I love coffee as much as the next person, but there are times when I just don't have time to drink a cup before heading to class. With midterms seemingly never ending, I've definitely been feeling that for the past few days.
Thankfully, my prayers were answered when my sister gave me a bag of free samples from the food show she went to for her work. The shining star in the bag that caught my eye was Java Me Up Coffee Bars, an all natural bar that claims to have half a cup of coffee (35 mg of caffeine) per serving and is advertised as "coffee that never spills."
The bars come in two flavors, Café Mocha and Caramel Macchiato, and are only 160 calories per bar. They also have the added benefit of having fiber and protein and are all natural, so I was already impressed with them before I even tried them.
The wrapper seemed almost too good to be true, so I decided to see how effective the bars were. I tested them out on one of my more stressful days of the week to see if they got me through the day without having a major caffeine and sugar crash, and I can honestly say they did.
The Test
I decided to have the Caramel Macchiato bar as soon as I woke up because I stayed up late to study for my midterm and I wanted to wake up a little earlier than usual so I could put in an extra hour of studying before my first class.
Usually I need at least two alarms to get me out of bed—and about 20 minutes to actually acclimate to the fact that I have to be awake—but as soon as I had my Java Me Up Bar I was ready to go. That being said, It could've been because of how sweet the Caramel Macchiato bar was.
I'm not the biggest fan of overly sweet breakfast foods, so this was a bit jarring. The English Toffee was a little much for me, but the bitter coffee taste helped cut down on the sugar overload. Besides, it was kinda fun to have a change of pace from the usual almond butter and fruit that I have for breakfast.
Usually I would've puttered around my room lazily getting ready for the next hour and would end up with maybe 20 minutes to study if I was lucky. After I finished my bar, however, I was able to get ready in less than 30 minutes (a new record for me) and was out the door with plenty of time to study.
In that regard, the Java Me Up bar definitely hit it out of the park. I presumed that it would give me a good jolt in the morning, but I was wary of how long this high would last, given that the bar is basically just caffeine and sugar. Another aspect that I was wary of was the fact that the bars have milk in them.
I have a sensitive stomach when it comes to dairy, but usually I'm fine if there's only a little bit. That being said, the combo of caffeine and dairy was somewhat of a challenge on my lactose sensitive stomach, so I would use with caution if you're lactose intolerant.
As for the sustained energy, I was able to make it through most of my first class alert and in the zone. Towards the end of my class my mind began to wander, but it could've been because my midterm was in less than an hour.
By the time my midterm finally rolled around I was pumped up and ready to go. Even after my test I still had a feeling of energy that I usually don't have in the mid afternoon, so it was great to be able to have some extra energy to get work done.
Do I Recommend?
I would definitely recommend Java Me Up Coffee Bars if you're looking for an extra boost on busier days. They gave me a surprising perk of sustained energy throughout the day and I had no sugar or caffeine crash at any point.
I would say that those who are sensitive to dairy or lactose intolerant should be warned, I did feel a little iffy for a little bit but it's nothing that a Lactaid wouldn't fix.
All in all I was very impressed by Java Me Up, the bars really delivered on what they promised and I will definitely be looking out for them when I need a boost on a busy day.