Reishi Iced Mocha (Vegan, GF)

Good thing I don't have a coffee drinking problem, but if I did, I'd probably drink this to substitute for the full bodied coffee taste everyone seems to love. I was introduced to reishi maybe a month or two ago and I ordered some whole dried pieces of it online. What I didn't realize was that you have to extract it somehow via tea or buy the already extracted powder. It doesn't matter how you take reishi, the point is that you're taking one of the most beneficial and revered herbs in chinese medicine. Reishi is amazingly balancing physically, mentally and emotionally. From my own experience taking reishi, I've noticed an increase in my ability to focus my energy as well as an overall sense of calm. If you feel unbalanced in any way, reishi may be able to help! If you've ever made reishi tea, the first thing you notice when you drink it is: BITTER! In order to subside some of the bitterness I created this drink.

It even gets all foamy on top!

1 cup reishi tea
1 heaping tbsp cacao powder/or carob
1/2 tbsp mesquite powder
1 frozen banana
2 tsp coconut oil/butter
2-3 ice cubes
Drizzle of raw honey/agave/coconut nectar to taste

How to make reishi tea: Combine 4 cups of water and a handful of reishi pieces, broken up into smaller pieces. Bring to a boil then lower to simmer/medium, and simmer for 2 hours (find something productive to do during these two hours :P). You may need to add more water throughout the ismmering if it evaporates too much. Alternatively you can use a powder extract or tincture and simply combine it with water.

Combine everything in a blender. Blend until thoroughly combined. Enjoy as an alternative to coffee!

You can buy a 10:1 reishi extract powder at hyperionherbs.com, this particular powder is extremely high quality and comes from Organic Duanwood. I'm probably going to opt for this powder next time because of its convenience as opposed to the tea.