My daily routine is fairly predictable, I wake up and start the coffee pot almost immediately in order to begin my day as a functioning father, husband, and employee. Before my caffeine boost, it feels like I am running a marathon through quicksand.
Needless to say, caffeine is a crucial component for my overall productivity and I don’t like to admit this, but I’m not sure where I would be without it.
Coffee is great, but it isn’t always the most ideal way of getting the boost I need. Sometimes, I need something quick without the hassle of making a pot of coffee or getting stuck in the drive-thru line at Starbucks.
You can imagine my joy when I did some digging and found a coffee alternative that was fast, convenient, and tasted great too.
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Apollo Energy Gum
Apollo Brands LLC produces a simple alternative to your usual caffeine consumption with its
Apollo Energy Gum line. It’s extremely portable and begins to work almost immediately.
Also, it’s a pack of gum, a familiar accessory for your pocket, purse, or glove compartment, which can go anywhere you do. Even with its portable carriers, coffee can’t match the size and mobility of a pack of gum.
Another perk of the Apollo Gum is that it provides a hard case to avoid squishing the pieces, which releases the gum’s important liquid center.
Whether it be hiking, mountain biking, or kayaking the Apollo energy Gum hard case allows you to go full speed without worrying about ruining their energy source. You can pop a piece and go for as long as you like.
Why Apollo Energy Gum?
Apollo Energy Gum is more than just a way to introduce more energy into your life. Chewing the gum can upgrade your mind as well as your body, helping you think sharper, quicker, and improve your concentration in the process. I found that to be the case in my experience; more on that later.
Apollo Energy Gum contains no sugar or aspartame and prides itself on building a healthier version of you while upping your performance. It provides your mind and body with 80 mg of natural caffeine, which is just shy of the 95 mg of caffeine that you find in a regular 8 ounce cup of coffee. The gum contains B vitamins to ensure optimum energy and recovery which will benefit athletes that chew the gum.
The vegan community will also be happy to hear that the gum is completely animal-free and safe for vegans to use. The gum contains xylitol which is a natural alcohol found in plants and used by some as an effective sugar substitute. Unlike sugar, the xylitol doesn’t convert to acid causing oral health issues. Xylitol is even found in oral care products to prevent things like tooth decay and dry mouth.
Disclosure: Apollo sent us a free sample for this test, but they have no editorial influence on the content of this review.
Initial Thoughts
Packaging
The gum came in a relatively normal pack but the branding and design definitely caught my eye. The pack also had a lot of pertinent information on it, making the decision easier for those with strict health requirements. I was surprised to not see the “V” on the front as vegans are a very particular bunch. Other than that omission, however, the wrapping announced the healthy perks – zero sugar, xylitol – which was a nice touch and could easily sway the right consumer.
Taste
The gum’s spearmint flavoring was refreshing and, unlike some energy gums I have tried in the past, didn’t have a chemical or medicine-like aftertaste. The gum hits you with a strong minty flavor followed by a burst of liquid from the gum’s center. The liquid contains the natural caffeine and B vitamins that you need to stay sharp and lazer-focused. The closest comparison I can give to the liquid burst are Gushers, the fruit snacks that were popular in the ‘90s when I was a kid.
The flavor didn’t last as long as a normal stick of gum but I didn’t need it to and this healthy alternative to traditional gum was well worth the lasting taste tradeoff.
Results
Because of the enormous benefits that Apollo was said to have, I decided to make my review as comprehensive as possible and completed various multiple tasks while using the gum. Playing basketball while chewing it was my main priority. I am almost forty and can’t keep up like I used to so any enhancement in my game is welcome.
Once that was a success I incorporated the gum into other aspects of my life and was blown away by the results.
Basketball/Working Out
The first time I had the gum was for pick-up basketball. As busy dads, we play at 6 am on Saturday mornings and I was able to forego my morning coffee in favor of a piece of Apollo Energy Gum. Not only did it give me the energy I needed but it also saved me 10 minutes in the morning while waiting for my coffee to brew. I hopped in my car and popped a piece of gum on my way.
I definitely wasn’t craving my morning coffee as the gum did a great job of perking me up and my game didn’t miss a beat. I felt energized and never crashed during the 2-hour session. I also felt great when I got home. I skipped coffee altogether that day and even got a yoga session later in the day when my kids were asleep.
When I go to the gym I can’t usually get there until 10 pm and my workouts are sometimes lackluster and uninspiring. I decided to pop a piece of Apollo before a workout and it made a difference. The boost was refreshing to feel so late at night. I never would have drunk coffee at 10 pm but the gum was a reasonable move and it paid off. And, with just the right amount of caffeine for the workout, I was able to fall asleep easily without the insomnia coffee can induce.
Work
I am a writer who currently works from home and I can definitely attest to the afternoon crash that comes about an hour after I have eaten my lunch and I have to get my brain to function again. One thing I lack in droves after lunch is the proper focus. I have always done my best work first thing in the morning and I am always looking for methods to improve performance after lunch.
One day I just couldn’t get over the 2 pm hump and threw a piece of Apollo Gum in my mouth. Two o’clock turned to four o’clock real fast and before I knew it, I had answered several important emails and written around a thousand words without looking up from my screen. I felt sharp as ever and the words came to me with greater ease than normal. I was also able to communicate with my team better which led to greater productivity on their end as well.
Overnight Drive
My family and I recently drove from North Carolina to Upstate New York and we always drive through the night to avoid traffic and to allow our two young ones to sleep for most of the trip. I was excited to see how the Apollo Energy Gum would perform during the drive and I wasn’t disappointed. There is a spot during the trip where I always trade off driving with my wife and I was able to push it an extra 2 hours without stopping thanks to the gum.
My wife saw the difference in my driving too and decided to try a piece for her shift behind the wheel. She noticed an immediate difference in her ability to focus on the road and we didn’t have to stop at a dark rest stop to grab coffee for her. She is also caffeine sensitive and sometimes an entire cup of coffee makes her jittery. The 80 mg of natural caffeine that the gum contained was the perfect dose for her to remain sharp on the road without the anxiety.
We both agreed that the gum was a game changer for our annual road trip and decided not to make that drive again without a pack of Apollo Energy Gum handy. It costs less than coffee, is more convenient, and is always on hand whenever we feel like popping a piece. The ability to boost your energy without having to pull off the road is crucial when you have young children in the car that you aren’t trying to wake up.
Takeaways
I am always cynical when I hear that something, other than proper rest and diet, will boost my physical and mental performance. My cynicism was quelled pretty quickly after I experienced the results. Not only did my athletic performance improve, but I felt great while on the basketball court. It didn’t help me shoot any better, unfortunately, but I guess Apollo Energy Gum can’t work miracles.
While I was happy with the physical improvements, the benefits I felt mentally was what really put me over the edge in becoming a fan of Apollo Energy Gum. After becoming a parent I could sense the effort it involved and the toll it took on other aspects of my life. I wasn’t as sharp at work as I used to be and I found myself procrastinating things around the house due to complete exhaustion. Not anymore. Apollo Energy Gum got me back on track.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with every aspect of the Apollo Energy Gum. It had great packaging, tasted great like traditional gum, and aided my performance in every aspect of my daily life. It even gained my wife as a fan once she saw first-hand what it did to my overall performance. My daily routine will now include Apollo Energy Gum and I am already anticipating big results.
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