Although it is hard to describe a taste, most people agree that Chaga has an earthy flavor. But that doesn’t help us very much. If you are like me you thought that earthy flavor meant that it tastes like dirt. Which is absolutely not the case.
The best answer I can come up with is that it tastes like trees but in a good way. You won’t have the impression of biting in a birch tree, but it is as close as you will get to bite one, I assume.
If you are not the type of person that would like to eat trees, you are in luck. The chaga mushroom can be consumed in different ways and you can mix multiple ingredients that will make it taste like heaven on a Sunday morning.
If you want to learn more about his powerful mushroom, click on the below to get the complete guide on harvesting, storing and consuming chaga.
Different Drink, Different Taste
Tea
Chaga tea is by far the most consumed form of the mushroom. You can read all over the web about ways to make tea so I won’t focus on the method of creating the tea, I will put the emphasis on the ingredients we can add to make the tea even more delicious.
Just like coffee, you can add dairy and sugar to make the drink taste milder and sweeter. What I decided to try and write about are the unconventional ways to improve the tea that will make you want more and more.
Here a list of ingredient that I’ve tested in my chaga tea that I absolutely recommend:
- Birch Syrup – Link to buy some on Amazon
- Maple Syrup
- Unsalted Butter
- Instant coffee
I found that chaga tea before going to bed is the best thing to sleep like a baby. This thing has me sawing logs in no time. Most of the time I don’t even finish my cup before falling asleep.
I may seem counter-intuitive since Chaga is supposed to be an energy booster, but there is something comforting in the taste that just makes me go into dreamland.
Decoction
According to Wikipedia:
A Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material to dissolve the chemicals of the material,
– Wikipedia
– Wayne Gretzky
– Michael Scott
The decoction is the best method to get most of the health benefits of the Chaga. By preparing a decoction, you extract all of the water-soluble healthy components of the mushroom such as the polyphenols and beta-glucans.
To get the best method to create a decoction, here’s an article I made about the whole process of creation of this powerful liquid.
This drink is absolutely fantastic when in combination with coffee. That is how I drink my decoction every morning. You can test different ratios of chaga/coffee until you find the sweet spot for your taste. I Personally like around 2/3 coffee to 1/3 chaga decoction, but you should try it yourself to know your perfect ratio.
The decoction will get you more of the chaga health benefits than the tea, but if you want to get to the next step, you will need alcohol.
Tincture
The tincture is the final boss of the Chaga health nutrient extraction. This will extract the water-insoluble nutrients like the famous betulinic acid, the cancer-fighting component of the mushroom.
What Does Chaga Tea Taste Like?
Softer taste than the other
The tea is the first level of concentration of the chaga. It’s like taking a chaga 101 class. You will get the most of the advantages of the mushroom, but you won’t get the specifics.
Drinking the tea is perfect for the uninitiated. Most people like the taste of a tea especially if you add a sweetener like birch or maple syrup.
The Taste Depends On The Concentration
This might seem obvious, but the higher the concentration of the chaga in the tea, the stronger it will taste. Unfortunately, even if your chaga is extremely strong, you will still miss out on some of the health benefits.
What Does The Chaga Decoction Taste Like?
Really bitter
If you are a fan of dark chocolate, you will enjoy the decoction. The long maceration really brings out the bitterness of the tea.
On the other hand, if you don’t like the bitter taste, mixing it with coffee surprisingly erase the bitter taste. I have absolutely no idea why and how two bitter drink can cancel each other out like that but it’s wonderful.
The decoction in a coffee has an almost fruity taste. If you have to try one chaga drink in your life it’s the decoction/coffee mix.
You can see on this image of my latest batch of decoction that I have made in my slow cooker how dark the drink is. The dark brown, almost black substance is almost a concentrate.
I’m not saying that you will hate the stuff, in fact, I drink a small glass of decoction every now and then. I’m just saying that you have to ease into it. If you haven’t tasted chaga yet, I recommend you start with the tea before attacking a glass of this. But hey if you want to try, go ahead.
What Does The Tincture Taste Like?
It Tastes Like alcohol
Duh?! The tincture is based on an alcoholic drink which unsurprisingly makes it taste like alcohol.
Not only it tastes like alcohol, but the taste can vary on which alcohol you choose. This means that a tincture made with Vodka taste different than a tincture made with whiskey for example. You can control, up to a certain point, the taste of the tincture.
It Depends On The Chaga/Alcohol Ratio
The ratio of Alcohol to chaga is also a critical factor in the taste. There are some recipes out there that suggest a certain amount of chaga for a certain amount of alcohol, but trial and error is where you will find the perfect mix in my opinion
It Depends On Your Patience
The tincture can take up to 10 months to be effective. This means that if you create the mix and drink the next morning, you won’t have the health benefits of the chaga. You won’t even have a tincture. All you will have is a chaga tasting vodka.
After three weeks is when the liquid start to become interesting for your health. But even then, most experts agree that a waiting period of 10 month is necessary to extract the healing elements of the mushroom.
Patience is key, you don’t want to rush this.
How to drink the tincture
Although the tincture is a beverage based on alcohol, you shouldn’t party on a tincture. You shouldn’t drink more than a teaspoon a day to be more precise.
In the Russian culture, they say that you should drink one drop a day for every year that you’ve been alive. So unless you are 200 years old, a teaspoon should be sufficient.
So, What Does Chaga Taste Like?
This is a complicated question since there are multiple ways to consume the mushroom. We have seen 3 methods, the three that are in a liquid form, but we didn’t even cover other ways to consume the king of the forest, like chaga chips or chaga bread.
Like I said in the introduction, no matter how you consume it, the mushroom tastes like trees but in a good way. It has a good taste that relaxes and heals your body.
It has a bitterness to it that after a while you will appreciate. Once you’ve learned to love the taste of the chaga, you will fall in love with it. When it will happen, you body will thank you, believe me.
I hope you appreciated this article on the taste of chaga. If you think I missed something or you want to share how you consume your chaga, please leave a comment and I will be honored to answer your question or try your recipe.
