Elite Ops Energy Strips Fierce Arctic Mint

Elite Ops Energy Strips is a new player on the energy strips field. They have little online presence since searching for the name will lead you to SAS and military-related information. Pretty cool to explore information, but I had a hard time finding any information about them and had to get creative with my search queries. For more information, just go directly to their website.

Elite Ops were developed to provide a lot of caffeine in a light and easy to carry package. My experiences with similar products have taught me that it is very difficult to hide the bitterness of caffeine in such a small volume, but we shall see how Elite Ops performs in a bit.

Taste

Right now Elite Ops energy strips come in a single flavor - Fierce Arctic Mint, but the creators are talking about bringing other flavors onto the market. I think mint is a very safe flavor to go with as an initial product because it is fresh and the oils should easily hide the bitterness from the active ingredients.

The strip has a rough and a smooth side and I tried placing both on my tongue to see which one would stick better, but both sides stuck to the top of my mouth, ripping the strip right off my tongue. That resulted in the strip turning into a ball but it wasn't a huge deal and it quickly dissolved both times.

Initially the strip has a very intense minty flavor, but after a few moments some bitterness comes through. It wasn't as much as I expected, though. Once stuck to your tongue, the fresh mint lingers throughout the entire time the strip is dissolving and well into the aftertaste, giving you a fresh breath for about 4-5 minutes. The bitterness is killed at first, but comes back once the strip is dissolved and adds a subtle bitter tone that sticks for a while.

Energy

Each strip contains 100 mg of caffeine and there are 8 strips in a box. Essentially in a little tiny packet, you are carrying the equivalent of 10 Red Bulls. Compared to other competitive energy strips, like Sheets, Elite Ops offers twice the amount of caffeine.

The energy strips take about 20-30 seconds to fully dissolve and the initial effects became apparent within 15-20 minutes. I didn't experience any jitters with the first strip, but when I had the second one 10 minutes later, I got a little shaky.

The full caffeine effects kick in in another 15 or so minutes and I felt super energized...especially having consumed 2 strips in quick succession. I had a bit of hard time focusing on mental work, but I had no problem doing physical work when I went outside 30 minutes later.

The effects lasted for about 4-5 hours and ended without any drama...yay no crash.

Despite the slow start, Elite Ops is a very powerful product. I think the package needs a bit of work, but once the money start rolling in, this will change. Look at Awake's initial packaging versus the new one....like night and day.

Scores:
Cost - $5.99 per pack
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 6.5/10 - 10/10 (depending on number of strips)

Overall - 15/20 to 18.5/20...minty fresh with a powerful kick

Double Kick Energy Candy Review

I become more and more amazed at how much caffeine producers can pack into their products. Some of the first caffeine candies and gum I ever tried had about 20 mg of caffeine per piece and they tasted awful. Energy drinks and shots from years ago had a distinct medicinal taste but now new brands offer even more caffeine without any of the bitterness. So here is a piece of candy which contains 80 mg of caffeine and is about the size of a nickel...well several stacked nickels. So how does it taste? Does it have the old distinct taste? I am just as interested as you are.

Taste

There are several flavours of Double Kick, but I decided to start with one of my all time favorite flavours - Green Apple. I love green apples and everything they are used to make...even flavoured tobacco.

Green Apple - smells like a Juice Fruit with a tone of apples. The taste starts off with a strong green apple flavour with sweet and sour hints. The candy has a chalky texture and starts to crumble after about a minute. I personally don't mind this, but I know some people like long-lasting candies. There is some bitterness but it comes and goes and seems like it almost alternates with the sweet and sour green apple flavours. The aftertaste is sweet with hints of apples and also some bitterness, which tends to stick to the tongue. A bit of water helps get the bitterness of the tongue while leaving subtle sweet apple flavours present for a few more minutes.

Taste - 8/10

Watermelon - this one smells amazing. I got a lungful of sweet watermelon air as soon as I opened the packet. The candy has the same crumbly texture as the green apple which makes it very easy to consume. The flavour is a combination of cantaloupe and watermelon. It is sweet with burst of sourness each time you bite into the candy and chew on the crumbs. The bitterness is also present here, but it did not surprise me since 80 mg of caffeine have been crammed in the candy piece. Sweetener taste is present throughout except for when you get that sour burst. For a brief moment the sourness overpowers the sweetener. The aftertaste is also very similar to the green apple with remnants of the melon flavour, some bitterness and a bit of sweetener.

Taste - 8.2/10

Orange - reminds me of chewable orange vitamin C...and the size is about the same. As the others before, this candy has a crumbly texture with some bitterness and sweetener tones. The flavour is well executed though it doesn't really differ from that of chewable vitamins. There are brief bursts of sourness each time
you chew on the candy. The aftertaste is also very similar to the other flavours with the presence of sweetener and bitterness tones. This time, however, the orange flavour is a bit more pronounce in the aftertaste and acts as a bit of a refresher.

Taste - 8.1/10

Black Cherry - another great smelling piece of candy. Once again the texture is crumbly, however, unlike the previous flavours the black cherry exhibits more sourness, which is present throughout most of the taste and not only while chewing the candy. As expected bitterness and a sweetener note are present all the way through to the aftertaste.

Taste - 8.3/10

Grape - first flavour without the intense fruit aroma out of the packet. The grape taste is weaker then I was expecting considering that the candy resembles the chewable vitamin C's I am consuming at the moment, which by the way have a very intense grape taste. Chewing the candy releases very brief and intense bursts of flavour and sourness, but I was expecting something a bit stronger. As expected, the texture is crumbly and the presence of bitterness and sweetener notes is obvious.

Taste - 7.5/10

Raspberry - also doesn't have a strong aroma out of the packet...and is blue!?!?!?! OK, I get it, it is blue raspberry. Seeing the blue color, I half expected this to have a very sour taste, but it doesn't. The raspberry flavour is present and it gets sour when you are chewing the candy, but for the rest of the time it is sweet. Bitterness and sweetener notes are present through to the finish. I wish there was more citric acid (or another similar ingredient) to make this taste like the blue raspberry I was expecting.

Taste - 7.9/10

Energy

Each flavour contains 80 mg of caffeine and performs about the same. The kick is gradual and comes surprisingly quickly. The first time I had one I was feeling a bit tired after a 2 hour long movie which followed a hearty lunch, but within about 10 minutes I started to feel energized and my focus was starting to return. In another 10 minutes I was feeling fantastic. I did not experience any jitters and when the caffeine was fully absorbed, I felt great for just over an hour when I started to lose my focus and some of my energy. 

One complaint I have is the difficulty distinguishing the different flavours. Many of them share the same color and the only way you can tell them apart is by trying to locate the flavour stamp that appears along the edges of each individual packet...if you are lucky to have a stamp. A few of the candies had a partial stamp while others had one that was faded.

Scores:

Cost - unsure

Taste - depends on the flavour

Energy - 6/10 for a single piece and up to 10/10 for multiples

Overall - depending on the flavour and the number of pieces consumed

Awake Caffeinated Chocolate Re-design

A couple of months ago I came across a box of Awake chocolate next to the cash register at the local convenience store and got one to try it. The taste amazed me - it tasted like a normal milk chocolate bar and there were small traces of the caffeine in the aftertaste.

About a week ago the company contacted me to see if I am interested in getting some samples with the new design. "Are you kidding me - free awesomely tasting caffeinated chocolate? Of course I am interested!"

So here is what I received. The box looks amazing and it will stand out a lot more when situated next to a cash register or on the rack with all the other chocolates.

I love the owl with the lid open and folded back. And look at that sweet wrapper - it is matte and just urges me to rip it open and eat its contents.

One thing I didn't like is that you have to rip the orange flaps off when putting the box on display. I love the color and I think it directs your attention to the box...to me it represents the red tie you wear with a white shirt to attract the attention of your audience.

So what's inside the wrapper? Well, the same damn good chocolate. One thing that has been changed is the imprint on the chocolate - it now has the front of the wrapper imprinted on it - the word "Awake", "Cho-co-late" and the owl.

Not sure if the company has any plans on importing these in the US, but if you see it in Canada, buy it! This is the best caffeinated chocolate I have tried to date.

Sheets Energy Strips Berry Blast Review

Here is another product I picked up from the near-by Walgreen's when I was in San Antonio - Sheets Energy Strips. I have wanted to try these for some time now, but just couldn't find a place to get them from and at $5.99 for a pack they are not exactly the most affordable ones. But on the other hand, if you have lower tolerance towards caffeine, the 10 sheets in the box will last you some time.

Taste

I am on the fence with this one. The moment I placed a sheet on my tongue, a minty-like tingle resonated across my mouth, followed by a moderately bitter note and finally some sugar-free-like flavour. The taste wasn't bad and had a healthy dose of berries, but the bitterness and the sweetener took the overall experience down a peg.

Once fully dissolved, the strips do leave your mouth feeling very refreshed and just a little tingly. The freshness is intense at first and lasts for about 10-15 minutes which makes Sheets act like a freshener. The bitterness is almost non-existent once the sheet dissolves so if you can suck it up for a few seconds when the sheet is dissolving, you will be a-OK. The berries are also present in the aftertaste, but are fairly weak compared to the minty-tingle.


Energy

At 50 mg of caffeine per strip, these Sheets are pretty damn powerful. I guess the little bit of bitterness is nothing compared to how much caffeine you are getting from such a small thing.

I decided to take 3 one after the other to see how the boost will compare to a regular energy drink. For starters I think the mintiness perks you up just a little almost instantly. Secondly, the first wave of energy comes in within 5 minutes and is enough to wake you up if you were a walking zombie like me.

I was expecting a wave of jitters to crash the party, but it never happened. The effects smoothly transitioned from the "wake up" jolt to "I feel energized" in about 20 minutes...no drama! The kick is comparable to 473 mL energy drink, except for the jitters, and lasts just as long. I felt energized and productive for the better portion of 3-4 hours and did not experience a crash at the end.

I wish these were sold in Canada.

Scores:
Cost - $5.99
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - from 5/10 to 10/10 depending on the number of sheets you take

Overall - 12.8/20 to 17.8/20...depending on how many you take

Awake Energy Chocolate Review

Here is a local product made by a company in Mississauga which sells for $1.99 at the corner convenience store.

Taste

The taste is pretty damn good. I was expecting something semi-bitter with an odd gritty texture, but what I got was smooth milk chocolate with just a mild soy finish which briefly appears at the finish. There are no bitter tones or odd medicinal flavours...at first.

Once I finished the chocolate and had a glass of water to wash out the buttery, chocolate feel out my mouth, a faint caffeine note appeared. The bitterness is very subtle, but it is an indication of the medicinal ingredients. Fortunately it only lasts for a brief period of time.

Energy

There are 101 mg of caffeine in the bar and its effects start kicking in in about 10 minutes. At first the effects are mild, but gradually they ramp up and in another 10 or so minutes it feels like you just had a Red Bull. Unlike having a Red Bull the effects are very clean and there are no jitters. I felt peppy, yet calm enough to focus on reading a few stories.

And like a Red Bull, the effects last for about 1.5 hours with a mild crash at the end. I think I will get a few more to keep around the house.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99
Taste - 9.5/10
Energy - 7/10

Overall - 16.5/20...tastes like a regular milk chocolate bar, but has a Red Bull-like kick

Radium Energy Powder Review

This is the latest energy powder from Harcos and it is supposed to taste like raspberry lemonade. I got this from ChemicalEvolution.com for $1.99.

Taste

The powder is very tasteless at first, but once it starts soaking up the saliva a strong, sour lemonade flavour emerges. The raspberry comes in a lot later in the aftertaste, however, it is very mild and doesn't stand out on its own. The sour lemonade is the dominant flavour in this energy powder. I like sourness and I liked the Radium powder, but they should have called this just lemonade.

Since there is much room to hide the caffeine, a bitterness emerges in the aftertaste and lingers for a while. Don't worry, it is nothing too intense and offensive, but it can be tasted. The sourness helps hide it a bit, but it is not enough.

Energy

The effects are quick thanks to the sugar rush followed by the caffeine kick. I went from feeling sleepy from drinking too much and sleeping too much to fully awake and focused in about 5 minutes. I did not experience any jitters or urges to perform physical activities. I felt great sitting on a chair and doing some mental work.

Unfortunately since there are only 90 mg of caffeine, the kick lasts about 1.5 hours. Still, not a bad way to get a quick boost.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 9/10
Energy - 6.9/10

Overall - 15.9/20...nice sour flavour with a quick, but short lasting kick

Caffeinated Sucka Slammin' Strawbanana Review

It was only time before I started trying caffeinated lollipops. I bought a bunch of these from ChemicalEvolution.com for $1 each. Sure the labels look like they were printed from an improperly blown up image with an inkjet, but it is all about the taste and kick.

Taste

There are many flavours, but I decided to start off with the Slammin' Strawbanana. I didn't think much about the size of this thing, but it is big. I mean, it is so big I cannot close my mouth. I usually put pops in my mouth and suck on them while doing something else, but this is just uncomfortably big (yeah, I know how this reads).

The lollipop is not only big in size, but also big on flavour. The strawberry and banana combo is mellow and obvious. You don't have to read the label to know what you are sucking on (again, I know how it reads).

Of course since this had added caffeine, there is a bit of bitterness, but if you keep licking and swallowing your saliva, the bitterness disappears (wow, everything sounds dirty when reviewing lollipops).

Energy

There are 60 mg of caffeine per pop which is enough to give you a decent boost in the afternoon. The thing I like is how the kick is delivered. Since it takes some time to ingest the lollipop the caffeine trickles into your system and the energy comes in gradually. I didn't think it would work that well at first, but after about 10 minutes I started to perk up.

I never felt energized for physical activities, but I felt really perked up in the afternoon. Sure the delivery is slow, but it stretches over a long period of time. I got about an hour of feeling perky without any jitters or a crash once the hour was up. I rather liked this!

This doesn't compare to an energy drink or a shot, but if you like lollipops and need a boost in the afternoon, this is perfect, just be aware of the size.

Scores:
Cost - $1 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 5/10

Overall - 13.5/20...great taste and a pretty good energy delivery despite the low-ish caffeine content

Ed Hardy Coffee Rocks Review

Last week I tried Ed Hardy's Chocolate Rocks and now I have a box of their Coffee Rocks sitting in front of me on my desk, shoving its "600 mg caffeine per box" in my face.

Taste

I know these are called Coffee Rocks, but don't expect coffee beans covered in chocolate. These are a lot like the Chocolate Rocks, only with an added coffee flavour. The coffee flavour is not bad, but it is not what I was expecting.

Each rock, or should I say piece, is about the same size as the Chocolate Rocks, which are about the same size as a chocolate covered coffee bean, and is coated in a semi-sweet chocolate glaze. The inside is just chocolate, which is very easy to chew so you can go through a bunch of these pieces in no time.

The coffee flavour is very espresso-like and not sweet at all. The semi-sweet chocolate helps take the bitterness down a notch, but the coffee flavour is still fairly strong. The bitterness comes from the coffee and not from the added caffeine. There is a slight hint of caffeine bitterness that starts to emerge if you consume most of the box, but it never gets to a point that it becomes obtrusive.

Overall, I enjoyed the Coffee Rocks, but I would much rather eat a box of the Chocolate Rocks.

Energy

The Coffee Rocks work almost exactly like the Chocolate Rocks since they are similar in many ways. As I sat at my desk I was popping these one after another so I didn't notice how many I ate in total, but it was about half a box. I started to become focused and feel the energy coming within about 10 minutes of eating the first piece. There were some jitters, as expected, but compared to other caffeinated products, they were easy to manage. The caffeine kicked in fully in another 20 minutes and I felt pretty damn good most of the morning, right until lunch. I didn't experience a sudden crash, but I felt the effects starting to wear off. The beauty of the resealable box is that I was able to eat a few more pieces to continue my energy high.

Scores:
Cost - $8.00 for a 3-pack from Ed Hardy
Taste - 8.8/10
Energy - 1/10 to 10/10

Overall - 9.8/20 to 18.8/20...depending on the number of pieces consumed

Ed Hardy Chocolate Rocks Review

So in front of me is a box of Ed Hardy's highly caffeinated Chocolate Rocks. How caffeinated are they? Well if you turn the box over you will see that there are 600 mg of caffeine in the box and that each 5 pieces are equal to 1 cup of coffee. I counted 25 pieces so 5 coffees in total and each piece contains approximately 24 mg of caffeine.

Taste

Each of the pieces is a small almost black round ball. They are easy to chew so you can go through 5 or 10, or 15 in no time. The pieces taste like dark chocolate at first, but towards the end a sweeter taste comes in. I like this style of chocolate as the sweetness never builds up and I can eat a lot more of it.

The use of dark chocolate is also a great way of masking the caffeine bitterness and these chocolate rocks are a great proof. I was not able to detect any bitterness that I could associate with the caffeine. There is some bitterness, but it is characteristic of how dark chocolate tastes. The aftertaste is moderately clean with just a subtle dark chocolate hint.

Overall I really liked the taste of these rocks and I ate 10 at once the first time.

Energy

As mentioned, each piece contains approximately 24 mg of caffeine so I took about 240 mg in less than a minute. My mind started to wake up in about 10 minutes and in another 5 I felt a bit jittery. In another 5 the energy started to really kick in and it was pretty damn awesome. All in all, I was very energized until about lunchtime and at the end I did not experience a crash.

To be honest, I was surprised how much caffeine was stuffed in these little pieces and how well they worked.


Scores:
Cost - $8.00 for a 3-pack from Ed Hardy
Taste - 9.5/10
Energy - 1/10 to 10/10

Overall - 10.5/20 to 19.5/20...depending on the number of pieces consumed

Ed Hardy Energy Sticks Pomegranate Review

Along with the Orange flavored energy sticks I received last week, I also got a few packs of the Pomegranate ones.

Taste

Tearing open one of these, I was hit with a strong blueberry aroma and not so much pomegranate. However, as soon as I poured this on my tongue, the sour pomegranate notes quickly appeared. I still detected some sweet blueberry notes, but only in the aftertaste.

Tasting a second packet, I concluded that the pomegranate flavour is there only while the powder is sitting on your tongue. As soon as it is swallows, a sweet blueberry taste, couple with a very sweetener-like note, appears and lingers for a very long time.

Two thing I noticed that differ from the orange flavour - one, the powder is a bit harder to dissolve on your tongue and it seems like it is composed of slightly larger granules, and two, I could barely detect any bitterness. There was just a tiny hint of it soon after swallowing the second packet, but as soon as that happened, the sweet blueberry aftertaste hit me and eliminated any traces of the caffeine bitterness.

Energy

Don't be surprised when I say that the pomegranate sticks work exactly the same way as the orange ones, because they do. Each packet contains 80 mg of caffeine, which are delivered to the system in pretty much the same way. The only thing that does affect the effects and their length is the number of packets consumed at once.

One packet - gradual kick with its peak effect comparable to a can of Red Bull but without a crash at the end.

Two and more packets - some jitters with a stronger kick lasting much longer with some minor negative effects at the very end (still not as bad as a sugary energy drink).

Scores:
Cost - $3.29 for a 3-pack from Ed Hardy
Taste - 9/10
Energy - 6/10 to 9/10

Overall - 15/20 to 18/20...depending on the number of packets consumed

Firestar Shotz Ice Mint Review

Last but not least I tried Firestar's Ice Mint from their Shotz line. The difference between the Shotz and the Max line is the caffeine content. Max has twice the amount.
Taste

The taste was identical to the Max Ice Mint taste. It was intense and minty at the start and a bit more mellow once it went down. I don't think I can tell the difference between the Max and Shotz which means that Firestar was able to cram twice the caffeine in the Max Ice Mint without ruining the taste. Great job!

Energy

The initial kick came in quickly just from the intense mint taste, followed by a tiny jolt from the small amount of sugar. The caffeine kicked in a bit later and the rush was clean without any jitters.

The main difference between the Shotz Ice Mint and Max Ice Mint is the duration of the boost. As expected this one did not last as much as the Max Ice Mint, but it did give me a nice boost for about an hour and a half without the crash. Overall, not bad, but I would much rather go for the Max Ice Mint.

Scores:
Cost - unknown
Taste - 9.5/10
Energy - 6.2/10

Overall - 15.7/20...minty, tasty, but not as powerful as the Max line

Firestar Shotz Cola Review

Next on my list of caffeinated stuff to try comes Firestar's Cola from their Shotz line. The difference between Shotz and Max is that Shotz contains half of the caffeine of Max for people who are more sensitive towards caffeine.

Taste

Like all the other Firestar powders, this one looks like an artificial sweetener, but what I noticed that was different was the lack of minty scent. This one has an unmistakable cola aroma.

The taste is also unmistakable, this is cola. It is sweet with a very mild acidic touch and a bang-on cola flavour. There is no bitterness nor is there too much sweetness. I was sort of expecting an artificial sweetener to hit me, but it never did and then I checked - there is only sugar and no artificial sweeteners.

The aftertaste is very cola-like with a touch of sweetness and some caramel. There is a brief moment of bitterness, but it is so weak that the tiny amount of sweetness easily masks it.

I love this flavour. It reminded me of eating cola gummies.

Energy

Though this packet has half the caffeine amount of the Max line, the initial effects are just as quick and good. I started to wake up and feel focused within 10-15 minutes of ingesting the powder, which could be the result of the small amount of sugar. Within another 20 minutes I was feeling great and very energized, though not as energized as when I had the Max packets.

With Shotz, the energy boost lasted for about an hour and a half and there was no crash at the end.

Scores:
Cost - unknown
Taste - 9.5/10
Energy - 6.2/10

Overall - 15.7/20...great tasting energy powder with a decent kick

Firestar Max Cherry Review

Earlier this week I tried Firestar's Max Ice Mint and was quite impressed by its clean and refreshing taste and its performance. Today I am trying Firestar's second Max flavour release - Cherry, which was sent to me by the nice folks of Firestar.

Taste

The powder looks like a sweetener, but it definitely does not smell like one. In fact, it actually smells very minty. Hm, was the wrong powder put in this packet? No! You can taste the cherry as soon as you empty the packet on your tongue. It takes a second or two until your saliva penetrates the small powder pile and turns into something that is easy to swallow. An Intense mint note hits you moments after the cherry and tries to fully overpower it. Does it? In a way it does and in a way it doesn't. The cherry taste is still present, but mint is so powerful that it completely kills any potential bitterness from the active ingredients. It also refreshes your breath and has a long lasting effect. This whole time the cherry acts as a mild flavoring which is neither good nor bad. The whole taste combination reminds me of Fisherman's Friend Cherry flavored mint drops, which I used to get when I was little.

Unlike with the Ice Mint, I was able to detect a mild bitterness in the aftertaste about 5 minutes after swallowing the powder. Once the mint started letting up its intensity, some bitterness made its way through, but it did not result in an off-putting experience like with some other energy products.

Overall, the taste is almost as intense as Firestar's Ice Mint but with a nice Cherry twist.

Energy

Each packet has as much caffeine as 2 strong coffees which is more than enough to give you a nice jolt in the morning or whenever else you need it. This packet starter working within 15 minutes when I started to wake up and feel a lot more focused than when I got up 20 minutes earlier. I find that water helps me process these types of energy products faster so with the help of half of bottle of water I was really feeling the effects in another 15 minutes. But sure, this could be also due to the fact that the caffeine was starting to be absorbed.

Once fully absorbed, I felt very energized but luckily did not experience any jitters. The energy boost lasted for a few hours without a crash or another complication.

Scores:
Cost - unknown
Taste - 9/10
Energy - 8.5/10

Overall -17.5/20...great minty flavour with a cherry twist

Firestar Ice Mint Max Review

Last year I reviewed Firestar's Lemon Flavour energy booster and found it to lack the taste, but do well in the energy section. About a week ago I received a bunch of samples of Firestar's new products and I am glad they send those to me, because I had an insane work schedule and those things helped me out a lot.

I would like to start off the reviews with the Ice Mint...Max, of course.

Taste

Like the previous Firestar booster, this one is simply poured on your tongue and swallowed. At first, the powder is dry and feels incooperative, but with some saliva it turns into a mush and goes down easily.

The moment I ripped the Ice Mint Max package open, a whiff of mint hit me and drew me closer. The second the contents of the package hit my tongue, my mouth felt refreshed. Yes, this is minty. I was expecting the bitterness to hit at any moment, but it didn't, this Firestar stayed minty. Once I had the necessary saliva, the contents of the package went down my throat which suddenly became cold and very minty. I waited for the bitterness once again, but it did not come...again. What I got instead was a taste similar to Trident Spearmint gum - a short lasting intense mintiness followed by a mild, sweet minty flavour. Even though this is the equivalent of 2 strong coffees, there is no detectable level of bitterness.

Normally these types of stimulants taste like crap and work well, but this actually tasted great and I was quite surprised.

Energy

As mentioned, this package is similar to 2 strong coffees...and it is...sort of. I woke up very early after a long day of work and a long commute after only a few hours of sleep. The first thing I did was shower and the second grab the Ice Mint Max. I didn't feel anything at first, but after I got in my car and started driving I started to wake up. By the time I reached my destination, about 30 minutes after I took Firestar, I felt pretty normal despite my lack of sleep. Water seemed to amplify the effects and in another 15-20 minutes I was ready to do work.

I don't know if it is Firestar, or just me, but I felt energized for the first half of the day and I rarely feel so. On my way back from work I did start to get tired, but after a quick pit stop and a cold bottle of water I was feeling great.

Overall I really enjoyed Firestar's Ice Mint Max booster. They have worked hard on fixing the taste issues with this one and I am glad they did because this tastes and works great. Recommended!

Scores:
Cost - unknown
Taste - 9.5/10
Energy - 8.5/10

Overall - 18/20...best powdered energy booster I have tried yet

Shock-A-Lots Coffee Bean Candy Review

I kept referring to this as Shock-A-Lates because I thought it was something chocolatey. Oh yeah, I was wrong, but now I know.

Taste

Unlike all the other coffee bean candy I have tried, these look more like M&M's than anything else. They are small, round and yellow. Underneath the yellow coating is chocolate and underneath the chocolate is a coffee bean. If you are just popping those in your mouth without looking inside, you will never know there is a coffee bean. It is very soft and very easy to chew. The overall taste is actually pretty good and addicting. At first I thought I would never go through the entire bag, but after eating a few, I wanted to keep going. The chocolate is milky, the coffee flavor is great and on top of everything, there is a bit of a rum and vanilla taste. On the negative side, the sweetness does tend to build up so halfway through the bag you will want to drink something.

I recommend these to people who find chocolate covered coffee beans to be either too hard for their teeth, or too bitter.

Energy

The label says that 1 bag is equal to a cup of coffee, which means that there are between 80 to 100 mg of caffeine in the bag. I started to wake up after I ate 6-7 and stopped to go do something. By the end of the bag I was feeling pretty good, a lot like I just had a can of Red Bull but with none of the jitters. Unlike the can of Red Bull the kick last just a bit longer and there wasn't a crash at the end.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 6.8/10

Overall - 15.3/20...great tasting chocolate covered beans with a rummy twist

CaffeMallows Caffeinated Mashmallows Review

I have been eating a lot of marshmallows lately, so when I was shopping for caffeinated goodies on chemical evolution.com, I simply had to get some caffeinated marshmallows. I ordered the variety pack, which includes 3 different kinds of coffee-flavored marshmallows.

The variety pack comes in a very nice, very simple, plastic box with 3, rather large, individually wrapped marshmallows. Another nice touch is the large slit, each of the individual packages come with, which makes opening them very easy.

Taste

Mocca - a large, brown square resembling a brownie. The marshmallow is spongy and a little sticky. It has a strong coffee and dark chocolate aroma The taste is similar, though the coffee is a lot stronger than the chocolate. There are bits of chocolate in the marshmallow, which bump the overall enjoyment up a notch. There is some bitterness, but it all comes from the coffee and chocolate. There is none from artificial sources, which is always a good thing. Overall, this is a fantastic tasting treat.

Java - similarly large brown square minus the cocoa chunks. This one is just as spongy though not nearly as sticky as the Mocca one. The taste is very bold with a lot of espresso and just a hint of vanilla. Some cinnamon comes towards the end, but is overpowered by the espresso and vanilla notes. Overall the texture was a bit spongier and a tad weird, but it was another great tasting marshmallow.

Coffee - a different shade of brown and a bit smaller than the others. This one is a bit firmer and has a milder coffee taste with the same vanilla blast and cinnamon finish. The taste at the start was a bit off, but once your saliva penetrates the marshmallow, its delicious coffee juices start to flow. Also tastes great.

Energy

Though the package does not state the actual caffeine content, I reckon it is similar to that of a small coffee, because this is what I experienced after eating one. The effects kick in within 10 minutes and there is very little jitters. The caffeine kicks in fully within 30 or so minutes and it works great.

Though I was skeptical at first, these marshmallows really proved themselves. They tasted great and worked rather well. A definite recommendation.

Scores:
Cost - $5.99 for a 3 pack from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - Mocca - 9/10, Java - 8.8/10, Coffee - 8.6/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 16.1/20 to 16.5/20...depending on the flavor

KickButt Amped Energy Ballz Cherry Review

KickButt amped energy ballz are back to the site and in cherry flavor. I got a pack of these for only $1.75 from ChemicalEvolution.com.

Taste

Well unlike the cappuccino balls, these are bright red in color and look like gigantic cherries with a tough exterior. The inside has the same texture and is also very chewy. There is a nice cherry taste that is not too artificial. Unfortunately underneath the cherry goodness lies a bitter undertone. On the bright side, the taste lasts all the way until the end, but so does some of the bitterness. The aftertaste is a mix of cherry, some bitterness and just a touch of artificial sweetener. The cappuccino balls did a much better job at hiding the bitterness from the caffeine and I recommend them over the cherry ones.

Energy

The caffeine content is the same as the cappuccino ones at 40 mg per ball for a total of 80 mg for the pack. The kick is similar to the cappuccino balls, which is comparable to a can of Red Bull.

Scores:
Cost - $1.75 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 6.5/10
Energy - 4/10 to 6/10

Overall - 10.5/20 to 12.5/20...depending on the number of balls you ingest

Barium Energy Powder Review

So this is the fourth and last energy powder from Harcos Labs that I have. What a shame, I should have bought some more because they are quite tough and portable.

Taste

The powder is dark grey/purple in color and has a cherry coke-like aroma. The taste is pretty awesome and packs a serious sour kick, which I completely love. This is the one thing that has been missing from the other energy powders, and this one has a ton of it. Sweet black cherry notes are noticeable underneath all the sourness, which carry through to the finish. The finish by far the best one of the bunch. It is very refreshing from the sourness and just a touch sweet and flavorful from the cherry notes. There is no artificial sweetener aftertaste, mostly because it has been well masked by the sourness.

It seems like the taste got better with each energy powder that I tried, because this is my favorite one with its high level of sourness, and a well done flavor base.

Energy

Like the other ones, there are 90 mg of caffeine in this one and the effects are similar. The sourness does give it a slight edge, because I was quickly woken up it.

Ingredients: sugar, dextrose, caffeine, malic acid, artificial flavors & colors

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 9.5/10Energy - 6.9/10

Overall - 16.4/20...best one of the bunch. You have to try this one

Plutonium Energy Powder Review

It is plutonium and it is green. I thought this will be green apple, but surprise, surprise, it is pear. There aren't many pear flavoured products so I am a bit excited to try this one.

Taste

Does this measure up to last weeks strawberry surprise? Hell yea it does. After a second or two, the powder in my mouth was moist enough for me to taste it and what a taste It was. Sour pears attacked my taste buds and instantly woke me up. Wow, this has the sour kick I so much wanted from the strawberry powder. The taste is so intense that it reminded me of those sour candies you can get at 7-11 - sourz and nuclear waste. Unfortunately, the initial sour kick is just that- initial. I wasn't able to taste he sourness as much in the following mouthfuls of powder. The pear taste is well done, but it picks up only near the end, right before you swallow the moistened powder. Following the pear taste is bitterness from the caffeine, which is fairly strong at first, but dies down within a minute to leave a refreshing pear Aftertaste. Overall, I would rank this on par with he strawberry powder because the additional sourness is canceled out by the caffeine bitterness in the finish.

Energy

This performs the same way the strawberry one does because it packs he same sour kick, which will instantly wake you up. The 90 mg of caffeine also help, but they kick in later.
Ingredients: sugar, dextrose, caffeine, malic acid, artificial flavors and colors

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 9.3/10
Energy - 6.9/10

Overall - 16.2/20...I love this energy powder, I might even start eating pears

KickButt Amped Energy Balls Cappuccino Review

KickButt energy balls resemble chocolate covered jawbreakers both in shape and size. There are two balls in each packet, but you can also get them in a tube. To be honest, they are a little too big for me to consider putting them in my bag to get a kick when I need one. I fear that they might be crushed under the weight of my laptop or notebook if things get shuffled.

Taste

Unlike jawbreakers, you can bite into these with very little effort. Sure, they look tough, but once you crack the chocolate layer, you are biting into the doughy, cappuccino flavored inside. Yes, the inside is doughy/chewy, which is kind of nice, but what is even nicer is the taste. I was expecting something bitter with a lot of chemicals and artificial flavorings, but what I got instead was a pleasant dark chocolate layer with a very cappuccino-like filling. The coffee taste is mild and well balanced with other ingredients which give KickButt the taste of steamed milk you get with real cappuccinos. I was expecting bitterness to kick in from the active ingredients, but then I looked at the ingredients and realized the caffeine comes from coffee. The aftertaste is just as enjoyable, though some soy notes do emerge. The immediate aftertaste is a blend of coffee and chocolate, but after some time, milk also comes into play for the real cappuccino aftertaste experience. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the cappuccino KickButt energy balls and look forward to trying their other flavors.

Energy

Each ball contains 40 mg of caffeine which means that each packet packs 80 mg, the equivalent of a can of Red Bull (funny how the unit measure is a can of Red Bull...I use it because it is the energy drink most people have had and can relate to). The effects are similar to those of black coffee - no immediate kick, since there is no sugar (there is some in the energy balls), but once the caffeine makes into your system, you feel stimulated. The effects of the energy balls are quite good. There are no jitters, and the kick is clean - I was able to focus at first without feeling anxious to do something physical. The end was without a crash or another negative side effect. I am quite pleased with these.

Overall, these energy balls were a pleasant surprise, though I am still a bit uncertain about their size.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 for a 2-pack from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 8.9/10
Energy - 4/10 to 6/10

Overall - 12.9/20 to 14.9/20...depending on how many of these balls you eat