We're all so used to the everyday flow of going through the Starbucks drive thru and hitting up late-night grocery stores to get our favorite caffeinated concoction, but that $5 daily tab adds up quickly. Luckily, there are alternatives out there to get your caffeine kick (think special morning teas and herbal drinks). However, personally, I've had my eye on AWAKE caffeinated chocolate bars. Here's what happened when I decided to test these bad boys out for myself and decide if they're really worth it.
What is AWAKE?
Yup, I am talking about a chocolate bar that contains caffeine. I would imagine this to be every college kid's dream come true. AWAKE has mainly spread word around college campuses, and I happened to stumble upon them in the grocery store check-out line. The label says "Caffeine Equivalent 1 Bar = 1 Cup O' Joe." Wow. One bar is the same as throwing back a cup of coffee? I threw a few in my shopping cart and was on my way. I decided to give this caffeine alternative a try instead of fighting my way through the ever-crowded Starbucks queue.
For the next five days, I embarked on a journey no college student would ever willingly do: replace my coffee with a caffeinated chocolate bar. I'm not going to lie, it was rough going from a caramel macchiato to a candy bar, but I must say the results were better than I expected.
The Pros
In five days, I saved at least $20. The chocolate bars are sweet and not bitter as I would've thought a caffeine chocolate bar would be. It tasted surprisingly normal. My calorie intake was reduced by at least 3/4 of my daily caffeine. Each bar is priced at $1.30 (could vary depending on location). The cost of five bars is enough to buy me a fancy espresso drink — talk about a deal. I actually felt more energized and more ready to take on the day when I had these as a morning snack.
The Cons
For the real caffeine addicts out there, myself included, it would have to take more than one bar a day to get a good enough kick. It gets tricky when trying to measure how much caffeine your crafted beverage at Starbucks has in it, but an average brewed cup of coffee has between 95-165 milligrams of caffeine, according to the Mayo Clinic.
An AWAKE bar has 101 mg. That's a considerable amount for a bar that's quick and easy to grab, but most college kids throw back cups and cups of coffee. Is one bar really enough to get you through the day? You can be the judge of that.
#SpoonTip: For those with peanut/nut allergies, you may want to read the ingredients before trying this out.
I can say I was impressed that this little caffeine bar had a decent enough affect, both on my energy level and my wallet. These delicious chocolate bars are worth the investment. I would definitely use these as an alternative from everyday coffee, and as for the price, you can't beat it. However, fair warning to those caffeine junkies – you may not get the same results if you have a higher caffeine tolerance and intake. But they're still worth a shot!