Update
I worked through my first box, and while I delayed ordering (they are a smidge pricey) the convenience of being able to grab and go without brewing and pouring a cup of coffee is just too awesome. I'd still like to see some of the improvements made I suggested in my original review, but these definitely kick backside. Upped my rating to 5 stars as they've grown on me :-)!!
Original review
This is certainly a different kind of product, and I think it will take an acquired taste to use on a regular basis. That said, I do highly recommend it.
I drink a lot of strong coffee -- I mostly drink cold brew coffee concentrate at a higher concentration rate than most recipes suggest. I've been drinking a lot of coffee for years. I can't stand drinks like Red Bull, 5 hour energy, NOS, Monster, etc., -- many of them make me physically ill. I'm a huge fan of the Starbucks Double Shots in the big can, Mountain Dew Kickstart, and Mountain Dew in general, though. I'm a high octane sort of person and use these to give myself periodic boosts :-).
These Go Cubes are an interesting alternative to drinking my boost. If you don't like coffee, strong coffee flavor, you won't like these, pretty much period. The coffee flavor is extremely strong in these. I love the flavor of a good coffee, so I love these. I have to remember what I'm eating or I could go through 3-4 packs easily, like they were candy. They're a great gummy consistency, not like gummy bears, more like spice drops or fruit slices, and have just the right amount of sugar coating on the outside -- not so much it sticks to your fingers like some cheap gas station fruit slices will, but enough and fine enough to augment the flavor nicely.
The boost from these is different than chugging a Mountain Dew or a Double Shot. For me, it is more subtle and sustained. Some days downing a big can of Mountain Dew Black is like Bane hitting his switch and going from a slightly muscle bound thug to a giant genetically modified monster. I've not experienced this with the Go Cubes. I definitely feel a boost, but it is not a massive spike and then a massive drop a very short time thereafter. There's more of a steep climb and a longer plateau before I start to feel any sort of reduction in my level of intensity. I'm guessing this has to do with the fact it is a solid, so is digested slightly differently than the liquids, and could have to do with the L-theanine, B6, and methylated B12 Nootrobox says are also in the cubes.
While I do love these, there is room for product improvement. Additional flavors would be nice, and I'd strongly suggest lining up some work with a specific coffee vendor like a San Francisco Bay Coffee or another family coffee company to cold brew their specific blend of coffee beans to add additional uniqueness and value, cross-market and open up another distribution model. It is difficult to discern the flavors from one cube to another. There are three flavors (mocha, pure drip and Latte) but they aren't packaged differently or differentiated in the packaging, and for those who don't like a given flavor, that makes it almost impossible to be satisfied with the product. I'd rather see the package either be two cubes, the equivalent of one cup of coffee, or if they are going to keep it at 4 cubes, make each two cubes a separate internal package so that you can maintain freshness of the cubes if you aren't going to eat all 4 at one time. I almost never do eat them all at once and have experienced the second set of cubes drying out rather quickly and losing their freshness. I also think the pricing is a little steep. I might not have bought the box if I hadn't gotten a notice that there was a sale going on. This is definitely not a cheap product, but neither is a good, quality cup of coffee or cans of high-energy soda and other drinks (and no, I do not define Starbucks as a good cup of coffee).
Overall, once I run out I will strongly consider re-purchasing as long as they don't raise the price. If you like to boost your energy levels and don't always have time to make a proper cup of coffee, go with these, you won't regret it. It doesn't replace the joy of actually drinking a steaming hot cup of coffee or a nicely made iced coffee, but if you're looking for that boost, these will get you there.
Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Water, Pectin, Glucuronolactone, Inositol, L-Theanine, Caffeine, Natural and Artificial Flavors (coffee), Niacinamide, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate
