This was my first exeperience with Chaga powder, so unfortunately I can’t compare this powder with another one. When I first received the package, I was a bit taken back by the smell. I had expected something very earthy or something that smelled a bit like mushrooms, but this didn’t at all. It had, what I would have called a plastic like, bitter smell. I contacted the seller and was sent another bag, but it smelled exactly the same. However, the first bag that I tried did taste a little plastic like, but while I wouldn’t exactly describe the second batch as tasty, it wasn’t unpalatable. It says it contains vanillic acid, which should lend it a vanilla flavor, but I couldn’t really taste it. Like I said, it wasn’t bad, it actually didn’t have much of a taste, but I didn’t taste vanilla.
I tried steeping it to make a tea, it says to let it steep for 3 – 5 minutes, but I found the tea to be a bit awkward. It didn’t mix well and left a considerable amount of residue. Now, maybe this is how chaga tea is supposed to be, but it was very grainy and did not incorporate or dissolve well at all. I watched several videos about making chaga tea, but they weren’t overly helpful as far as whether or not it should be grainy. However, I did find a video made by someone who harvested wild chaga and made their own tea and he said that he felt that instead of the boiling water taking away any of the chaga’s beneficial properties, he thought that it increased it. This was someone who said he has been making and using chaga tea for twenty years, so I figure he would know.
What ended up working well for me was adding the powder into my protein powder mix. I can’t taste it at all and I drink all of it. I also like adding it to my smoothie as well. Now, as I mentioned before, this man thought that steeping the powder increased its potency, so I am going to start steeping the powder in a small amount of hot water and adding that to my smoothies so I can get the full benefits without the awkwardness of the tea.
Also, I noticed that this tea is considerably more pale than many of the other chaga powders that I saw when I was trying to learn about the tea, but the seller says that the color is what it should be and that I didn’t receive a packet that was out of character as far as color is concerned for the brand.
Is it doing anything? It is so hard to tell for sure, but I feel like I am handling stress and lack of sleep a bit better than I was, so I think it is doing something, but I know that isn’t the most scientific way of measuring a products effect. I will update the review if I feel like I can offer more concrete results. I received this product at a discounted rate in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Reviews with images
Rocky start, but it is definitely growing on me (ha)
This was my first exeperience with Chaga powder, so unfortunately I can’t compare this powder with another one. When I first received the package, I was a bit taken back by the smell. I had expected something very earthy or something that smelled a bit like mushrooms, but this didn’t at all. It had, what I would have called a plastic like, bitter smell. I contacted the seller and was sent another bag, but it smelled exactly the same. However, the first bag that I tried did taste a little plastic like, but while I wouldn’t exactly describe the second batch as tasty, it wasn’t unpalatable. It says it contains vanillic acid, which should lend it a vanilla flavor, but I couldn’t really taste it. Like I said, it wasn’t bad, it actually didn’t have much of a taste, but I didn’t taste vanilla.I tried steeping it to make a tea, it says to let it steep for 3 – 5 minutes, but I found the tea to be a bit awkward. It didn’t mix well and left a considerable amount of residue. Now, maybe this is how chaga tea is supposed to be, but it was very grainy and did not incorporate or dissolve well at all. I watched several videos about making chaga tea, but they weren’t overly helpful as far as whether or not it should be grainy. However, I did find a video made by someone who harvested wild chaga and made their own tea and he said that he felt that instead of the boiling water taking away any of the chaga’s beneficial properties, he thought that it increased it. This was someone who said he has been making and using chaga tea for twenty years, so I figure he would know.What ended up working well for me was adding the powder into my protein powder mix. I can’t taste it at all and I drink all of it. I also like adding it to my smoothie as well. Now, as I mentioned before, this man thought that steeping the powder increased its potency, so I am going to start steeping the powder in a small amount of hot water and adding that to my smoothies so I can get the full benefits without the awkwardness of the tea.Also, I noticed that this tea is considerably more pale than many of the other chaga powders that I saw when I was trying to learn about the tea, but the seller says that the color is what it should be and that I didn’t receive a packet that was out of character as far as color is concerned for the brand.Is it doing anything? It is so hard to tell for sure, but I feel like I am handling stress and lack of sleep a bit better than I was, so I think it is doing something, but I know that isn’t the most scientific way of measuring a products effect. I will update the review if I feel like I can offer more concrete results. I received this product at a discounted rate in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
I tried steeping it to make a tea, it says to let it steep for 3 – 5 minutes, but I found the tea to be a bit awkward. It didn’t mix well and left a considerable amount of residue. Now, maybe this is how chaga tea is supposed to be, but it was very grainy and did not incorporate or dissolve well at all. I watched several videos about making chaga tea, but they weren’t overly helpful as far as whether or not it should be grainy. However, I did find a video made by someone who harvested wild chaga and made their own tea and he said that he felt that instead of the boiling water taking away any of the chaga’s beneficial properties, he thought that it increased it. This was someone who said he has been making and using chaga tea for twenty years, so I figure he would know.
What ended up working well for me was adding the powder into my protein powder mix. I can’t taste it at all and I drink all of it. I also like adding it to my smoothie as well. Now, as I mentioned before, this man thought that steeping the powder increased its potency, so I am going to start steeping the powder in a small amount of hot water and adding that to my smoothies so I can get the full benefits without the awkwardness of the tea.
Also, I noticed that this tea is considerably more pale than many of the other chaga powders that I saw when I was trying to learn about the tea, but the seller says that the color is what it should be and that I didn’t receive a packet that was out of character as far as color is concerned for the brand.
Is it doing anything? It is so hard to tell for sure, but I feel like I am handling stress and lack of sleep a bit better than I was, so I think it is doing something, but I know that isn’t the most scientific way of measuring a products effect. I will update the review if I feel like I can offer more concrete results. I received this product at a discounted rate in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Rocky start, but it is definitely growing on me (ha)
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
This was my first exeperience with Chaga powder, so unfortunately I can’t compare this powder with another one. When I first received the package, I was a bit taken back by the smell. I had expected something very earthy or something that smelled a bit like mushrooms, but this didn’t at all. It had, what I would have called a plastic like, bitter smell. I contacted the seller and was sent another bag, but it smelled exactly the same. However, the first bag that I tried did taste a little plastic like, but while I wouldn’t exactly describe the second batch as tasty, it wasn’t unpalatable. It says it contains vanillic acid, which should lend it a vanilla flavor, but I couldn’t really taste it. Like I said, it wasn’t bad, it actually didn’t have much of a taste, but I didn’t taste vanilla.Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
I tried steeping it to make a tea, it says to let it steep for 3 – 5 minutes, but I found the tea to be a bit awkward. It didn’t mix well and left a considerable amount of residue. Now, maybe this is how chaga tea is supposed to be, but it was very grainy and did not incorporate or dissolve well at all. I watched several videos about making chaga tea, but they weren’t overly helpful as far as whether or not it should be grainy. However, I did find a video made by someone who harvested wild chaga and made their own tea and he said that he felt that instead of the boiling water taking away any of the chaga’s beneficial properties, he thought that it increased it. This was someone who said he has been making and using chaga tea for twenty years, so I figure he would know.
What ended up working well for me was adding the powder into my protein powder mix. I can’t taste it at all and I drink all of it. I also like adding it to my smoothie as well. Now, as I mentioned before, this man thought that steeping the powder increased its potency, so I am going to start steeping the powder in a small amount of hot water and adding that to my smoothies so I can get the full benefits without the awkwardness of the tea.
Also, I noticed that this tea is considerably more pale than many of the other chaga powders that I saw when I was trying to learn about the tea, but the seller says that the color is what it should be and that I didn’t receive a packet that was out of character as far as color is concerned for the brand.
Is it doing anything? It is so hard to tell for sure, but I feel like I am handling stress and lack of sleep a bit better than I was, so I think it is doing something, but I know that isn’t the most scientific way of measuring a products effect. I will update the review if I feel like I can offer more concrete results. I received this product at a discounted rate in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
This chaga comes in a very fine powder, which makes it ideal for mixing into smoothies. The taste is very mild, so it disappears easily over fruit and yogurt. It also works nicely as a tea, if you like the taste. The flavor is very woody, but not at all pungent. It almost reminds me of a very healthy, whole grain cereal. In the wild it has a black, almost charcoal-like exterior where it’s exposed to the air, and a reddish-brown interior. This powdered cultivated chaga is a very even, light brown color. It comes double bagged, with a plastic zip-lock bag inside of the black vacuum packaging. At first I thought that the packaging smelled strongly of play-doh. I transferred the chaga powder immediately after opening it to a glass jar, and now it appears that that's the smell of chaga itself. Overall I am very happy with this product, and I look forward to seeing the benefits of long-term use. Please note that I received a sample of this product for review.
A tasty, organic superfood—no foraging required
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
My husband and his friends like to forage for mushrooms, so my first experience with chaga was through them. I am always hesitant to eat the mushrooms that they gather because of the dangers associated with misidentification, so I’m afraid to say that before trying Open Doors Nutrition’s chaga powder, I had only ever inspected a hunk of the mushroom as it sat largely untouched in our refrigerator. I love that Open Doors has taken the guess work out of consuming such a powerful superfood. Chaga is known for boosting the immune system and for aiding in the treatment of cancer, but I’m not confident enough in my mushroom identification skills to seek it out in the wild.Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
This chaga comes in a very fine powder, which makes it ideal for mixing into smoothies. The taste is very mild, so it disappears easily over fruit and yogurt. It also works nicely as a tea, if you like the taste. The flavor is very woody, but not at all pungent. It almost reminds me of a very healthy, whole grain cereal. In the wild it has a black, almost charcoal-like exterior where it’s exposed to the air, and a reddish-brown interior. This powdered cultivated chaga is a very even, light brown color. It comes double bagged, with a plastic zip-lock bag inside of the black vacuum packaging. At first I thought that the packaging smelled strongly of play-doh. I transferred the chaga powder immediately after opening it to a glass jar, and now it appears that that's the smell of chaga itself. Overall I am very happy with this product, and I look forward to seeing the benefits of long-term use. Please note that I received a sample of this product for review.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2015
