Foosh Energy Mints – Catch the Buzz…words

Now I had seen these particular caffeinated confections peddled on thinkgeek.com and, being the caffeine connoisseur, I felt it fell to me to give these puppies a try.

As the packaging, marketing materials, and website all repeat ad nauseum, these mints (roughly the size of a cough drop or horse tranquilizer), contain as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea, 1 ¼ cans of Red Bull, 3 cans of Coke, or 14 of those far-less-extreme “Other” caffeine mints. Additionally, each mint contains a hefty helping of B vitamins, ginseng, and taurine. The website also lauds these mints for not needing to be kept hot or cold like your grandpa’s lame cup of coffee or a can of Surge that is so 1990’s that it wears Hammer-pants. Marketing is the same across the board when it comes to caffeine products; make the product seem ‘extreme’ and give it the impression of anti-establishmentarianism while at the same time hint at the youth and vigor that the product will impart to both skate punk and cubicle jockey alike. I call this ploy “attitude without exclusion”.

Anyhow, on to the mints. Foosh Energy Mints are proudly emblazoned with an image of an atom, a detail that I appreciate quite a bit, not only because retro iconography is super cool, but also because it makes me feel like these aren’t just the sugared-up waste runoff from some industrial process, they are an intentional product. The mints are very refreshing and pleasant at first, lacking the bitterness of many caffeinated products. Quickly the outer layer melts away revealing a surface covered with hundreds of jagged peaks and bumps. While described by the packaging as “something fun for your mouth to play with”, everyone who sampled these mints found this sandpaper/wet cat litter texture to be a bit off-putting to say the least, garnering Foosh Energy Mints the epithet of “The Exfoliating Mints”.  As the mint reaches its core, the taste changes from minty and smooth to minty, chalky, and bitter. With Foosh being one of the strongest energy mints on the market, it is plausible that these elements, both textural and taste, are meant to discourage excessive consumption, I might also be giving Foosh more credit than is due.

Still, it is good to see a caffeine mint try something new, and I can attest to the solid, non-jittery energy boost that these guys deliver. If you can get past the texture and the bitter final moments of the mint’s life, I recommend picking some Foosh Energy Mints up, but if you're not feeling particularly extreme, you might be better off with an old-fashioned cup of Joe.