One of the treats I got from the All Candy Expo was this pack of VE2 energy gum. It’s candy with a conscience - the packaging is very minimalist and it says, “To save trees & make less trash this package avoids using a paper sleeve wrap.” I love the idea that a medium which traditionally relies on packaging for impact can be promoted in a environmentally friendly way.

Developed over a period of 2 years by an ER doc, one packet of VE2 is equal to five cups of coffee. The press about VE2 claims that you can absorb caffeine through your oral membranes faster than via digestion - so in theory VE2 gives you a quicker energy hit than your usual energy drinks. I’m one of those people who can drink a can of coke or a espresso before bed and still fall asleep with no problem, so I viewed this gum review as a bit of an experiment.

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My friends often wonder how I can consume so many sweets and not weigh a million pounds. Well, I run. But here’s something they might not know - I eat candy when I run! Back when I trained with some ultrarunners, I learned to eat while running. Typical endurance foods such as PowerBars just didn’t taste that great to a Candy Addict like me, so I started taking more appealing yet equally energy-boosting treats, such as Snickers bars, red licorice, M&Ms, gummi bears, and ooh, Jelly Belly jellybeans!

Well, manufacturers of energy foods have gotten smarter, and they’ve started producing endurance treats that actually taste good (that means they taste like candy). Clif, the makers of Clif Bar, have developed a carbohydrate and electrolyte replacement product called Shot Bloks that are rather like gummi candies. Offered in a number of flavors, including strawberry, cola, orange, lemon lime, and cran razz, these little cubes are designed to give the athlete a boost of energy. Some of them contain caffeine, but all boast organic brown rice syrup and are sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice.

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I am not going to lie to you: I am not a big gummi person. Unless gummi bears or their squirmy gummi worm cousins are coated in a thick layer of sour sugar, I’m usually not interested. So when I heard about Loud Truck Energy Gummies at the All Candy Expo, I was hesitant to try one, until someone on the floor said the magic words: “It’s like eating a bag of Red Bull.”

To some people, that statement would be terrifying. To me, it was a starter pistol that sent me racing over to the Loud Truck Energy booth to sample these mystical bears of energy and goodness. I love Red Bull, and most energy-fueled treats, so I was hoping that Loud Truck gummies would provide a new (and possibly cheaper) alternative to my beloved Red Bull fix. I instantly fell in love with them at the All Candy Expo, and couldn’t wait to review them once I returned home.

This morning at 8:00 am, I ripped open a new pack of Loud Truck Energy Gummies to start the day. Taste-wise, the gummies are quite good. The bears are firm but soft, with a nice chewy texture that doesn’t stick to the teeth. They have a subtle citrus flavor that gets stronger as the bear is chewed - a nice bite toward the end of the chewing process brings to mind a sip of Red Bull - a fizzy citrus taste that lingers after the bear is gone.

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If I’ve learned anything about gum recently it’s this: gum isn’t just for chewing anymore. No, nowadays it freshens your breath, entertains your taste buds, even sends caffeine coursing through your system. X-it Sugarfree is no exception. In addition to X-it Sugarfree Gum, I also received several different types of mints and bonbons. I have enough gum and mints to keep my breath fresh for a decade.

What’s my favorite thing about these X-it products? Honestly, its the packaging. Each product comes in an attractive tin that tucks easily into your purse or pocket, guarding the lining against spillage. Even better, the tiny mints come in tins with black plastic lining that dispenses a couple at a time - even more protection against spillage!

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What do you look for when you pick up a pack of gum? Do you want it to freshen your breath? Maybe you’re trying to quit smoking cigarettes and you need something to chew on to help deter you from continuing the bad habit? Or do you want something with long-lasting flavor for a long, dull day at the office?

I discovered out that gum can have more than one duty when I found a package from the Action Candy Company in the mail. The company is releasing a new line of five sugar-free gums in January 2008, and three of those gums have a dual purpose - not only do they please your taste buds and freshen your breath, but they also help you out in other ways. The other two are intensely flavorful and breath-freshening.

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Want some sustenance for an all-night gaming session, something that’ll deliver a kick of caffeine just as well as your Mountain Dew and Bawls? Uncommon Loot thought so. They recently sent over a few Headshot bars, whose packages boast, “Headshot is a candy made for gamers by gamers. Feeling tired owning all those newbs? There is enough energy packed into this bar to improve your game so much, that people will be complaining you have an Aimbot!” Made with guarana, a highly caffeinated berry, the bar promises to pack quite a punch.

The first flavor Uncommon Loot released is Chewy Chocolate Toffee, though they plan to follow up and release new flavors such as Chewy Peanut Butter, Fudge Graham and Mocha Cappuccino every three months. The packaging looks like something a gamer would pick up - it’s silver and adorned with a cross hair and bullet holes.

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Since I started Candy Addict, I’ve reviewed a number of “energy” candies and they all seem to have one thing in common: they don’t taste all that great. That’s ok though, you don’t eat an energy candy for the taste, you want it to give you an energy boost - you just hope it doesn’t taste bad.

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Everyone remembers Jolt Cola, they hyper-caffeinated cola, right? Besides making Jolt Cola and Jolt Gum, now you can get Jolt Caffeine Energy Mints. The Mint Flurry flavored mints contain caffeine, guarana, and ginseng to give you a quick energy pick-me-up whenever you need it. Five mints equal the caffeine content of one cup of coffee and each tin contains 45 mints so a tin is 9 cups of coffee worth of caffeine.

The mints themselves are roughly the size and shape of an M&M and are off-white with a Jolt lightning bolt embedded in each one. They are very tasty too - probably the best tasting caffeine/energy mint I have had yet. The mint flavor is very nice - it reminds me of many of the “cool”/”icy” gum flavors that are out right now. The minty flavor doesn’t last long after the mint is gone, and because they’re tasty, it’s easy to eat five in a row to get the coffee cup’s worth of caffeine.

The mint’s texture is not quite as gritty as an Altoid, but not as smooth as an Ice Breaker. It lands somewhere in between and is just a little bit chalky like a Tums, but not overly so. Overall Jolt Mints are surprisingly good and since they are so tasty, I have no problem recommending Jolt Mints to anyone.

• Jolt Mints website

More candy articles about: candy, sweets, jolt, mint, mints, caffeine, ginseng, guarana, energy

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Admittedly, these aren’t actually candy, so I may not be the best judge of these. I’m just not an energy drink kind of guy. In fact, I don’t think I have ever bought an energy drink (wait, I might have had a Red Bull cocktail once - maybe). Diablo Ice Energy Strips are made by the same company that makes Diablo Energy Drinks (they sent me one of those too and I tried it - yuck - I guess you don’t drink energy drinks for the taste). The strips are said to have:

• All Natural Flavour
• Guarana (a natural source of caffeine)
• Ginseng (sustains and promotes energy)
• Cranberry Extract (antioxidant)
• Vitamin C

They are also sugar free, fat free, calorie free and ephedrine free. They are supposed to provide a quick pick-me-up when needed. They suggest taking 1 or 2 (up to 18 in a day) so you can be “instantly energized” and they come in a small pack of 18 of the now-familiar strips that everyone is making nowadays.

They taste like medicine, or mouthwash. They are tingly and minty and make my mouth feel like it does after rinsing with mouthwash only not as extreme. They are red and since they say they have cranberry extract I expected them to taste like cranberry, but they don’t. So, did they “instantly energize” me? I’m not sure. They did make me slightly light-headed for about 15 minutes when I took two, one after another. Does light-headed = energized?

So, do these actually give you instant energy? I’m not sure. They definitely affected me, I’m just not sure if it was energy that it gave me. If I really needed a pick-me-up, I would probably just hit the Shock-a-lots (taste great) or Foosh Mints (lots of caffeine). The Diablo Ice Energy Strips do freshen your breath (as a side-effect), but the freshening only lasts a short time - they might be good for a quick breath freshening when needed in a pinch, but I would think (though I don’t know), that something Listerine PocketPaks Breath Strips or a mint might work better for your breath.

• Diablo Ice Energy Strips website

More candy articles about: candy, sweets, energy, energy drink, energy drinks, guarana, ginseng, cranberry, cranberries, vitamin C, caffeine

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