Energy drinks overall are the bane of my  existence. They run  completely  counter to the way in which I enjoy getting caffeinated. Go big or go home works for many things but for sugary beverages it goes too far. That is why I enjoy coffee and in a pinch a good energy  alternative. Enter Revive Energy Mints. I was contacted about the possibility over  reviewing  these mints and I jumped at the chance. What new father of a lovely little girl wouldn’t give to have a little extra pep in his step after a sleepless night?

Join us as we wander through the claims, the taste and finally the verdict on Revive Energy Mints

The Claims:

I like Simple claims and easily provable or disprovable grounds to judge products on.

• Claim #1: One Mint is equal to One Energy drink
• Claim #2:  Added antioxidants

Like I said Simple enough for anyone to give it a run down.

A quick check of the label saw that all doses of vitamins are below the recommended daily allowances so I felt safe to continue. There are plenty of products out there which overload you with a B vitamin cocktail, and i just don’t feel like turning my body into an FDA lab. In fact the only Vitamin included is Vitamin C and you get a dose of 10% DV, or 6mg. More than anything I think the  citrus  taste was there to mask the caffeine taste.

The other  ingredients  are no  stranger  to the energy drink market Caffeine, Guarana, Green Tea, Ginseng, Acai, Mangosteen, Goji. The only one I wasn’t familiar with was Mangosteen, which sounded like a heavy metal guitarist more than an  ingredient, however a  little  research turns out to be a rare Ultra Tropical fruit with a slight citrus taste, Rock on. The Energy Blend weighed in at 220mg for a single mint, with some of that coming from  caffeine  itself. Obviously not a breath mint the packaging suggests a maximum intake of three per 24 hours. Which depending on your caffeine tolerance is more than enough to get you going and keep you there.

Taste:

This  category  is where the I draw the line. if something doesn’t taste good how could I  recommend  or continue reviewing a product? Well the Revive Energy Mins passed with flying colors. Unlike other mints which choose to  accentuate  the Mint flavor to hide caffeine’s naturally  occurring  bitter flavor revive has a hint of mint and a subtle sweet flavor. Whether you choose to chew the mint right up or keep it around for a while it never turns to a bitter flavor. Way too many energy mints blast you with mint flavor, in the hopes that you chew the product up before the bitter caffeine hits. This is not the case, good stuff all around.

Effects:

This is not my first rodeo when it comes to caffeine. I run a fairly high octane ship as many of you know, but of late I’ve been down to about 3 cups of coffee a day, while  still  feeling a little kick with each cup of strong black coffee. Taking a single Mint I felt nice and motivated to take on the day despite only having a few scant hours of sleep the night before. No sugar meant no crash at the end just a gentle cool down after a couple of hours of high energy. Your  mileage  may and will vary depending on you tolerance, but if you can drink a standard issue energy drink you shouldn’t have any problem with these at all.

Cost:

According to Revive’s website the only size you can order online is a 24 pack for $24.87, plus shipping and handling. Which would out to just over a dollar a mint at the quantity. So it would end up saving money of the standard issue eneryg drink which usually rolls in at around 3 – 4 dollars a can. There is also a handy store locator to find places that stock smaller  quantities.

My one suggestion for Revive would be to offer a low cost two pack of the mints for online purchase, this way people would be able to buy a sample size to try things out, if they didn’t like them they wouldn’t have to spend 24 dollars to find out. The  business  end of this doesn’t seem focused on online sales but rather  distribution  to stores so this may or may not be a valid point.

Conclusion:

I could never replace coffee with anything, I drink coffee for more than a kick, I drink coffee for enjoyment and to slow down while powering up. However if you are an energy drink fiend then Revive Energy Mints should definitely  be on your short list of products to enjoy. The price point alone sells them as a viable  alternative  to energy drinks in my book.

As it is right now I have them on hand for when I don’t have enough time to make coffee on my way out the door in the morning. What say you?

Disclosure: I was provided a sampling of Revive Energy Mints at no cost to me for the sole purpose of reviewing the product.