Being a fan of Jones Soda and energy drinks in general, I was quite excited by the recent release of Jones Activated Energy Boosters. They’re not energy drinks but, rather, small white mints. Jones Soda Co. and Big Sky Brands — the respective makers — call them "high energy candy."
The metal tins are wrapped in protective plastic. Each tin is sold individually for around $1.99-$2.99 and is shaped rectangularly. They're fairly slim and deep, which makes them slide smoothly into and out of pockets, a must for quick energy fixes. Overall, the case is about the same quality as an Altoids box. The weak spot is definitely the lid, which is held to the body of the case by only a thin bent piece of tin. This shouldn't be a problem, though, unless you tend to abstractly open and close the lid a few hundred times daily like I do.
Each black tin is embossed with the word "JONES" in large silver letters across the side. Below that, the word "ENERGY" appears — each letter surrounded by a splattering of bright pink dots. On the lid is a sole decoration, a large "J" with a figure leaping onto it. The tins aren't bad looking. They're exactly what I'd expect "energy candy" to come in, but I was disappointed that Jones couldn't find a spot to sneak in their trademark photos. They did, however, put the text "Got a jones for a Jones?" on the inside of each lid.
With three tins of Jones Boosters, I decided to do more than just hoard them to myself. I liberally gave them out to friends and acquaintances I ran into. One of the first people I gave a candy, Tom, couldn't quite decided whether he liked them or if the aftertaste was a bit too strong. He did ask for a second when I saw him again. Another friend, Erik, definitely enjoyed the candies the most. He stated they were almost "perfectly flavored," even asking me to find out where he could purchase a few tins himself. My last taste-tester Meg, who doesn't consume energy drinks, thought they were "terrible" and refused to try another. This reaction represented an extreme, however, and most people seemed to be favorably disposed toward the candies.
Article comments
1 - Anna Creech
What is the sugar and caffeine content of each piece?
2 - Cameron Graham
Good question Anna - here's what the Nutritional Information states:
Sugar - 0g
Caffeine - 80mg
Taurine - 1000mg
However, you asked about Content Per Piece and the above figures pertain to Content Per Tin. Since there's 30 pieces in each tin the sugar, caffeine and taurtine figures Per Piece would come to roughly:
Sugar - 0g
Caffeine - 2.3mg
Taurine - 28.6mg
3 - Anna Creech
Hm. Well, one shot of espresso is approximately 100 mg of caffeine and generally less than $1.00. I think I'll stick with that.
4 - Trish
I just got my free pack in the mail- Big Sky had this promotion (which was on their MySpace page and the Big Sky Brand site) where if you filled out a simple form, you'd get a free pack of Jones Activated Energy Boosters. The envelope I received contained a info card (postcard size) the pack of candies and a cool Jones soda cap pin. I wasn't expecting the pin at all.