MEG (Military Energy Gum) - Arctic Mint | Enhance Your Physical Performance with 100mg of Caffeine Per Piece, Ultimate Energy Boost for Workouts, Alternative to Energy Drinks | Pack of 24

I'm the type of person who uses caffeine as a drug to stay focused. My friend, who was former military, gave me a pack of these to try. Let me just say that the military money gets results! This was fact acting, small, and cheap. It works out to about $0.25 a cup of coffee- each gum has 100mg caffeine (5 pieces per packet, 24 packs per box). This destroys any other caffeinated products I've ever tried- it beats coffee for price and ease of use. It beats jolt gum cause it has 6x the amount of caffeine jolt does. It beats energy drinks because they are so expensive and loaded with TONS of sugar. These things are extremely portable- just carry in your pocket (they were meant for military!). Great for law enforcement to have in the war bag to stay awake in the field when you are stuck on a call or stakeout. A friend who is in vet school loves these cause they have to stay alert and study so much. To be honest, you don't buy stuff like this for taste. The first minute of these things you just taste the sugar and flavoring, but after that the bitter taste of the caffeine starts to be come apparent. The taste comes out slowly at first, and never completely overpowering, but anyone chewing this just to enjoy gum, and not as a tool to stay awake, would never chose this gum over any other gum in the world for flavor. That being said, the taste isn't terrible. I've had all 5 flavors. The Cinnamon is the worst, and unless you are a fan of big red or gum like that I would avoid it (I don't like Cinnamon flavor). IMO, the Spearmint flavor tastes the best at first (only slightly better than Arctic Mint), but then the caffeine is more noticeable with Spearmint in the end than with Arctic Mint flavor. Overall, if you are going for the best overall flavor experience I chose Arctic Mint. I cannot recommend these enough.

I work full time. I go to grad school full time. I like caffeine.This is caffeine. All the pros and cons of caffeine obviously apply to this gum. There are some additional pluses and minuses in this form, though.(+) This seems to work faster than other forms of caffeine, probably because it begins to absorb through the mouth instead of waiting for it to get to the digestive tract.(+) Simply the act of chewing any gum seems to help me stay alert and focus. Yes, this could be achieved by consuming another form of caffeine and having non-caffeinated gum... but I like the efficiency of this approach.(-) Unfortunately, using this too often (~5+ pieces per day for a few days) seems to make my mouth slightly tender. I try to mitigate this slightly by drinking a lot of water with it, but sometimes I have to switch to other forms of caffeine to give my mouth a break.I've given pieces to coworkers and classmates, and they all agree that it really works.Most people dislike the taste, but no one has hated it enough to spit it out right away. I actually like the flavor of the arctic mint and the spearmint is okay. The cinnamon flavor is STRONG, but most brands of cinnamon gum are strong, so you might like it if you like that sort of flavor.If you've tried this back when the gum was circular, note that the recipe was improved when they switched to a more rectangular geometry. The gum is now softer and seems to stay fresh longer.Some hints for improving the boost you get from this:- Take a vitamin B complex with it, and you'll essentially have a cheap form of "5-Hour Energy." (Yes, I know that 5-Hour Energy has other ingredients, too... but most of the effect is simply due to the vitamin B with the caffeine.)- Drink lots of water while chewing this gum, since lack of hydration can cause fatigue. This is especially important since caffeine negatively affects the body's hydration, and the gum (unlike soda or coffee) doesn't contain water.- Chew half a piece at a time (50 mg), twice as often. This helps even out the energy. For some people, a half piece might be all you need. A half piece provides a little more than a soda worth of caffeine.- To prevent my body from becoming totally dependent on caffeine, I avoid caffeine on the weekends. I also go off of caffeine completely for a week every couple of months. This helps the caffeine work better when I really need it.

I've purchased this before, in smaller quantities, the sample size, which I highly recommend the first time you try this. Having said that, I have elevated this to be a staple in my life now. I won't ever be without it.It's a cup of coffee in a stick of gum! Not the taste of coffee, but the caffeine effect.Here's why it's actually better than coffee: 1) It is absorbed through the mouth, so it hits your system faster 2) It's cheaper than Starbucks 3) It doubles as a breath freshener 3) Tested by the military, for the military. (Send you soldier or sailor some in a care-package!) 4) No need to tip the waitress, 5) Less messy when you put the leftovers it in your pocket (5 sticks to a package).Here's why it's worse than a cup of coffee: 1) You won't get to talk to that cute waitress 2) You won't get to gaze into the eyes of that girl you're meeting, 3) You don't get the enjoyment of stirring your cream and sugar and watching the color change 4) You can't discuss business ideas over a stick of gum 5) Its weird to ask a friend out for a piece of gum.I was so distressed when I couldn't find this online, I actually tracked down and emailed the company asking what the supply problem was. Turns out it was a packaging equipment failure...they couldn't wrap it up to sell. Of course I offered to come over and help fix the equipment right away, but they politely declined. What they did do, however, was to send me a couple of samples (along with some Big League Chew gum which they also make) to help me get through the shortage. They didn't have to do that, I was already a raving fan, but I'm even more so now.And, for the record, I purchased a tray of each flavor so that I won't run out again...I usually chew a stick every afternoon when that dip in energy starts around 2-3 pm. It really does shift my productivity and alertness back up, but without the crash later you get from sugary energy drinks. I originally got this to use working snow removal during snowstorms...when I often couldn't leave to get coffee, or there wasn't anyone open to get it. I probably gave out half of the first tray I bought to co-workers and friends. I always keep some with me.Please note that there is a bit of a strong taste sort of "in the middle" when you're chewing it after a minute...my guess is that is the caffeine kicking in. I don't mind it, but some more delicate paletes might. Get the smaller sample first and send it to me if you don't like it, I'll chew it! ;)If you're a prepper, then you certainly need this for your bug-out bag...when the adrenalin starts to fade, or if you need to push on to escape the apocalypse, this will help you do the job. If you want something to barter, this might work well too.And I will acknowledge there are other caffeine products on Amazon, but I'm not into taking a caffeine pill, and the other gums had less, some significantly less caffeine, which meant it would cost more and I'd have to chew more to get the same results. I found the best, I don't need to experiment.One caution: READ the label. Follow the recommended number of sticks in the time frame. I've never had any issues...but I can see someone getting sick from being foolish and chewing 400 pieces at once.Buy all you want, Ive already got mine!