REVIEW OF JOLT GUM ICYMINT

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 12.7 MILLIGRAMS PER PIECE.


RATING: 5.2 OUT OF 10.


Throughout the past week or so, I have become a fan of caffeinated gum. My favorite so far is Mad Croc Power Peppermint, with a rating of 8.2 out of 10. Could Jolt Gum Icymint take the top spot? Let's find out. The gum comes in the standard 12 piece blister pack that most gums come in. They use the original Jolt logo, which I enjoy, even though I was born past the glory days of Jolt Cola. As a matter of fact, the people who make Jolt Gum and Jolt Mints are not the same people who make Jolt Energy Drink. GumRunners makes the gum and mints, while Wet Planet Beverages makes the energy drinks. I popped two pieces in and chewed away. The gum has a nice minty flavor with absolutely no caffeine bitterness. I am not kidding when I say that this tastes exactly like regular gum. But there's a very good reason why it tastes just like regular gum. One the package, it says that two pieces of gum has about 80 milligrams of caffeine, 40 per piece. However, According to a laboratory test conducted by Vroom Foods, they concluded that each piece of Jolt Gum contains 12.7 milligrams of caffeine. This means that you would have to eat about 7 to equal a Red Bull, and eating half a pack of gum in a short period of time is just bizzare. Jolt Gum also has unknown amounts of guarana and ginseng, but most people are going to chew energy gum for the caffeine. Unfortunately, you won't get a caffeine rush from this at all. Two pieces have just 25 milligrams of caffeine, about the same as a cup of green tea. Heck, a 12 ounce Coca-Cola has more caffeine. So it looks like Jolt Gum has let me down in the kick department. But the taste was great so the rating shouldn't be too bad. If your looking for a great energy gum, I say try Stay Alert Spearmint or Mad Croc Power Peppermint. 5.2 out of 10.

REVIEW OF STAY ALERT SPEARMINT

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 100 MILLIGRAMS PER PIECE.


RATING: 8.1 OUT OF 10.


Ever since I tried Mad Croc Power Peppermint, I have been a fan of energy gum. The biggest reason for that is the simple fact that I enjoy a good piece of gum. I have been known to chew a piece of gum for an hour or so, even when all the flavor has disappeared. I suppose I enjoy the feeling of gum in my mouth, and it gives me something to do. And here we have what may be the coolest energy gum around. Named Stay Alert, it is developed for the United States Military and proven effective and safe by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. It comes in an un-resealable 5 pack and each spearmint flavored piece is green in color and the size of a Mentos. When I popped one in my mouth, the gum broke apart a little, but unlike Power Play this wasn't a problem. When the gum formed into regular gum the spearmint flavor was not bad. Sure, there is some bitter caffeine flavor but you would expect that when a gum has 100 milligrams of caffeine per piece. I also like the directions on the package. It says, chew one piece for 5 minutes. If not alert, chew another piece. It then goes on to tell you to not exceed 2 pieces in 3 hours. Being a caffeine junkie, I was not as alert as I wanted to be after chewing one piece for about 15 minutes. I had the second piece about 30 to 45 minutes after I had the first one, and my alertness level definitely increased. The initial buzz is great, two pieces spaced about 45 minutes about certainly did the trick. The only problem I have with it is that it only lasts about 90 minutes to 2 hours. So if your looking for an instant boost of alertness, try some Stay Alert. Just be prepared for some caffeine bitterness. I found it to be no where near intolerable. Overall, I have to say I am a fan of Stay Alert. You get a decent spearmint flavor, 100 milligrams of caffeine, and some great alertness. Stay Alert definitely gets my seal of approval and I will be chewing on this every now and then when I feel like I need a boost in alertness. 8.1 out of 10.

REVIEW OF REVIEW OF WARP CINNAMON

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 10 MILLIGRAMS PER MINT.


RATING: 7.4 OUT OF 10.


I can't really say that I'm the biggest fan of cinnamon flavored products, but a few Hot Tamales every once in a while isn't bad. It's the very same with Big Red gum. It's not my gum of choice, but a few pieces here and there doesn't bother me. And now we have a cinnamon "mint" from Warp Energy Mints. This is the final day of energy mint week. I couldn't make it to Sunday and there is a great chance that there will never be another themed week on Addicted 2 Energy. Warp Cinnamon comes in the same circular tin that the peppermints came in. The only difference is that it is a beautiful red color instead of silver. I pop open the container and put one in my mouth. The mints are red in color and deliver a nice cinnamon flavor. I would put this as half the intensity of Hot Tamales. There is absolutely no caffeine bitterness at all. You could actually trick someone into thinking that these were just cinnamon candies and they would probably believe you if they didn't look at the package. Energy blend includes guarana, siberian ginseng, and panax ginseng. Caffeine content is 10 milligrams per mint, 56 mints per tin. I've said this many times before, but I'll say it again. The thing I love most about energy mints is that you get to choose how big you want your buzz to be. I know I sound like a broken record but it's true. 8 mints should give you the same buzz as Red Bull, and 16 should equal a Monster. Feeling like you haven't slept in weeks? Eat the whole darn box (just kidding, don't do this) for 560 milligrams of caffeine. I don't recommend this, and please do not try it. I had about 8 to 10 which gave me a decent boost, but nothing substantial. I suggest you munch on these throughout the day to give you a nice boost, but try to keep it under 20 pieces. Any more than that would just be weird. 7.4 out of 10.

REVIEW OF PENGUIN CHOCOLATE MINT

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 7 MILLIGRAMS PER MINT.


RATING: 7.2 OUT OF 10.


We're at day four of Energy Mint Week and I have another flavor of Penguin for you guys today. Penguin is the original energy mint, and all the energy mints, gum, and food came after it. The brand was introduced in 1998 according to Forbes magazine. When I saw that the flavor was chocolate mint I thought there would be chocolate covered mints inside. I was incorrect. Instead, their glossy white mints have a brown tone to them, like someone sprinkled cocoa powder on them. The minty flavor isn't as strong as the original, but how does the chocolate fair out? In my opinion, it's pretty decent but it could be better. Perhaps it would help if the mints were chocolate covered. So there is nothing that really stands out about this product as far as taste. It's just a mint with some chocolate flavor. There's only one energy ingredient, and that is caffeine, 7 milligrams per mint to be exact, 1 less than the average for caffeinated mints. I popped a couple before I went to school. During the first class I had, I popped a few more and starting to feel a boost. When my second class came around, I popped about two more in. All together I had roughly 10 mints, giving me a caffeine boost of 70 milligrams. Like I've always said, you can choose the type of boost that you want. If you want to eat the whole box, which you should never do, that will set you back 525 milligrams. So eating all 75 mints is not a very good idea. If you want a boost similar to that of a Red Bull, eat about 10 to 12 throughout the day, that seemed to do the trick for me. Overall, Penguin Chocolate Mint is a good product, but I still like the peppermints better. 7.2 out of 10.

REVIEW OF WARP PEPPERMINT

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 10 MILLIGRAMS PER MINT.


RATING: 7.4 OUT OF 10.


It's day three of Energy Mint week and I have some Warp Energy Mints for review today. These mints come in a circular tin made in Guatemala, and it has a wing nut type of device for opening. This opening mechanism actually puzzled me for a long time until I finally got it. The mints inside are white and rather small. One tin holds 56 mints. The mints aren't as glossy as Penguins and not as rough as Altoids. Popping a couple in my mouth I notice that there is very little peppermint flavor when chewing. However, If you pop a couple and suck on them for a while the peppermint flavor becomes greater. I did find that these mints are easy to chew. Each mint has 10 milligrams of caffeine which is actually pretty good for an energy mint, considering the average is 8 milligrams when you remove Foosh and MPower. But Warp doesn't stop there. They also added guarana, siberian ginseng, and panax ginseng. So you get the caffeine and herbal stimulants. The thing I really love about energy mints is that you can choose how big you want your buzz to be. Don't feel confident about that presentation? Eat 5. Wanna get a little jittery? Eat 20. Wanna be sick to your stomach and be straight up high off of caffeine? Eat the whole box. I don't recommend eating the whole box. Or 20 for that matter. I ate about 8 to 10 and I got a nice buzz from that. So all in all, Warp Energy Mints are a pretty nice product. The only real complaint I have is that the peppermint flavor needs to be a bit stronger. 7.4 out of 10. Some reviews to come are: Penguin Cinnamons, Warp Green Tea Mints, Penguin Chocolate Mints, Bawls Mints, and many many many more.

REVIEW OF PENGUIN PEPPERMINT

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 7 MILLIGRAMS PER MINT.


RATING: 7.7 OUT OF 10.


This is actually quite a special review I have for you today. For day two of energy mint week, I am reviewing the indisputable first caffeinated mint. That's right, Penguin Mints were introduced in 1998 (I was only 5 years old at the time) and are the very first mint to contain caffeine. This sparked a massive chain of events resulting in the caffeinated mints, gums, chews, and other edible caffeine goodies we know today. Personally, I think it's a blast being able to review the genesis of energy mints. The first energy drink is quite controversial, but I think Lipovitan (introduced in 1960) is the first, but many people consider Red Bull to be the genesis of energy drinks. Penguin Mints come in three flavors: cinnamon, chocolate, and peppermint. I will be tackling the peppermint flavor first. The packaging is very nice, coming in a tin box similar to Altoids. The mints inside are flat and oval-shaped and have a nice glossy finish. Popping one in my mouth I get a great cooling minty flavor with absolutely no caffeine bitterness. I have mentioned before that I like a strong mint flavor and these Penguin Mints delivered. And with only 7 milligrams of caffeine per mint, you can each a bunch before you start getting a little jittery. That's it for the energy blend, so how do these mints perform? Well, that depends. I had about 8 or 9 throughout the day and that gave me 42 milligrams of caffeine. You would have to eat 12 of these in order to equal that of a Red Bull, and since the mints are quite flavorful, eating that many is easy to do. But really energy mints aren't about the caffeine, unless it's Foosh or MPower. According to the Energy Fiend Database, the average caffeinated mint contains just 8 milligrams of caffeine. And that's when you don't consider extremely caffeinated mints like Foosh (100 milligrams) and MPower (120 milligrams, the highest of any mint). So, if you've been paying any attention you'll probably notice that I haven't told you if the kick was good or not. The answer is yes, you just have to eat about 10 of them. I recommend munching on a few at a time every half hour or so to keep a sustained buzz. 7.7 out of 10. As always, you can find these minty goodies at Chemical Evolution.

REVIEW OF JOLT MINTS

CAFFEINE CONTENT: UNKNOWN.


RATING: 7.8 OUT OF 10.


This morning I had a tough time trying to figure out what to review next. Eventually, I picked 5 energy mints to choose from and did eenie-meenie-minie-mo until Jolt Mints won out. I then decided to make this week energy mint week on my blog. So welcome, everyone, to the first day of energy mint week. Jolt Mints are not made by the same company that makes Jolt Energy Drink. Jolt Energy Drink is made by Wet Planet Beverages and Jolt Gum and Mints are made by GumRunners. You will also notice that GumRunners uses the retro logo that was used on the famous Jolt Cola. The packaging does look nice, I must say. I don't actually rate packaging but it's nice to throw my two cents in. As you can see from the photograph I took it is a aluminum box and one box holds 45 mints. I opened the box and popped on in my mouth to get a flavor profile. Now, when I see the word "mint" on a product, I want it to taste minty. This was hardly minty at all in my book. I'm a fan of Altoids because of there strength. The upside is that it does not taste horrible. I'd much rather have it be a weak mint flavor then have it taste awful. And it isn't just me, I shared the box with multiple people and nearly all of them agreed that it was not very minty. Perhaps I'll see better mints in the upcoming days of mint week. Energy blend includes caffeine, guarana, and ginseng. The box says that 5 mints contain as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Knowing this, I took 5 before I went to school. During first hour I took a couple more, and then in sixth hour I took a couple more. This provided a great buzz which got me through the day. I bet if you ate 5 at the start and then munched on a couple every hour or so, you would be going for a long time. I think Jolt Mints are a decent product but I would like to see more minty flavor. However, when you pop about 7 or 8 of these, the buzz can get pretty nice. 7.8 out of 10.

REVIEW OF BUZZ STRONG

CAFFEINE CONTENT: UNKNOWN.


RATING: 8.4 OUT OF 10.


It really is difficult to come up with an introduction to something as awesome as a cookie with caffeine. It's not that it's simply laced with some white powder, but it actually is a coffee cookie. One cookie has the equivalent caffeine of one cup of coffee. My guess is 80 milligrams. My cookie came in a single pack an was rather large for a cookie. And that's a good thing because let me just say this: OH MY GOODNESS, THESE ARE AMAZING! I apologize for using all caps but they are that good. The cookie has a delicious coffee flavor with big chunks of semi-sweet chocolate. The cookie just overwhelms the taste buds with a plethora of delicious flavors. I also love the soft texture, I can't stand tough cookies. Seriously though, forget your Otis Spunkmeyer cookies right now and buy a box of theses babies. And besides, what other cookie gives you as much caffeine as coffee? Not a whole lot to talk about in the energy blend department, expect for the caffeine which comes from coffee. The official amount of caffeine is unknown, but I estimate it to be around 80 to 100 milligrams per cookie. Why don't I have hundreds of these? They are amazing. But are they amazing enough to give me a boost? You bet. After quickly eating the cookie from heaven I started to feel a mid-level buzz. The kick is very comparable to a cup of coffee and is nothing over the top. And what a fun and awesome way to get your caffeine fix. Just eat a delicious cookie. I'll give this a nice 8.4 out of 10. Oh what's that? You want these? Well, head over to Chemical Evolution and order as many as you like!

REVIEW OF PERKY JERKY

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 150 MILLIGRAMS PER BAG.


RATING: 6.6 OUT OF 10.


Being a caffeine junkie and energy product reviewer, it is my job to not be surprised when I am faced with a radical caffeinated item. This is the only reason why caffeinated beef jerky did not surprise me, because I already new it existed. Still, beef jerky laced with guarana sounds like a crazy, but awesome idea. And the best part is that every reviewer unanimously agrees that this is A+ jerky. I'm going to be the first to break the ice and say that this is very good jerky, but it won't get a 10 for taste. It will get a high 8 or low 9. Sorry, but that's my opinion. The flavor starts out as a sweet and tangy teriyaki flavor and it tender throughout. It doesn't take a month to swallow it, and I enjoyed this trait. Once the sweet teriyaki flavor has given up all hope, a spiciness comes into play and stays for the after party (aftertaste, that is). If you think your Jack Links is just not cool and manly enough, perhaps Perky Jerky will do the trick. There is nothing to say about the energy blend except it has guarana which puts out 150 milligrams of caffeine per bag. Excluded is taurine, ginseng, guarana, gingko biloba, yerba mate, and all that other voodoo they typically put in energy products, especially drinks. 150 milligrams of caffeine rivals that of standard energy drinks such as Monster, Rockstar, and 16 ounce Red Bull. So you may be thinking, wow this should really work, right? Well it might for you, but not for me. When I finished the pack I waited for a nice buzz to get me through the afternoon. 15 or 20 minutes later, I found myself curled up in a ball on the couch. If anything, this jerky made me even more tired. Still, kick is subjective (actually, yes it is) and I recommend you try some. I mean, come on, where are going to find caffeinated beef jerky. I'll give it a 6.6 out of 10. You can buy this stuff at Chemical Evolution. And now for a sneak peek at what's to come in the following week or so: CaffeMallows, HyperNutz, Mad Croc Energy Chews, Think Gum, Jolt Gum, Warp Energy Mints, and a whole lot more.

REVIEW OF VE2

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 35 MILLIGRAMS PER PIECE.


RATING: 7.5 OUT OF 10.


Caffeinated gum in certainly nothing new, as it has been around for several years, probably starting with Jolt Gum. Caffeinated gum works almost instantaneously because the caffeine is absorbed through the gums. I have had two experiences so far with caffeinated gum, one of them good, and one of them not so good. Let's see how VE2 fairs out. The first thing I noticed about VE2 was the way it is packaged. It comes in the standard blister pack, but there is no paper wrapping around the pack. This is to save trash and to save a few trees. Now, I'm not a tree hugger, but I think this is a great idea. The paper wrapper is simply not necessary. Ok, so it looks like we have another peppermint flavored gum. Upon chewing for a few moments, a cool and clean peppermint became noticeable. It is a little bit less powerful then Mad Croc Power Peppermint, and unfortunately VE2 could not keep the bitter flavor of caffeine at bay.  This gum would have been pretty good, but unfortunately just a little bitterness drops down the taste rating. Now, what powers this gum? Well, two pieces have 40 percent daily value of niacin, 40 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 40 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 70 milligrams of caffeine, guarana, and ginseng. Not bad for an energy gum. I especially like the addition of guarana and ginseng. And it's no wonder that I could taste the caffeine because it the very first ingredient, followed by guarana, ginseng, vitamins, sweeteners, natural and artificial flavors, color, and texture. This gum actually has 6 artificial sweeteners (xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and lycasin) which is a ton no matter which way you look at it. Still, with the way my rating system works, they won't get any points off. So really the only thing left to answer is: does it work? The answer is simply yes. Sure it didn't work as well as Mad Croc Power Peppermint, but the 70 milligrams of caffeine worked pretty well, powering me through boring classes such as Chemistry 210, Concepts of Algebra 2, and World History. Would I recommend this gum? Not over Mad Croc Power Peppermint, but if you can't get a hold of that then this is a nice alternative. 7.5 out of 10. You can purchase VE2 Gum at Chemical Evolution.

REVIEW OF MAD CROC POWER PEPPERMINT

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 40 MILLIGRAMS PER PIECE.


RATING: 8.2 OUT OF 10.


Yesterday afternoon, I successfully received a large sample box containing various caffeinated items thanks to Chemical Evolution. These items include, but are not limited to: mints, gum, lotion, shower gel, mana potion, health potion, zombie blood, vampire blood, cookies, chocolates, jerky, energy powder, et cetera. Like always, I will do one review a day. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the caffeine-fueled ride. To start, we have Mad Croc gum, which looks like ordinary gum except for the fact that it has 40 milligrams of caffeine per piece. And since the serving size is two pieces, the caffeine content equals that of a Red Bull. When I initially saw the product, I remembered the awful, bitter flavor of Power Play energy gum. This had me very concerned, and I was saying "please taste good, please taste good" so loud in my head that it was practically audible. Thankfully, the peppermint flavored gum tasted just like regular gum. The peppermint was cool and at a medium intensity. Also, the flavor lasted a lot longer than I expected it would. I have to say I am quite impressed with the flavor of Mad Croc Power Peppermint and I can't wait to try the other flavors. Energy blend includes 50 percent daily value of riboflavin, 100 percent daily value of niacin, 100 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 100 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 80 percent of pantothenic acid, along with caffeine (80 milligrams per serving, 40 milligrams per piece), taurine, and maltodextrin. So, a nice lot of caffeine, taurine, and b vitamins. You can't go wrong there. So, does it work? Well, it is said that gum will perk you up faster then an energy drink or shot because the caffeine is absorbed sublingually rather then digesting it. The caffeine hit me almost instantaneously and despite having the same caffeine content, I have to say it worked better than a Red Bull. The buzz lasted throughout the school day with absolutely no crash. My first item from Chemical Evolution went extremely well. This is basically gum on a little bit of anabolic-androgenic steroids. This gum is available for $2.00 a pack at Chemical Evolution. This gum gets a solid 8.2 out of 10.

REVIEW OF MONSTER ABSOLUTELY ZERO

Image Courtesy of Flickr.com

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 135 MILLIGRAMS PER 16 OUNCE CAN.


RATING: 7.5 OUT OF 10.


I know I am late to the punch, but now you guys get to see my opinion on the latest drink from Monster, named Absolutely Zero. Monster Absolutely Zero is essentially a diet version of Monster Lo-Carb, which is already a diet drink. I suppose the 20 calories in Monster Lo-Carb were way too much for serious dieters. This new Monster has 0 calories, 2 grams of carbs, and 0 grams of sugar. Absolutely Zero uses different sweeteners than Monster Lo-Carb, so was the taste any better? I think so. It has a smooth, impossible-to-describe flavor that is sweet and good. Monster has always bothered me in the taste category because I have always failed to describe it. Basically, this drink doesn't taste "diety" at all, at least not in my opinion. It's somewhat citrusy, but I can't be sure. Go and try some yourself. The energy ingredients that power Monster Absolutely Zero are as follows: 200 percent daily value of vitamin b2, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b3, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b12, and a 1,400 milligrams energy blend consisting of taurine, panax ginseng, l-carnitine, caffeine, glucuronolactone, inositol, guarana, and maltodextrin. The caffeine content, according to Energy Fiend, is 135 milligrams per 16 ounce can. Also, there is a very good reason why the energy blend was lowered from 2,500 milligrams to 1,400 milligrams. Originally, Monster had Glucose as part of the energy blend, but it is removed in Monster Absolutely Zero, making the blend less. It is sweetened with erythritol, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium. Three artificial sweeteners. Great (sarcasm). Now, how did the kick perform? I had this around lunchtime (11:00 A.M., I have an early lunch) and it powered me through 4th, 5th, and 6th hour with a crash at the end. My energy levels never skyrocketed, but Monster did provide an average kick. Overall, I really don't understand what Monster is doing here. Like Screaming Energy says, this may be as pitiful as the New Coke debacle. Or as absurd and downright ridiculous as Diet Diet Monster. Oh wait, it is Diet Diet Monster. 7.5 out of 10.

REVIEW OF HERO

CAFFEINE CONTENT: UNKNOWN.


RATING: 7.6 OUT OF 10.


Hero energy shot is a brand-new energy shot that came out in 2010. Its goal is to help out our real life heroes such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Military, and Police. I am actually the first to review this product and before I was contacted by the company, I did not know it existed. Taking a quick look at the bottle, I thought this was going to be a 5 Hour clone. At least in taste, that is. The ingredients are fairly similar to 5 Hour Energy, but there are fewer ingredients and the energy blend is 2,100 milligrams (5 Hour Energy Regular and Extra Strength have 1,870 and 2,100 milligrams of energy blend respectively). Right, so the flavor is actually quite similar to 5 Hour. It has a sweet mixed berry flavor that is very hard to pinpoint. It's impossible for me to tell you what specific berries I tasted, but I can tell you that Hero did a nice job with the flavor. No chaser was needed here. Taking a look at the energy ingredients I found the following list: 100 percent daily value of niacin, 2,000 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 100 percent daily value of folic acid, 8,333 percent daily value of vitamin b12, and then there is the energy blend worth 2,100 milligrams which consists of taurine, caffeine, malic acid, glucuronolactone, n-acetyl, l-tyrosine, and l-phenylalanine. The caffeine content is completely unknown. It doesn't even have the "contains as much as a cup of coffee" jargon that everyone else puts. Since the energy blend consists of 7 ingredients and the blend totals 2,100 milligrams, the average amount of milligrams for each ingredient in the blend is 300. Taurine, being the first ingredient in the blend, most likely has about 1,000 milligrams. So, that leaves 1,100 milligrams to work with. Making the average about 183. Since this is getting ridiculous, and I hate math, I'm going to abruptly stop trying to figure out the caffeine content. My best guess is around 200 milligrams. So, let's move on to the kick. Hero promises 5 hours of energy (much like some company I know, but seriously who doesn't advertise 5 hours of energy these days) so that set the bar. When I drank it, I felt a mild buzz grow over me, but it was nothing substantial or over the top. The claim of 5 hours of energy probably isn't true. Still, if you want a quick little burst of energy then I suggest you go out and buy any other common energy shot. Besides the whole giving back to the heroes thing, this energy shot doesn't really stand out in any way. 7.6 out of 10.

REVIEW OF POWER PLAY

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 60 MILLIGRAMS PER PIECE.


RATING: 4.6 OUT OF 10.


Let it be known that Power Play Energy Gum is the very first energy gum to be reviewed on Addicted 2 Energy, and it certainly won't be the last. Energy gum has been around for while now (a few years or so is a while in energy product terms) and major companies such as Amp and Rockstar have come out with their own versions of energy gum. So will Power Play make a great first impression. I suggest you read on and find out. Before I get to my opinion on the taste, I'll tell you what my father thought about Power Play Gum. He opened up the package and stuck the piece of sour orange flavored gum into his mouth. Not even a minute later, it was in the garbage can. He complained that the gum broke apart when he first chewed it, and it felt like he was chewing up an aspirin or a vitamin. I asked him if it tasted good and he said no. He told me that the flavor was not even close to sour orange. So then it was my turn. I drink a lot of energy drinks so I'm used to the bitter flavor of caffeine. I thought that the gum would be ok. Boy, was I in for a shock! I popped the piece into my mouth, and it started to break apart. I have read the website for Power Play and I realize that they apparently have to do this. The initial taste was that of a bitter orange chewable vitamin. Staying optimistic, I thought the flavor would get better when it finally came back together. It didn't. The awful bitterness lingered and I was desperately watching the clock to see when the recommended 5 minutes was over. I am not happy to say that this is the first product reviewed on this site that tastes downright horrible. I was miserable while chewing it. Anyway, let's move on now. The energy ingredients that power this gum are as follows: 70 percent daily value of vitamin b1, 70 percent daily value of vitamin b2, 30 percent daily value of vitamin b3, 180 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 4 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 60 milligrams of caffeine, and 5 milligrams of taurine. Power Play actually says that one piece has about the same caffeine content as a cup of coffee. Really? With 60 milligrams of caffeine, that's more like a cup of black tea. A 20 ounce bottle of Coca-Cola has about the same amount of caffeine. After chewing for 5 minutes, because that's all I could handle, I started to feel a slight uplift. I was surprised that it actually worked and it kept me awake throughout the morning. So, the conclusion. Power Play Energy Gum tastes terrible, has a mediocre energy blend, but the kick is not bad at all. I'll give this a 4.6 out of 10.

REVIEW OF FULL THROTTLE RED BERRY

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 197 MILLIGRAMS PER 16 OUNCE CAN.


RATING: 7.9 OUT OF 10.


Back in June 19, 2009, I reviewed the original flavor of Full Throttle. Since then, Full Throttle has gone through a major update, adding a more sophisticated design and and a new flavor: Red Berry. There energy blend was also knocked down a few notches (more on that in a moment). I must say I really like the sophisticated approach that Full Throttle is taking. Gone are the spikes, devil horns, and flames. What's left is a sleek and uncluttered label. However, the font still remains edgy. The flavor is called Red Berry (strawberry and raspberry). Taking a sip, I got a smooth and candy-like strawberry and raspberry flavor. The drink is quite flavorful, but I could tell they used high fructose corn syrup. I wonder what energy drinks would taste like if they used cane sugar. I know that the drinks would not be nearly as syrupy as there fructose laden counterparts. Despite the high fructose corn syrup, the sweet and candy-ish flavors pleased my palate. Like I mentioned earlier, Full Throttle really toned down their energy blend. The original blend consisted of all the energy drink standards (caffeine, taurine, ginseng, guarana). Now they have their "No-Choke Mixture" which consists of 197 milligrams of caffeine, 200 milligrams of d-ribose, and 200 percent daily value of niacin. Adding to this, we have 200 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b12, and 50 percent daily value of pantothenic acid. This comes with 230 calories and 58 grams of sugar. Now what really confused me was the caffeine content. For one serving (8 ounces), it contains 100 milligrams of caffeine. But for the full can (16 ounces), it says it has 197 milligrams of caffeine. Basic arithmetic tells me that this makes absolutely no sense (100+100=200, not 197). Same with the calories (120+120=240, not 230). Still, with 2.5 times the caffeine content of a standard Red Bull, the kick was pretty nice. Last night I fell asleep at 3:00 A.M. and in the morning I was exhausted. I reached for the newest flavor of Full Throttle and it did not disappoint. It immediately smacked the sleepiness right out of me, and lasted for 4 hours before tapering off completely without a crash. So, what do I think about the new flavor and look of Full Throttle. Well, even though they've had this new look for quite a while now, I think Full Throttle made the right decision. If you see it, don't hesitate. Now if only I can teach Fuze Beverages, Limited Liability Company how to do basic mathematics. 7.9 out of 10.