In this case, my snack to jour was a nice lightly caffeinated almost-but-not-quite-healthy offering from Arma Energy Snx. While I find the name as extreme as I do imposing, that is nothing when compared to the post-apocalyptic packaging that both thrills and frightens me. I took this with me to to see the Dinosaurs in the museum with a hoarde of elementary school kids. I figured if this could keep me up and running with hyperactive overcrowded schoolchildren squacking over anamatronic prehistoric creatures, It could cope under some pretty tough circumstances. Not to mention, I would not look like I am that obnoxious dad downing a Rockstar with my kids during lunch. Instead, I am that healthy and nutritious dad eating GORP and granola. I even managed to sneak some to my 4th grade daughter when she started to flag outside the space exhibit without any other parents chaperoning the trip giving me the eye (because I really am that kind of obnoxious dad).
Packaging:10
By itself, this Bioshock-esque canister of treats is pretty amazing, but the actual design of this snack starts before you can even get to it. Arma has devised this cool paper holder that wraps the canister and holds it like a Christmas ornament, so if the convenience store does not have shelf space, they can hang this up on a wire rack instead! It also gives them a little more room to advertise its benefits and promote their look and feel.
And there is one hell of a lot of looking and feeling with the canister - as it is one of the cooler ideas I have seen. The actual shape of the package is very unique - like something that should contain a Transformer or a Bionicle . The ridges on top and sturdy plastic make this look like it would be safe taking into battle. This motif is even more pronounced with their distressed grunge metal and militaristic typefaces. The whole package give off a lovely dystopian edge - which I find VERY appealing.
On top of that, this is also quite functional. They list caffeine as well as all the other energy ingredients, and everything is readable and displayed well. They seal it with the paper wrap - but in a way that you dont have to ruin the design to get to the good stuff inside. The top is even resealable, so you can fill this with different stuff when you are down - or save some of this snack for later.
Taste: Fruit Bomb - 6 RPG Granola - 8
I was able to sample two kinds that they sold in the store, a the F Bomb Fruit mix and the chocolate chip granola mix. The first I tried out was their F bomb, F-BOMB is an fruit trail mix with peanuts, almonds, raisins and cranberries - and it tastes like a fruit mix of peanuts, almonds, raisins and cranberries. I mean - its just not very special. It isn't bad, it is just kinda boring. I don't know why I was expecting something more than gorp, and if you get into gorp I am sure you will find this acceptable (more about gorp can be found here). If I were a regular trail hiker I could see tossing this in my backpack for a nice healthy munch. Seeing as I hike about three times a year - I would pass this up for their RPG flavor.
I liked the GRP - granola chocolate chip snacks much more though. The chips stayed nice and dry, but got melty and chewy in my mouth. The granola was also sweetened too, so this was more like a sweet dessert snack than just nuts and berries. It also contained more flavoring in it too, like a sweet dark sugar flavor from molasses, honey and brown sugar, and it tasted nutty and crunchy too.
Buzz:7
The most impressive part of this snack is the energy they managed to get in here. Not just the 70mg of un-taste-able caffeine they put in here somehow, but also they get taurine, Glucurolactone, inositol, and a whole mess of B vitamin complex in here too. This is an amazing thing if you are looking for that little edge during your workout, as it has a little protein in here too.
I definitely did not feel a buzz after chewing down a carton - but I did feel a little lift - both in energy and in stamina in the gym. While some of it might have been psychosomatic, I definitely felt healthier, and able to push my workout a little further than I had before. The same was true when i mowed through a pack for an afternoon snack. I was feeling a little slumped a couple hours after lunch, and this got me through the day with my brain and body more or less intact. While the energy in Arma is not going to blow you way, it is a pleasantly peppy snack.
