HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us opened in an unlikely place. The series began in 1968 with an epidemiologist explaining why his greatest worry for mankind was a parasitic fungus that could turn humans into mindless puppets. His fears then came true in 2003 when a mutated form of (the very real) cordyceps fungus did exactly that. That’s what turns people in the fictional world into terrifying monsters. And now HBO and Four Sigmatic have decided the only way to make an authentic The Last of Us coffee is to make it with actual cordyceps.
That’s not a joke.
HBO and Four Sigmatic’s Original The Last Of Us – Organic High Caf Ground Coffee (which we first heard about at GameSpot) aims to add some fun(gus) to your morning cup of joe. This limited edition coffee consists of “lion’s mane, cordyceps, Vitamin B12 and coffee bean extract to increase mental focus and energy.”
Our first question is almost certainly the same one you have right now: “Wait. What?” And the obvious follow-up: “They put mushrooms in the coffee?”
They did. They really did. But Four Sigmatic says not to worry. They say that “despite the name, it doesn’t taste like mushrooms! Instead, it offers a smooth, rich flavor reminiscent of a classic medium roast coffee with subtle notes of caramel.”
They also want everyone to know you will NOT become a fungal zombie if you drink it. Here’s what the company says in its FAQ section under “Is Cordyceps Infectious:”
Not exactly—but The Last of Us wasn’t entirely wrong. In the wild, cordyceps mushrooms do infect insects. Luckily, our cordyceps are the functional kind, not the fictional kind. They’re 100% vegan, organically grown, and packed with energy, endurance, and stamina benefits. The only thing our coffee will infect you with is energy!
Okay. Okay. We’ll try it. To do that we can get a single bag for $14.
But if this is a huge ruse and we do become Clickers when we drink this we are going to be so freaking mad. Not about the zombie part. We just really love coffee and we doubt cordyceps will let us keep drinking it.
Content shared from nerdist.com.