Rockstar energy gum

There are some companies that get people excited when they unveil a new product. Apple is a good example of this. Every time they have one of their big press conferences, people line their geek cubicles with pictures, argue about what the newest thing can and can not do, and rush to the apple store to be one of the first with the new i-chatchke.
Some energy beverage companies are the same way - where the talk of the newest sensation becomes an event. When Red Bull released their shot and cola, it created a bigger stir than imagined.
When one energy drink company comes out with a product, you know all the others are going to have to follow suit. As soon as I heard that AMP was coming out with a gum, I knew Rockstar, Monster, Full Throttle and Red Bull were very soon to follow. Before then, the only energy gum that was easily accessible was made my Go Fast ( which started off as the nastiest thing, but now tastes pretty good) and Jolt gum (which was decent, but weak).

When I saw the massive display of Rockstar gum at the Circle K, I knew that energy gum would be the new energy shots - the way that energy drink companies were going to increase their product line. It is time for the candy aisle to pick up where Energy shots have left off.

Buzz:8
The thing with Rockstar products is like Being a Rock Star. Sometimes you get something like "And Justice for all", one of the best Metallica albums ever. Then sometimes you get "St. Anger" or "Load & Reload" which is weak and crappy. Same holds true when comparing, say, Rockstar Sugar Free with Rockstar Zero Carb. They are all inconsistent enough to not know what you are going to get.
I was so hoping for an incredible boost and power to the hilt - something akin to the effects of Go Fast gum. No luck here, giving as much boost as Mad Croc, Jolt Gum, Amp Gum, and the dozen or so out there, not taking any chances or risks. You have to chew 4 pieces of gum to equal one original 16 ounce Rockstar energy drink, and up to 5 to equal one of their more powerful drink offerings. While I like it that they also have a bit of taurine, insolitol and B vitamins, they have been beaten to the punch, and don't really bring anything new to the table.

For those who are concerned with such things, this product also contains aspartame, along with sucralose and Ace K, which is a whole heck of a lot of sweeteners.

Taste:8
Why so sweet? That was the only way to kill the bitterness of this Curiously Strong flavor. If you love altoids, you will really enjoy Iced Mint Rockstar gum. This tastes just like those powerful mints, enough that the taste might wake you up in and of itself. It is great as a breath freshener and awesome after meals. But if you are unprepared and just want some chewing gum, it is too much at one time. Not to mention, you have to chew at least 2, but more like 4 or 5 pieces to feel anything.
And with this gum, that might take a while. Like a good chewing gum, this flavor lasts and lasts, giving you that nice minty preath for a good 5 minutes, which is an insanely long time for me to chew gum without swallowing it, being gross with it enough that I toss it out of the respect for others ( I am a repentant open-mouth gum chewer) or accidentally biting down on my cheek and spitting it out in pain. chewing 5 pieces of gum took almost a good 45 minutes for me to do, and in the end, the boost was not quite worth the work.

Packaging:8
Nothing special here either. I did enjoy the graphics, and the very clear "80 mg per serving! 2 pieces=1 serving!" writing on here. It is a riff of the rockstar logo, and designed top notch. The only problem is the the issues of standing out from the crowd. After all, once the radio is saturated with Nickleback and Stone Sour and Clutch, what chance does Theory of a Deadman have? The growly hard rockers have saturated the market, and energy gum is getting that way too. Even this chicklet design is one used by just about every energy gum. It is pretty, but definitely time to innovate if they want to sell this.