West Coast ice cream favorite Salt & Straw has teamed up with Seattle entrepreneur Jody Hall's latest, Wunderground Coffee, to introduce three new flavors. In a launch event at Wunderground Café on East Pike last Friday, Salt & Straw servers and baristas came together to offer free scoops with a coffee purchase.
"We're so excited to partner with Seattle's Wunderground Coffee, created to help explore what's trying to get out of your magical brain," read Salt & Straw's press release. "Their aim was to create the most delicious adaptogenic mushroom coffee and tea in the world. And we have to say, they nailed it."
Wunderground's pure whimsy makes the perfect match for Salt & Straw's legendarily fanciful and original flavors. With its highly concentrated, adaptogenic mushroom blends (previously covered by the SGN), it offers expert-made coffee with easygoing added health benefits.
The flavors made their first debut at a two-weekend Coachella pop-up. Put delicious and healthful coffee and tea in an ice cream and launch it for the first time at Coachella 2022, and well, you'll have everyone in awe (or should I say "wunder"?).
At the Seattle launch, the companies' founders, Hall and Kim Malek, were present to greet those stopping in. In true Capitol Hill fashion, a couple of random buskers came flying in mid-event, and everyone enjoyed some indie-rock tunes with their ice cream. I got a Brainwash latte for my complimentary scoop and couldn't have been more content.
The three-limited edition Wunderground x Salt & Straw mashups are now available online in the latter company's direct-to-consumer web offerings. With its "Mushroom Magic Pack," you can secure two pints of each exclusive flavor: Brainchild Coffee with Five-Spiced Hazelnut Praline, Dream Supply Chamomile & Candied Orange Sherbet, and Hocus Pocus Red Velvet & Cocoa Nib Fudge.
Their website details each flavor profile: "Wunderground's Hocus Pocus harnesses the power of Chaga and Reishi (the ones that support your energy and immune system, and kick bad vibes to the curb)," read one description. "We amp it up with one of the most joy-inducing treats out there: red velvet."
This pairing had me speechless — eyes closed, all-you-know-is-bliss type of speechless. Salt & Straw really knows how to cream.
I went back for seconds, because my go-to coffee is the Brainchild blend, because of its lion's mane and cordyceps mushrooms and their neurological benefits. In the case of a grimace, I'll remind you: Hall's team worked for years to magically erase the taste of mushrooms in this coffee.
I decided that Brainchild matched with five-spiced hazelnut praline ice cream might have to be my new daily necessity. This flavor tests the line between coffee and dessert — but it's normal to eat coffee ice cream with breakfast, right?
"Revered throughout history, hazelnuts have long been equated with wisdom and inspiration. We candy them into a five-spice praline for a crunch that will ignite your tastebuds — and your brainpower," reads the online profile.
Vegans (you're so strong), sleepy ice cream addicts, and Seattle's small population of uncaffeinated folks, fear not! The dream duo also released the perfect non-coffee, non-dairy option, just for you. "Drift off on a dreamy chamomile cloud while Reishi and Lion's Mane work together to soothe your stress receptors," reads the profile for Dream Supply, describing it as happy little clouds in a Bob Ross painting.
Wunderground's chamomile and Meyer lemon tea has an extra-high concentration of lion's mane and reishi, without the caffeine buzz of their signature coffee blends. Mix that with candied orange sherbet from Salt & Straw and float off into the chillest evening of your life.
Hall founded Wunderground Coffee for the sake of focus, calm, and overall mental wellness. In line with her mission, a portion of proceeds from all of Salt & Straw's Mushroom Magic Packs sold will be donated to the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit working tirelessly to protect teens' emotional health and prevent youth suicide across the United States.
Now, tell me you know of a better way to Netflix and chill.
Find the Wunderground 6-Pint Mushroom Magic Pack for a limited time at https://saltandstraw.com/products/wunderground-mushroom-magic-pack/.