These are not your average Dum Dum pops. McJak Candy company, the same ones who brought to us Javapops have released another winning sensation with Caffienated Sucka – a caffeine filled gourmet lollipop. So what the heck is a gourmet lollipop you ask?
Well it seems that not all lollis are the same. The cheapest way to churn out the candy is to employ a method called “high speed die-stamping”, in which the candy is pulled in a rope and stamped into the lollipop shape. as it turns out this method makes for a less flavorful and rougher lollipop. For an example, try sucking your way through a tootsie roll pop. You can’t.
These Caffeinated suckers are gourmet lollipops, which means that are gravity deposited, producing a lollipop that is smooth, clear, and very very delicious!
Taste:9
One of the most amazing things about these caffeinated pops is there is not even a hint of the amount of caffeine in here. All I tasted with all the flavors is a very delicious lollipop – something friuty and super sweet. The lollipop also lasted a very looong time – and did not crumble or break in the 45 minutes or so it took me to suck the stick clean. That is a super long time compared to the 5 minutes it takes me to work through a Dum Dum, or the 5 seconds it takes me to eat through a blow pop.I liked the fact that the candy was dense enough to really stretch out the yummy flavors.
They have a number of flavors of caffeine pops, from a very strong and flavorful cherry to a berry, strawberry banana and watermelon. My favorite out of these has to be the wild cherry – as this is definitely the strongest and sweetest of the lot – although all of them are about as good as a lollipop can possibly get.
Buzz:7
I think this is about the maximum amount of caffeine you could stick in a candy without compromising flavor. This is a small candy company, so it is not like they have a huge company backing them. That is good for the ingredients list, as it is full of the things you might have in your kitchen. Sugar, Water, Caffeine, food coloring.
As for the 60mg of caffeine in here, it is not like one of these are going to leave you bouncing off the walls. You can definitely feel it though.
Packagiing:7
Like their Java Pops, these suckers are wrapped in a cheap cellophane, so there is no way to save any of this for later without a big sticky mess. The cheap hand drawn fuzzy printed sticker adds to the home grownness of the lollipop – a universe different that Maxxeed Pops by tootsie roll, which came in an energy drink looking cardboard package. They do helpfully list the caffeine content on the pack – as well as their website too.
Website:8 http://www.mcjakcandy.com
Everything about this candy place has that homegrown feel. Even their website fits in with the image that these people are still making ends meet pulling fudge in their living room. This website looks hand coded back in 1999. Using old html tags and no design AT ALL, this thing looks like a relic – lacking any art or layout.
Which works perfectly. If this had a slick website, I would be less inclined to go with their mom-and-pop-operation thang. This has some great info, a good bit on the company, and even a place to order their stuff or get them as fundraisers. Although I am not sure the look is intentional, it works pretty well.