It's In The Mail

Letters from the Internet and Beyond

The Great Mushroom Coffee Con

So the Ryze guys - the slick boys peddling their fungi-infused elixir like it's the fountain of youth in a ceramic mug - got back to me. As some of you know I wrote to them to inquire about the science behind their claims.

These mushroom evangelists have built quite the empire on promises more extravagant than a Trump rally speech. Feeling tired? There's a shroom for that. Battling the bulge? Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms.. Hell, if your door hinges are squeaking, I wouldn't be surprised if they claim their coffee can fix that too. It's the miracle cure for everything except, apparently, gullibility.

What really gets my goat is their choice of spokesperson: Doogie Howser aka Neil Patrick Harris. Yes, that Doogie Howser—the fictional teenage doctor who makes about as much medical sense as asking Barbie for gynecological advice. When your marketing strategy relies on an actor who played a make-believe eighth-grader with a stethoscope, perhaps it's time to r…