F’nReview: AWAKE Caffeinated Chocolate When Coffee Becomes a Snack
F’nReview: AWAKE Caffeinated Chocolate When Coffee Becomes a Snack
We went to the VibeApple Inflatable Safari party expecting inflatable animals, food, drinks and the usual assortment of things that make us stop and say, “Well, we have to try that.”
We did not necessarily expect to discover coffee disguised as chocolate.
Then we found AWAKE.
AWAKE Caffeinated Chocolate makes caffeinated chocolate bites designed to provide the energy boost of coffee without actually requiring you to drink another cup. Each individual bite contains 50mg of caffeine, which the company equates to approximately half an 8-ounce cup of coffee. A full-sized bar contains 100mg.
Naturally, Mike and Joe had to investigate.
First Question: Does Caffeinated Chocolate Actually Taste Good?
Yes.
And that’s probably the most important part of this review.
There are plenty of products that take something good, add caffeine to it and somehow turn the entire experience into eating a chemistry experiment. AWAKE doesn’t have that obvious caffeine bitterness. The company says it encapsulates the caffeine before incorporating it into the chocolate specifically to avoid that caffeine taste.
We started sampling flavors.
Then we sampled some more.
Eventually, this stopped being a tasting and became a fairly comprehensive investigation of the available chocolate.
AWAKE currently offers varieties including milk chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, dark chocolate and crispy milk chocolate, among others. The caramel version combines milk chocolate with a caramel filling, while the peanut butter version goes directly after that classic chocolate-and-peanut-butter combination.
Mike’s assessment was straightforward:
They’re delicious.
And Joe agreed.
The problem was what happened next.
Joe Apparently Needed the Double Dose
One AWAKE Bite equals approximately half a cup of coffee.
Joe took two.
That would be 100mg of caffeine approximately one cup of coffee by AWAKE’s comparison.
This might sound excessive until you understand that Joe’s normal morning caffeine routine involves roughly a pot of coffee and five shots of espresso.
At that point, two caffeinated chocolates aren’t really an energy supplement.
They’re an appetizer.
Which raises an important business question:
AWAKE, why are you not sponsoring this man?
There may genuinely be no better product-market fit.
Chocolate You Can Keep in Your Pocket
Beyond the novelty, we actually understand the appeal.
The bites are individually wrapped, portable and don’t require finding a coffee shop, carrying around a drink or waiting for somebody to make an espresso. AWAKE describes its bites as an on-the-go alternative to coffee and energy drinks.
And unlike an energy shot, you’re eating chocolate.
That’s a pretty compelling trade.
There is one thing worth remembering: this is still caffeine. AWAKE recommends a maximum of four bites per day and says the caffeinated products aren’t recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or people sensitive to caffeine.
Joe should probably read that first sentence again.
The F’nVerdict
Sometimes we try something at an event because it looks interesting and that’s the end of it.
AWAKE was one of the products we kept going back to until we’d basically worked our way through the lineup.
Mike: Delicious.
Joe: Delicious. Needs two.
F’nAround: F’nApproved.
Coffee and chocolate were already two of humanity’s better ideas.
Apparently somebody finally decided they belonged in the same wrapper.
The video review: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcoYT1Sxe8o/?igsi=MXh4ZWF4YWlnbWc5NA==