I have a love-hate relationship with coffee. On one hand, it helps me wake up and lessens the blow of my busy schedule; plus, I enjoy the ritual of pouring a cup each morning. On the other hand, it makes me feel anxious and jittery. Not to mention, I don’t really like the taste that much. In all honesty, my beverage of choice will always be a cup of black tea or yerba mate, but I find they just don’t have the kick of caffeine that coffee does. About two weeks ago, I decided that coffee was doing more harm for me than good, so I quit it.
I wouldn’t say I had “withdrawal” of any sort, but I have missed that part of my morning routine. Enter mud water. While perusing on social media, I was continuously bombarded with very aesthetically pleasing ads for MUD\WTR. As a long time herbivore and somewhat of a nature nerd, they piqued my interest.
Upon research, I discovered MUD\WTR did not contain, obviously, any mud. Rather, it was a powdered blend of masala chai, cacao, reishi, chaga, cordyceps, lion’s mane, turmeric, sea salt and cinnamon. Their website goes into detail as to what these ingredients mean, which I appreciated, because otherwise I would’ve thought it was a magic spell from a witch’s book. Essentially, these adaptogens promise light stimulus, energy, immune system response moderation, anti-inflammatory properties, tumor and cancer-fighting polysaccharides and triterpenes and so much more. And, according to reviews, it was a great replacement for a cup of morning coffee.
Even with all of these benefits, I was skeptical. For starters, it was $30 for 15 servings. While $2 for a drink isn’t too bad — I’ve spent almost $5 at Starbucks — it’s a lot to fork out at once, especially if I didn’t know if I would like it. The company also offers subscription services that lower the cost a bit. In the end, I ultimately decided to buy a tin, deciding I would pass it off to someone else if I wasn’t a fan. With high hopes and a lower bank account, I added an order to my cart.
The MUD\WTR arrived pretty quickly after I ordered it and came with a few stickers, which is always a plus. Upon opening the container, I was a bit underwhelmed. True to name, it does kind of look like fine, reddish-brown silt. After pouring in boiling water, it still looked like muddy water, not to my surprise. I tried it without anything extra, and it was, in every sense of the word, fine. It tastes like half of a packet of hot chocolate, chai and a gingerbread cookie had a baby. I added some liquid stevia and almond milk and was pleasantly surprised at how much it improved the flavor.
However, I don’t really feel like I benefited from any of the extra benefits of MUD\WTR. I didn’t particularly feel any more awake in the morning or notice any other differences. After about a week, it still just felt like I was drinking something that tasted okay.
While I probably won’t pawn this off to a friend, I’m not sure I’ll do a reorder either. The taste is fine — something I’d probably order at a shop if it was available. However, for $30 at a time when my tea is $25 for 100 bags, I’m not sure it’s worth my money. Am I mad at mud? Not at all, but it’s definitely something I might just have to revisit in the future.
