The Truth About Chewable Coffee
While some people are so caffeine-addicted that they keep a coffee maker by the bed, and others have invested in a remote coffee maker so that they can get a morning pot started while they're still under the covers (via Men's Journal), that's not enough for everyone, as it turns out.
Canadian musician Grimes has an equally creative (albeit condensed) approach. In an interview with the Food Diaries podcast, she said that she deals with the all-too-common struggle to get out of bed in the morning by keeping a package of "chewable coffee" by the bed (via Harper's Bazaar). She'll wake up, pop one of the cubes, and then take a caffeine nap, in which she waits for the "coffee" to enter her system.
The chewable coffee she references is made by a California-based company called Go Cubes (via Business Insider). The product initially was introduced as an Indiegogo project (via The Next Web) and contains four gummy coffee cubes per pack.
Is it coffee, or is it more like cocaine?
Each cube consists of 50 milligrams of caffeine and comes in three flavors: pure drip, mocha, and latte. In addition to the caffeine content, Go Cubes include vitamin B6, folic acid, and glucuronolactone, which are common energy drink ingredients. A green tea extract called L-Theanine is also added to the formula because scientists believe that it helps to amplify both the absorption and effects of caffeine. The effects are said to last from four to six hours, but it appears that the cubes are significantly more pungent than a regular morning cup of coffee, with a reviewer from The Next Web commented, "I'm pretty sure this is what cocaine feels like."
In addition to them being both vegan and gluten-free, the texture is likened to Sour Patch Kids or Haribo candies. An early version was considered to be too bitter and the formula was revamped (via Business Insider). Now, the cubes are coated with sugar — each serving contains 6 grams.