SumNuts Energized Honey Roasted Peanuts

SumNuts Energy Peanuts are a new product, made from the same geniuses behind SumSeeds caffeinated sunflower seeds. As soon as I saw the company on this bag of peanuts, I knew I was in for a good time. Dakota Valley really know what they were doing with the sunflower seeds, infusing the actual seed, not just coating the outer shell with it. even though these nuts were seedless, I was pretty sure they worked some kind of magic to somehow surprise me with this honey sweet snack.

I found the perfect day to test them, one where I had to drive over 100 miles in suburban stop-and-go traffic after a very long night. I had to leave so early that I did not even grab a coffee before heading out. I expected the worst as I stared blearily out into the too bright traffic.

Packaging: N/A
I had no idea what to expect from this bag of nuts, as the labeling and overall design were almost non-existant. I imagine that kingofcaffeine.com had sent me a sample of a product to come, as they are yet to be listed in his shop. He does have their almonds, called Hypernutz, as well as all the sunflower seeds.

Taste:7
I did know that I started out with no coffee or breakfast - grumpy, hungry and tired. I needed some fast healing - something to not me get all Los Angeles on all the crappy suburban kids pretending they knew how to drive their parents cars. It took longer than I expected to get through the bag of peanuts, forgetting that they are a real food, unlike so many other caffeinated candies we have been having lately. When I think of honey roasted peanuts, I picture sweet and salty, like what you would get from a bag of Planters or Frito-Lay - something which satisfies both the salt craving and your sweet tooth. There is that lovely balance between the strong tastes and the crunchy texture that is just perfect.

This didn't have it. It was kinda sweet, and it wasn't a little salty, but it was very mild and subdued. While this was not a bad treat by any means, but I was really hoping for more flavor to come through. The natural Honey just was not powerful enough to give this the sweet I was looking for. While the peanuts tasted very nice, I was left really wanting a lot more flavor than this could deliver.

Buzz:9
Even with the light coating, this worked like a charm. Somehow, Dakota Valley got the actual peanut itself to contain all the energy ingredients, instead of it just being in the thin coating. The peanuts did not taste all all medicinal, surprising for all the energy packed into it. There is a serious 140mg of caffeine, as well as taurine, lysine and ginseng. It really did the trick too. They used Black Hills Gold® Honey instead of sugar to lightly sweeten the mix, so there was no real crash - and the peanuts themselves were a healthy nutritious snack.
Still, how they managed to pack all that caffeine into the nut itself is just magical.

About a half hour after eating them, I felt not only satisfied hunger-wise, but was able to concentrate and feel more alert. Don't expect crazy energy, as this won't give anything close to jittery wiredness - but this does pack a mellow boost, about equal to a double espresso. I ended up not seeding another caffeinated thing until later on in the afternoon, about 75 miles into my 100 mile day. Forget your Snickers, for real satisfaction, I'll take caffeinated nuts any day.