Welcome back to another Café Session, where we mix a little coffee knowledge with a lot of seasonal flavor. As we wrap up the year and look ahead to January, the holidays are officially winding down—and hopefully everyone survived them, whether you loved every minute or were counting the days until life felt normal again. It’s that strange in-between moment where we’re reflecting on the year behind us, thinking about New Year’s resolutions, and quietly accepting that this might finally be the year we stop saying we’ll drink less coffee.
And in true Denver fashion, the weather continues to keep us guessing, with random 70+ degree days popping up even as we head into January. Warm enough for iced coffee one day, cold enough for hot the next—it’s a confusing time to be a coffee drinker. Which brings us to this month’s Café Session: we’re talking about how to mix up your coffee routine to feel more energized and less jittery, and what actually makes a good New Year’s resolution for a coffee lover (spoiler: it doesn’t involve quitting caffeine). So grab your cup—hot or iced, no judgment—and let’s head into the new year properly caffeinated.
What’s a good coffee routine if I’m trying to feel more energized, not jittery?
Alright, hear me out: mushrooms.
The functional kind—not the trippy ones (unless that’s your thing, in which case… you do you).
If you had told 16-year-old barista Steve that mushrooms would one day be added to coffee, I would’ve laughed you right out of the café. Coffee beans and mushrooms felt like they belonged on completely different ends of the food spectrum. But fast-forward to now, and here we are—functional mushrooms have become incredibly popular, and for good reason.
These aren’t about blasting your system with more caffeine. They’re about steady, focused energy. Functional mushrooms have been shown to support cognitive function, reduce stress, improve gut health, and help you feel alert without that shaky, over-caffeinated feeling we all dread.
Here at Rise, we serve chaga mushroom–based coffee and matcha drinks from Renude, and they’re some of the most popular items on our menu. Adding a scoop of their Chagaccino—a mushroom and adaptogen coffee boost—is designed to help you stay focused and energized without needing to stack extra espresso shots into your drink.
In fact, one of the first times I served a Chagaccino to a guest who was presenting to a large group that day, he came back to the counter and asked if I’d slipped a couple extra espresso shots into his drink—he felt that alert. Spoiler: I hadn’t. That was just the mushrooms doing their thing.
There are also other ways to work functional mushrooms into your coffee routine. Some companies actually incorporate mushrooms directly into the coffee beans during the roasting process, so you get the benefits without changing how you brew at home. The most common varieties you’ll see in coffee are lion’s mane (great for focus), reishi (known for calming effects), and chaga (a powerhouse for sustained energy).
So if your goal is to feel energized, clear-headed, and productive—without the jitters or crash—consider shifting your coffee routine away from “more caffeine” and toward smarter caffeine. Your nervous system will thank you.
WHAT’S A GOOD NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION FOR COFFEE LOVERS?
Like most years, when I actually remember to make a New Year’s resolution, it usually boils down to one simple idea: try something new. And let’s be honest—no coffee lover is going to stick to a resolution that says “drink less coffee.” So instead, make one you’ll actually enjoy keeping.
A great place to start is by switching things up within your coffee routine. If you’ve always stuck to the same roast style, challenge yourself to explore something different. A lot of people still think of coffee as simply “light” or “dark,” but the evolution of coffee has come a long way. Today, you can really distinguish flavor notes introduced during the roasting process—think chocolatey, nutty, fruity, or even floral.
Trying something new doesn’t mean abandoning your favorite beans either. If you’re truly loyal to a particular roast (maybe even one you import from Italy twice a month—no judgment), experiment with a different brew method instead. Pull it as an espresso and see how the crema brings out natural sweetness, or dust off your French Press and notice how the body and texture change compared to your usual cup.
If you’re feeling especially adventurous in the new year, consider adding tea into the mix. Many teas have caffeine levels comparable to coffee and come with added benefits. Green tea, for example, can help your body retain water—especially helpful if you’re feeling a little dehydrated after all those New Year’s Eve celebrations.
At the end of the day, the best New Year’s resolution for coffee lovers is one rooted in curiosity, not restriction. Explore new flavors, try new brewing styles, and keep your coffee routine fresh—because that’s a resolution you can actually stick to.
