this certificate) with their best-selling hydrolyzed collagen peptides and organic cordyceps mushroom into one clean label product that delivers all-day glow, all-day energy, and plenty of benefits.

These three ingredients are a powerful combination, according to Further Food’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Chris Oswald, D.C., Licensed Nutritionist and Functional Medicine Practitioner. “Collagen is great for a variety of beauty benefits such as glowing skin, thicker hair, and stronger nails. It also has additional benefits for digestive health and joint health. The combination of collagen with matcha and cordyceps mushrooms gives you a daily beauty fix while also delivering mental clarity and productivity benefits from the natural caffeine found in matcha and endurance and fatigue-fighting benefits associated with cordyceps.”

Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine, Further Food's Matcha Collagen has all the benefits of collagen with the ancient healing powers of adaptogenic mushrooms. All of their products are formulated by doctors and backed by nutritionists, health experts, and herbalists.

If, by now, you’re feeling “matcha curious”, and wondering if you would survive or thrive if you traded your coffee for matcha for one week—well, so were we.

So, the C&C put Further Food’s Matcha Collagen Peptides to the test for a week and logged our results. Keep scrolling to read the verdict!

Jessica, Director, Accounts

FIRST IMPRESSION: To be totally honest, I am not normally a matcha fan which is actually why I was so eager to give up coffee for a week and add this to my morning ritual! I noticed how easily the powder blended with the steamed milk and the flavor was nice. I felt like I had ordered a $7 matcha latte!

FINAL VERDICT: I find that with my morning coffee, I can be jittery and anxious. I always crash around 2 or 3 PM and need another cup—with Further Food’s Matcha Collagen powder in my latte every day, I noticed sustained energy throughout the afternoon and early evening and didn’t even catch myself thinking about my cold brew! I also felt a lot more focused on each task, rather than jumping around my to-dos as I normally do, I really felt like I could spend the time needed to get my work done efficiently. Overall I feel good and am excited to keep this up to see how the collagen affects my skin.

JESS’S MATCHA RITUAL: Each morning, after I made myself and my (almost) two-year-old daughter breakfast, I made myself a hot matcha latte with steamed oat milk and one scoop of Further Food’s Matcha Collagen powder. Occasionally, I added a little bit of cinnamon, cardamom and honey just for a bit of an elevated morning drink and used my super whisk to make it really foamy! It was really nice to enjoy while we shared our breakfast.

Sarah, Associate Marketing Manager

FIRST IMPRESSION: I love a good matcha–so much that I justify spending $7 on one at a coffee shop here in Los Angeles, and mostly because I have never been successful at making it myself at home (though I’ve tried!). I have been on the hunt for a good matcha for a minute now, and I won’t name names but I still have a few pouches sitting in my pantry that just weren’t up to par.

Naturally, I was a little nervous that this one would fall short but I was happily surprised. The matcha whisked together well, tasted as delicious as I expected, and I liked that it saved me an extra step by including collagen and cordyceps. Collagen has always been a part of my daily beauty routine–I definitely notice a difference in my hair, skin and nails when I’m incorporating it daily.

FINAL VERDICT: As a lover of at home coffee and a victim to not so great matchas of the past - I’m stoked to continue to incorporate Further Food’s Matcha Collagen into my morning routine! Not only was I happy to skip the step of adding my daily supplement of collagen to my morning beverage (work smarter, not harder!) but I genuinely saw a shift in my energy levels.

I wasn’t watching the clock for the next appropriate time to have another cup of caffeine but was more often shocked when 4 PM rolled around and I had powered through the afternoon without my normal second cup.

SARAH’S MATCHA RITUAL: I consider myself to be exclusively an iced beverage person, regardless of the temperature outside. This, for the most part, has made dissolving supplements in my morning beverage… tough, which is why I was pleasantly surprised at how easily Further Food’s Matcha Collagen dissolved, even at room temp.

Not to #humblebrag but I nailed my at home iced matcha latte and knowing that my matcha powder already was packed with the collagen I needed made the experience that much better. First thing in the morning, I boil some water and add a scoop and a half of the Matcha Collagen. After a good whisk, I set it aside to make myself some breakfast. When I’m ready, I pour my matcha over a big glass of ice, top it with some foamy oat milk, and enjoy!

Drea, Director, Content

FIRST IMPRESSION: Coffee for me, is more about ritual than the caffeine. It signifies a moment all to myself each morning, before the day’s distractions and obligations begin, and where time is measured by volume of sips remaining rather than by the hands of a clock. Though I usually cap this ritual at one cup, I’ve practiced it since my college days. I was a bit nervous to see how my body would respond without the additional caffein and prepared myself for an epic headache–and was surprised that I felt…totally normal.

As an avid collagen addict, I was really impressed with how well the powder dissolved in hot water – usually matcha requires a special whisk (and a little bit of effort) to achieve a perfectly smooth consistency. With only a few stirs, Further Food’s Matcha Collagen was completely blended, which is actually an indication of a high quality matcha. The taste was exactly what one would expect from matcha–no subtle notes of the collagen or cordyceps.

FINAL VERDICT: Honestly, I think I may have become a bona fide matcha drinker as a result of this experiment. Especially towards the end of the week, I felt a noticeable difference in energy that was more sustained and less scattered. The matcha–and maybe the cordyceps or the combination of the two– provided a sense of calm and clarity that by comparison, made me realize how anxious coffee had been making me feel. I’m not sure I would have ever noticed the feeling if it weren’t for comparison.

DREA’S MATCHA RITUAL: The first thing I do in the morning is put water on to boil. My matcha ritual is pretty minimalist, even more so than my coffee ritual without the extra step of adding collagen, but I might try adding it to smoothies next week (and will report back). Once the water boils, pour over 2 scoops of Further Food’s Matcha Collagen. Give it a few stirs and then add a splash of unsweetened oat milk. Sip and enjoy!