Disclosure: TopShelf Mushrooms and Pilly Labs are operated by the same team. This page includes promotional links to Pilly Labs. Product comparisons are based on current labels, prices, policies, and cited research.
Mushroom coffee comparisons usually stop at “both have Lion’s Mane, both taste fine.” That tells you nothing about what’s actually in the cup. Below, we line up Laird Superfood’s Organic PERFORM Dark Roast Ground Mushroom Coffee against Pilly Labs’ Premium Mushroom Coffee using the same units – serving size, cost per serving, and disclosed mushroom content – so you can see where the formulas actually differ.
Quick Answer
Laird PERFORM is a ground, brewed coffee with four mushroom ingredients (Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Cordyceps, Maitake) listed on the label, but the brand does not publish the milligram amount or percentage of any of them. Pilly Premium Mushroom Coffee is an instant, two-mushroom formula (Lion’s Mane, Chaga) that discloses its full ratio on the front of the bag – 70% Arabica, 15% Lion’s Mane, 15% Chaga, or roughly 600 mg of total mushroom content per 2 g serving. If ingredient-amount transparency matters to your buying decision, Pilly currently discloses more; if brewing a traditional pot of coffee with a broader mushroom lineup matters more, Laird covers that ground. Neither company has published clinical testing on the finished coffee blend itself – evidence cited below applies to the individual mushroom ingredients, not the products as brewed.
Format and Serving Size – Same Units
Laird PERFORM (Dark Roast Ground): Ground whole-bean coffee. The brand’s brewing instructions call for 2 tablespoons (10 g) of grounds per 12 oz of water, suitable for drip, French press, or cold brew. A 12 oz (340 g) bag works out to roughly 34 servings at that ratio, which puts the per-serving cost around $0.59 based on the $20.00 bag price listed on Laird’s own product page. Confirm current pricing and bag sizes directly on Laird’s product page, since 4-pack and 6-pack bundles are also offered and may change the effective unit cost.
Pilly Premium Mushroom Coffee (Medium Roast): Instant, freeze-dried powder. One serving is 1 teaspoon (approximately 2 g) stirred into 8 – 10 oz of hot water – no brewing equipment required. A bag contains 27 servings at $47.99, or about $1.78 per serving at full price ($1.51 per serving on the $40.79 subscription rate). See current pricing, subscription terms, and the full supplement facts panel on the Pilly Labs product page.
On a per-serving cost basis, Laird is the less expensive option. Pilly’s format trades that cost advantage for zero brewing equipment and a fully disclosed ratio on the label.
Mushroom Content – What’s Actually Disclosed
Laird PERFORM: The ingredient list names Organic Peruvian Coffee, Organic Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract, Organic Chaga Mushroom, Organic Cordyceps Mushrooms, and Organic Maitake Mushroom Extract. That’s four mushroom species. The label does not state a milligram amount, a percentage, or even the extraction ratio for any of them – the product page does not break the blend down by weight.
Pilly Premium Mushroom Coffee: Two mushroom species – Lion’s Mane and Chaga – each disclosed at approximately 300 mg per 2 g serving (15% of the blend each), against approximately 1,400 mg of freeze-dried Arabica (70%). That’s roughly 600 mg of total disclosed mushroom content per serving. Pilly’s own product page notes that clinical research on Lion’s Mane typically uses 1,000 – 3,200 mg per day – meaning its 300 mg serving sits below the researched range, a gap the brand discloses rather than obscures.
Neither brand has published independent lab verification of these amounts as tested in the finished, brewed cup. Disclosed label ratios are not the same as third-party potency testing.
Species Selection and Form
Laird’s four-species blend (Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Cordyceps, Maitake) covers more ground on paper – Cordyceps is generally associated with energy-and-endurance research, while Maitake shows up more often in metabolic and immune-support literature. Whether that translates to a meaningful effect at an undisclosed dose is not something we can verify from the label alone.
Pilly’s narrower two-species approach (Lion’s Mane, Chaga) is a smaller footprint, but it’s the one where you can actually see the numbers. Chaga in both products is included primarily for its traditional-use history and antioxidant research profile rather than a specific clinical claim – human clinical trials on Chaga at supplement doses remain limited, a point our dose-math framework flags for most Chaga-containing products on the market, not just these two.
Caffeine
Neither product publishes an exact milligram caffeine figure on the pages we reviewed. Laird is a standard ground coffee brewed at a typical ratio, so caffeine content should fall in the range of a normal cup of drip coffee, though the brand does not state a number. Pilly describes its instant serving as delivering caffeine “approximately equivalent to one standard cup of coffee,” which is also not an exact figure. If you’re caffeine-sensitive, treat both as standard-strength coffee until you confirm otherwise with the brand or your own testing.
Label Transparency
This is the clearest point of separation. Laird lists ingredients without percentages or amounts. Pilly puts its 70/15/15 ratio directly on the front of the bag and repeats the milligram breakdown in its Supplement Facts panel, alongside citations for the research it references. Readers who want to do their own dose math – comparing a label’s numbers against the clinical research ranges – have more to work with on the Pilly side simply because more numbers are published. That’s a transparency observation, not a claim that one formula works better than the other.
Limitations and Who Should Be Cautious
- Both products contain caffeine and are not recommended for anyone sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing individuals, or children, without checking with a healthcare provider first.
- Chaga may interact with anticoagulant or blood-thinning medication and with blood sugar management medications – a caution Pilly states directly on its product page. Anyone on those medications should check with a healthcare provider before trying either product, since Laird’s page does not provide equivalent interaction guidance for its Chaga content.
- Chaga also contains oxalates; people with a history of kidney stones or oxalate-related conditions should consult a provider first.
- Neither product is a substitute for medical treatment, and research suggests functional mushroom ingredients work best as part of a consistent routine rather than a one-time dose.
For more on how format changes the daily-use experience, our full Pilly Labs Premium Mushroom Coffee review covers the brewing ritual, label details, and buyer-verification checklist in more depth. If you’re weighing coffee against other mushroom formats entirely, our Pilly mushroom gummies review breaks down how a gummy-format 10-species blend compares on dose and convenience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which product discloses more about its mushroom content?
Pilly Premium Mushroom Coffee discloses an exact ratio (70/15/15) and per-serving milligram amounts for both mushrooms. Laird PERFORM lists its four mushroom ingredients but does not publish percentages or milligram amounts on its product page.
Is Laird Perform instant or brewed coffee?
It’s ground coffee meant for traditional brewing – drip, French press, or cold brew – using 2 tablespoons (10 g) per 12 oz of water, per Laird’s own instructions.
Is Pilly Premium Mushroom Coffee instant?
Yes. It’s a freeze-dried powder – 1 teaspoon dissolved into 8 – 10 oz of hot water, with no brewing equipment needed.
Does either coffee list an exact caffeine amount?
No. Neither brand’s product page states a precise milligram caffeine figure at the time of this review.
Are Pilly Labs and Top Shelf Mushrooms the same company?
Top Shelf Mushrooms and Pilly Labs are operated by the same team, as disclosed at the top of this article. This affects our coverage of Pilly products; Laird Superfood is an independent, unaffiliated brand.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new dietary supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a medical condition. Individual results may vary.
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