Caffeine Mints, Gum and What-Have-You Articles | Coffee

By: Darren Williger

It used to be that if you wanted a caffeine rush, you had to either brew up a pot of coffee or buy a six pack of soft drinks. Times change. Now if you want caffeine and the energy rush associated with it, you can eat or chew your way there.

Do you prefer mints? Gum? Chocolate candy? Doesn’t matter, really; caffeine can be brought to your bloodstream courtesy of any of the above. One may be tempted to ask the obvious. Why? Why are companies putting out caffeinated candies and candy-type products when caffeine is so readily available at your local convenience store courtesy of the Coca-Cola and Pepsi bottling companies? It’s not a bad question. But the most obvious answer probably isn’t what you were looking for. Money. Profits. You can get soft drinks via candy, or at least you used to be able to. So why not the benefits of soda in a gum?

Jolt Cola asked themselves that question and the answer is provided in the form of Jolt Caffeine Energy Gum. The package even claims to have identical ingredients to their famous (infamous?) soft drink, although the gum features minty flavorings not associated with the cola. Each little tab of gum contains as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Among those on this big wide world we like to collectively call the internet who have published reviews of this product, it gets high marks not only for its ability to give one an energy boost, but also as a darn fine piece of gum.

Caffeinated mints offer more of a choice. Foosh Energy Mints are probably the most hyped. These mints are notable not only for the interesting atom design engraved into them, but also their size. These are some serious mints! And they contain serious caffeine as well. In fact, each mint has 25% more caffeine than is found in a single can of Red Bull.

If Foosh doesn’t do it for you, there’s always Penguin Mints, which claims to be the original caffeinated mint. Then there’s XTZ Mints. And if that weren’t enough, XTS also makes a chocolate mint with a caffeine rush.

Now caffeine and chocolate have gone hand in hand since way back. Any chocolate bar worth its weight is going to provide a little caffeine rush, but this is the 21st century and we need more than just a little boost. If you like chocolate and caffeine, but don’t care for mint, there’s always Buzz Bites. These are chocolate chew candies that promise an energy boost. They’ve got pretty much the same energy-inducing ingredients as the typical energy drink, but in candy form. Reports are that it’s the candy part that suffers, but better to taste for yourself before making any decision.

An alternative to Buzz Bites that takes caffeinated chocolates to a whole new level is Caffeinated Chocolate Truffles. Sporting 150mg of caffeine per truffle, you can feel like a rich energy vampire when eating these.

Clearly, caffeine has moved into a new arena. And these candies and gums are just the beginning. It’s not hard to predict that soon there will be caffeinated versions of just about everything: caffeinated meat, caffeinated vegetables, who knows where it will end. Is there anything wrong with this? Probably not. Although candy and gum are popular with the little ones so as a parent you should probably take care to store these where they can’t be reached by curious children. And, of course, they shouldn’t be treated as regular candy or gum. Just as you probably wouldn’t down a whole six pack of soda in a sitting, don’t be tempted to go through a pack of Jolt Gum in a sitting, either.