Chargers Chocolate Espresso Beans
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I just realized how much I love chocolate covered espresso beans. I like them A LOT. Today we’ll check out Chargers chocolate espresso beans. Chargers come in a clever battery shaped tin that’s black and red in color and reads “Get Charged.” The tin is pretty small, about 2 inches tall, and has a pop off cap. Inside of Chargers’ tin are about 8 little red chocolate espresso beans, it seems like there’s not a lot, but they pack quite a punch, about 200-240mg of caffeine!
Like I just said, these things taste great! They’re like those bosten baked bean candies (the peanuts, you know what I’m talking about), but they’re even better because they’re caffeinated and taste like, well, coffee! The beans have a slight candy taste and are a bit chocolatey too. More so, however, they taste like coffee beans. Some of the products our there taste more like chocolate or candy than coffee, but Chargers’ beans have a coffee flavor that overpowers the chocolate, in a good way.
If you want to try these babies out for yourself, you can buy them online here for as little as $1.69.
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Amp Energy with Black Tea: Rebuild
Well, it’s 92° in Cleveland right now and I need something to cool off. The most refreshing looking thing in the mini-fridge right now is Amp Energy: Rebuild, one of Amp’s energy drinks that’s been infused with black tea and a hint of lemon. Rebuild comes in a gold and brown oriental looking can, and has what appears to be a dragon on the front, in addition to the Amp logo. Additionally, the can boasts “intense hits of black tea and lemon.”
Let’s open this puppy up, it smells like, well, it smells like black tea, what else? Amp Rebuild also has a great taste. I was surprised that its carbonated, I assumed that the drink, being black tea based, wouldn’t be carbonated, but it is. This gives it an interesting taste. Rebuild also has a nice hint of lemon, as the can suggests, and it’s extremely smooth and refreshing. It also seems to have a slight hint of ginseng, and the ingredients confirm this.
Each 200 calorie can of Amp with Black Tea contains 180mg of caffeine, some Vitamin B, 296mg of taurine, 248mg of guarana, and 34mg of ginseng. Amp Rebuild delivers a nice boost of great tasting energy. It’s a great drink, and it’s perfect for a hot day like today!
Shock-A-Lots
If Mars, Inc wanted to start bringing in the cash, they’d follow Shock Coffee’s footsteps and make coffee bean M&Ms. That’s what Shock-A-Lots: Chocolate Covered Coffee Bean Candy reminds me of – peanut M&Ms that have had the peanuts replaced with coffee beans. If you’re like me and you like chocolate covered coffee/espresso beans, you’ll love Shock-A-Lots! Even if you don’t like chocolate covered coffee beans, you’ll still love this confection.
Shock-A-Lots come in a bag of 12-16 coffee beans that are covered in chocolate and a delicious hard candy shell, I tried one at first, and then proceeded to pour the rest of the bag’s contents into my mouth. They’re THAT good. These little candied beans offer a new twist on the classic chocolate covered coffee beans, and delivers a nice kick of energy. The packaging states that each serving (one bag, 12-16 beans) contains the equivalent of 2+ cups of coffee. From that, I’m guessing somewhere between 200-240mg of caffeine, which is more than your average energy drink.
If you want some of these fellows for yourself ChemicalEvolution has bags for $1.69-1.99 and you can buy a box (12 bags) straight from Shock Coffee too.
Ávitāe Energy Water
A lot of people consider water to be essential for life. Well, I consider caffeine to be an essential substance as well, so I’m set with Ávitāe energy water. That’s right folks, it’s just water and caffeine; no flavors, no additives (besides caffeine), just water (and caffeine). Each bottle of Ávitāe comes with half a liter of water and 45 mg of caffeine, which is about the same amount of caffeine in a soda. It’s a great concept really, it’s great for athletes, there’s no sugar to crash from, it won’t cause cramping, and it hydrates well too. It’s like the ultimate sports drink!
Ávitāe comes in a triangular, cylindrical shaped bottle and the bottle diffuses from gray to clear. The bottle displays the name of product and the world “vitality” appears in yellow over the “v”. It’s a really simplistic design, so there’s not that much to say about the bottle.
As for the actual product, Ávitāe tastes likes, well, it’s water. It has the kick of a cola, but doesn’t taste like anything, so it’s just water with a kick. Ávitāe is a really simple product, no gimmicks, no additives, just water with some caffeine. If you want to learn more about Ávitāe, you can head over to their site.
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Loud Truck Energy Gummies
Well, what do we have here? The generous folks at Chemical Evolution sent us some awesome products to review, and, well, we plan to review them! The products in the limelight today are Loud Truck Gummies; two different flavors of caffeinated, fruity, gummies!
The first of the two varieties are the citrus blast gummies. The bag is white and orange, features a green dragon, and boasts both no-crash energy and U.S.A pride. Each bag of the citrus blast gummies comes with 9 (the bag claims 9, but I lucked out and got 10!) energy packed gummi bears. Yep, that’s right, they’re gummi bears! One bag contains 32mg of caffeine, 36mg of taurine, 220mg of Vitamin C, and 60 calories. For a pack of 9 (or 10) gummi bears, that’s not bad! Upon opening the bag, there’s a great orangey, citrusy smell. As for the taste, the gummies have a great taste, there’s a hint of orange – they’re not overly powered, and they’re not bitter either. I like these a lot, and for 99 cents, it’s not a bad deal either.
The second bag contains the red blast variety, the stronger, cherry flavored variety of the two. This variety boasts twice the kick – 64mg of caffeine, 72mg of taurine, and 450mg of Vitamin C. The great part is that these are only 99 cents as well, twice the kick for the same price. These are just as good as the other variety, they have a mild cherry taste, and a great cherry aroma as well.
This is a great product, they’re caffeinated gummi bears, what’s not to love? If you want to try them out you can get the citrus blast ones here, or the red blast here.
Mtn Dew: Game Fuel
Mountain Dew is back again with a new promotion and two new flavors. Introducing: Mtn Dew Game Fuel, two varieties featuring 121mg of caffeine and World of Warcraft in an attempt to win gamers’ hearts over. The bottles even display a link on the lower left for a free trial of WoW and a chance to win some nifty prizes! While I currently consider myself to be a recovering WoW addict, that doesn’t change the fact that these new products from Mountain Dew are pretty darn good.
The first of the two varieties is blue in color and features a Night Elf from Warcraft on the bottle. The bottle features a “World of Warcraft” branding, and a “Game Fuel” banner under the usual “Mtn Dew” banner. This variety claims to come with a “punch of wild fruit flavor,” which is extremely vague, but my not so vague taste buds tell me it’s raspberry. It’s a great, smooth taste, but it also seems a little familiar. I can’t be absolutely sure, but it reminds me of Revolution. I’ll be sure to compare them if I can find any Revolution, and if any of the readers can, feel free to let me know if they’re similar – or same – in taste.
The second of the two new Dews features an Orc and has a reddish-orange hue to it. It, like the other one, features a World of Warcraft branding and the “game fuel” tag. This product, however, comes with a “blast of citrus cherry flavor” and also seems to be familiar – like SuprNova. Either way, this flavor tastes fantastic as well.
To be honest, I can’t tell for sure, I want to say these two are Revolution and SuprNova reincarnated. If any of you readers have any SuprNova or Revolution stashed away, feel free to compare the two to Game Fuel, and drop us a line on whether or not they’re the same!
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Mountain Dew Voltage, The Winner
You may remember back to Summer 2008, in CaffeineGuru.com’s early days, when Mountain Dew had their promotional election (the DEWmocracy campaign) of a new flavor. We gave each a review: SuperNova, Revolution, and Voltage, and Dew fans around the world voted their favorite of these three flavors to the top. Well, Voltage won, and Mountain Dew has just finalized it as a new addition to the lineup! That’s right, Mountain Dew Voltage has hit the stores, and will stay around with the rest of its kin. While we already gave Voltage a review, we figured that in honor of its new status as a full time flavor (and the fact that we haven’t had any in a few months), that it deserves attention again.
Voltage arrives in an all-new bottle, with a bright, electric logo. The packaging proudly proclaims it as the winner and mentions that Voltage contains ginseng and it has a bright blue color to it. Upon opening this new Dew specimen, I was overcome with an aroma of raspberry; this stuff really smells fantastic! The raspberry smell has a hint of other citrusy fruits in it too, so it’s an interestingly good smell. The taste too is amazing, I can see why this won the competition, and I am no longer bitter about SuperNova losing to it. MD Voltage has a taste that’s as good as its smell, it’s rich taste is smooth, goes down well, and is consistent. While some drinks only give you a lingering moment of flavor after you drink it, Voltage provides a constant source of flavor. I’m really impressed with what Mountain Dew came up with, and I thank all of you that voted for this specific drink last summer.
This drink contains the same amount of caffeine as the rest of the Dews do (try saying “Dews do” ten times fast). The 20 oz bottle contains 91mg of caffeine, which amounts to 36mg per 8oz. Voltage contains 290 calories and 76g of sugar (wow), and a diet version should come out down the road. The bottle doesn’t say how much ginseng there is in it though.
Overall, Voltage definitely takes one of the top spots of drinks I’ve covered. I’d recommend everyone trying this at least once, whether you’re a Dew fan or now, it’s the only drink I’ve come across with this unique of a flavor, you won’t find anything else like it.
If you want more info (and prizes) relating to Voltage, then head on over to DEWmocracyVoltage.com
bHIP Energy Mix
A lot of companies seem to be marketing energy drink mixes online now, and we’ve got our hands on bHIP energy. bHIP markets itself as a “New Breed of Energy,” and comes in individual 9.3-gram packets. The whole idea behind the packets is to allow for a more convenient, more portable energy drink that just requires some water. The company also tries to make the drink a social thing, and allows people to market the drink and to sell it themselves online. (We don’t sell any though, we just review, and we don’t entangle our reviews with profit) The directions say to mix one packet with 8oz of water, and we followed directions accordingly.
When you first open bHIP, you notice the dark red/brown powder. The powder itself doesn’t look all that enticing, but the powder smells a bit like fruit punch Kool-Aid, hopefully this stuff will have the same taste. After pouring this stuff into 8oz of water, I stirred the concoction up, let it settle and then put my taste buds to work. This drink mix still has a hint of the fruity smell from earlier, but it’s not as strong after being mixed with the water. This stuff also turns into a dark red concoction after being mixed, but I need to stop boring you all with details, it’s time to try t already! This stuff has a tiny hint of a fruit taste in it, but is also pretty bitter, and doesn’t taste as good as it smelled. In addition, some of the powder granules won’t dissolve, which leaves a bit of a grainy texture to this drink, and makes the last few sips really overpowering.
As for the nutrients and such, bHIP contains 24 calories per bag, 2g sugar, 30mg Vitamin C, 120mcg of Vitamin B12, and a 3000mg energy blend. bHIP is marketed as a natural energy supplement, and contains Acai berry and stevia leaf. The fact that it contains few calories and sugar helps boost this drink ratings, and it comes across as a similar drink to FRS.
Overall, it’s tough to say what I think of this stuff, its taste isn’t the best, but some people prefer a more natural tasting drink, it’s really all preference. We obtained this stuff from the bHIP Global website, where you can get 30 packets for $42 if you’re interested.
Kick Brix Energy Chews
If you keep up with Caffeine Guru reviews, it’s pretty obvious that the non-drink part of the caffeine market is rapidly expanding. Luckily for us, we’ve got our hand on one of the newest products on the market: Kick Brix. Kick Brix are caffeinated energy chews that promise “A monster kick without the bull.” After trying these things out, I have to agree. Kick Brix come individually wrapped and come in both 5-chew bags and economy sized tubs (good for the office or the kitchen counter). To best understand this product, think of large Starbursts packed with caffeine (is your mouth watering yet? 
)
At the moment, Kick Brix come in two flavors, “Citrus” and “Berry Blast”. The 5-chew bag comes with both flavors, so we can check out both of them today. When you pop of these chews in your mouth, you’ll notice that at first they’re a little hard. After a second or two though, they soften up and are no problem at all to chew. Another thing I noticed, which I found interesting, was the chews strong menthol taste. The addition of menthol really makes these things stand out and it gives a relaxing feeling as the menthol clears your sinuses and throat. The first flavor, Berry Blast, comes in the red wrapper and is the slightly darker of the first two, whereas the Citrus flavor comes in orange wrapper and is a little lighter. Both flavors have the added menthol and have a hint of a fruit in them. The Citrus one has a more orange-based taste, and the Berry Blast tastes like, well, berries. To be honest, it’s hard for me to put my finger on the exact flavor due to the menthol, but they both taste great and are quite enjoyable.
Kick Brix only have 25 calories per chew, are sugar free, and contain 300mcg (1500%) of Vitamin B12. Also, these each contain a 150mg blend of panax ginseng, taurine, and caffeine. For those of you wondering about the amount of caffeine, each chew packs a punch of 90mg of caffeine per chew.
If you want to try some Kick Brix for yourself, they are currently having a promotion and are giving away free samples at their website!
Enlyten Energy Strips
I remember a few years back when Listerine released their breath strips. I was amazed by this concept, that one could keep fresh breath, in the form of a strip, readily available for any situation that may demand it. Now, Enlyten has gone ahead and done the same thing, except they added caffeine. Let’s face it, no one cares about your breath if you’re slouching and half asleep, but with Enlyten strips, you can be fully attentive, energized, and have great breath!
Enlyten Energy Strips come in a small case that slides open to reveal 22 individual green strips. The strips are the same size as the breath strips on the market, only these aren’t smooth and plasticy; they’re a little rougher and have the texture of paper. They do however, have a fantastic minty taste that will fight any bad breath. The case suggests that you can place the strips between the gum and cheek, or on the tongue. I personally would suggest only putting them on the tongue, as when I put them between the cheek and gums, it got mashed, clumped up, and stuck to my teeth. (However, putting it between the cheek makes the caffeine get absorbed faster, so for best results, go with the gums/cheek method.)I had to brush my teeth to remove the green globbish mass of energy strip, and subsequently became depressed that I had to sacrifice a strip to my toothbrush 
.It’s all good now because I still have 20 left.
The strip instantly begins to dissolve on your tongue, and delivers the caffeine while the strip dissolves. It takes a few minutes for it to disappear completely, and it makes your saliva glands act up a little as well, so don’t take one of these as you’re delivering an important business seminar to get that foreign investor to cough up a few million dollars to your company. I would however, take the strips beforehand to get some energy, as any savvy investor loves fresh breath and energy.
These energy strips contain zero calories, and each serving (3 strips) contains 150% of your daily dosage of Vitamin B6, and 125% of vitamin B12. Three strips also contain a total of 32mg of a blend of caffeine, ginseng, and gingko biloba.
Enlyten also makes strips with electrolytes, melatonin, and antioxidants. You can buy this fantastic product online, and one of Enlyten’s distributors, Mark V, has been kind enough to offer a free case (22 strips) of one of their products with every purchase of 1 pack (4 cases, 88 strip).
