Perky Jerky: Sweet & Spicy

Today, I am reviewing one of the new flavors of Perky Jerky - Sweet & Spicy. It comes in both the Beef and Turkey varieties. This is the first review I've written in almost two years. I took some time to focus on getting a job, and now that I've had one for a little over a year now I haven't had much time to do reviews. I am trying to get back to doing some more reviews on new products I find. Forgive me for being out of the blogosphere for a while. Back to the more important stuff - The review of Perky Jerky Sweet & Spicy!

Package

Both packages are an almost metallic, shiny deep-orange on the borders. The logo colors for Beef and Turkey are consistent with the brand colors. Can I just say I really like their depictions of the animals the meat comes from on the labels? I like the glowing minimalist outlines. It's just cool. On the bottom left corner you'll see a little circle indicating that it's been inspected (and passed) by the Dept. of Agriculture. On the back  you'll find the usual Nutrition Facts and Ingredients section, and a little notation to indicate for allergies that it contains soy. You'll also find the description of the flavor. My favorite part about it is the tagline at the bottom that says: "If you are holding this, you are one of the lucky ones." It just makes you feel good.

Taste

The flavor, for both the Beef Perky Jerky Sweet & Spicy and the Turkey Perky Jerky Sweet & Spicy, starts out sweet, then becomes a little bit warmer the longer you chew it. The meat is marinates in a jalapeno mixture overnight, which is where some of the heat comes in. The rest, it seems, comes from the cracked black peppercorns. While I'm not a fan of the peppercorns, I can tolerate it because it's Perky Jerky, and I really enjoy Perky Jerky! I just don't like black pepper in any shape or form. I couldn't really taste the jalapeno flavor, but I could definitely feel the jalapeno heat. To me, different hot things produce different heat when eaten. I'm a little sensitive to hot flavors, but this wasn't enough to make me not want to eat it. It was just the right amount of heat that it enhanced the flavors, instead of overwhelming them.

In specifics, I could not really tell that I was eating turkey with the Turkey Perky Jerky (I'm just going to keep writing that out, so you have to keep reading the rhyming awesomeness). Yes, the texture was a little different than the Beef Perky Jerky. The Turkey Perky Jerky was not quite as soft, and was more chewy, or jerk-ey than the Beef Perky Jerky, which wasn't a bad thing. It was just a difference in how the meats dry. The flavor is just as delicious as the Beef Perky Jerky. The Beef Perky Jerky seems to need a little less oomph to bite off a piece, but still just as chewy as you would want jerky to be. In terms of texture and chewy-ness they're both exactly what you would want in a jerky.

Energy

I am definitely more perky after eating Perky Jerky! Although I can't sit and consume a whole bag of it at once, as is the serving suggestion. However, one bite in the evening kept me awake until almost 1am. If you did eat one bag at a time, it would definitely give you the energy that you need to do whatever. 

Ingredients

This is something I've talked about in a separate section before. However I did want to go over some of the ingredients they have, and some they don't, in Perky Jerky.

Perky Jerky does not contain Gluten, Preservatives, Nitrates, or any extra MSG outside of what is in the soy sauce. To me, this makes it superior to all the other jerky brands out there that include those things just to make a fast buck because it's cheaper to add ingredients than to work on a quality product that doesn't have them.

One thing it does have, that I've already stated that I'm not a huge fan of, but can overlook, is black pepper. I suppose it might be integral to the flavor of Perky Jerky. However, I could do without it, or at least in smaller doses. Personally, I dislike biting down on a black peppercorn and having my mouth flooded with the flavor and heat. I tried to pick the cracked peppercorns off the outside of the jerky before I would eat it. However, I also know people who enjoy black peppercorn, and would probably love having the little bits of pepper clinging to their jerky.

Overall Impression

Perky Jerky, in general, is one of the best jerky's on the market. Their flavors are solid, they perform well energy-wise. As far as I know, they're the only energy jerky out there (maybe I haven't Googled enough to know otherwise?). So they have their corner of the jerky market, and I think that corner is getting larger every day. Jerk Man obviously helps with the brand awareness giving jerky to people in select cities they go to. Perky Jerky is just plain good. The fact they also donate some of their proceeds to support Muscular Dystrophy and Down Syndrome Research is also cool. Back to my point: Sweet & Spicy is a great flavor that provides solid energy. Another WIN for Perky Jerky!

Find them on the Online

Website: http://www.perkyjerky.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/perkyjerky

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perkyjerky

Perky Jerky

Beef Jerky. Caffeine. Together? What could be better?

Packaging:

The metallic looking pouches that it is in is actually larger than I thought one ounce of beef would be in. I assumed it was some small pouch that would barely allow me to taste it, much less get any energy out of it. But for the weight there is actually a lot of meat there. All that to say the pouch was larger than I originally expected. It's about 5" x 7" with the Perky Jerky logo, which looks like the horns of a bull on the front. Under the logo is the description of Invigorating Beef Jerky, and the words below the dark portion of the logo inform us that it is Flavored With Guarana, with a small USDA logo below that in the left hand corner. On the back we have the descriptions from the front of the package repeated, followed by GRAB A JERK AND GO! with the website listed below that. The Nutrition Facts are to the right of that.

Taste:

The taste of Perky Jerky is similar to that of Teriyaki, but with no ginger, and with crushed black peppercorns. It has a sweet and spicy flavor to it because of the brown sugar and pepper. Although it contains soy sauce and one package has 530mg of sodium (22% DV) it doesn't taste too salty. If you don't like sweet beef jerky this isn't for you. But if you do, then you will enjoy the flavor of this. The beef used is also very good quality. It is whole slices, not ground and pressed together. The chewyness of it is excellent and texture as well, what I would expect out of something like Jack Links or some other top quality brand of jerky.

Energy:

For me guarana has never been a source of intense energy. It is usually more of a mild energy that gets me going on a more gradual but noticeable level. I was munching on this while riding down to Nashville in the early morning with my sister. It definitely helped get me alert and awake so I could enjoy the view. I didn't eat the whole package at once. For me jerky is something to be enjoyed slowly and casually, not like an energy drink where you just gulp it down and go. But with the guarana and the action of simply chewing the meat I would say that this got me fairly alert for a good while. On the first bite I could tell it was already giving me some energy.

Overall Impression:

I really enjoy Perky Jerky. The taste alone sold me, with the energy being a plus. The quality is excellent, and the packaging attractive. I'm going to have to give this a 10/10.

Find Them On The Web:

www.perkyjerky.com

@perkyjerky

http://www.facebook.com/perkyjerky

X35 Body Fuel

I don't think I have reviewed a foreign energy drink yet on here. This one hails from the UAE, or United Arab Emirates. It is X35 Body Fuel.

Packaging:
X35 Body Fuel comes in a can similar in shape and size to the Red Bull can. The logo is vertical to the can. Around the top of the can it states that the drink is Taurine free, and that it has "Extracts of Black Seed" which is a common healing remedy in the Middle East. The ingredient list on the back is very detailed, including how much of certain ingredients like caffeine, ginseng, and black seed are included. The ingredients and nutrition facts are in English, as well as French. The beverage is also certified Halal, and Vegan.

Taste:
At first it tastes a little like Red Bull, that citrus berry combination. It finishes slightly sweet tasting, but less intense as Red Bull. It has a very smooth flavor. There is no tart bite to it, just a silky tang. It has Black Seed in it, which according to the Wikipedia article on it is supposed to be bitter. This drink is just the opposite. There is no doubting this is an energy drink, from the smell as you open the can, to the first taste, it has the same characteristics of most other energy drinks, except it is much smoother and easier to drink.

Energy:
I definitely felt more alert after a few swigs of this. This was surprising since the can claims a "high caffeine content" of 30 mg per 100 ml. The can holds 250 ml (just under 8.5 oz) so it only has 75 mg of caffeine per can, which is 5 mg shy of what Red Bull has. So the immediate boost of energy is impressive.

Overall Impression:
I really enjoyed this drink. The energy was fast and fairly long lasting. The taste is actually better than that of Red Bull so it is easier to drink. I am not sure how available they are in the US, but they have contact information on their website where you can request location info.

Find Them on the Web:
http://www.x35energy.com/

CaffeMallows

Caffeinated marshmallows? Oh, yeah!!!!

Packaging
The CaffeMallows are packaged in sets of 3 or 4. The three I am reviewing come in a rectangle plastic box, frosted on the sides and clear on the top and bottom. It gives it quite a nice minimalist look. Each mallow is individually wrapped and labelled inside. The labels are in red/orange tones, the Mocha label being the darkest and the coffee label the lightest. Each label sports the name of the mallow and a lip print logo, as if the packages have been kissed.

Taste
Java: Java Mallows have a great strong coffee flavor, like a double shot espresso (because that's what it has in it!). There is a strong cinnamon and vanilla and caramel combination in the flavor as well, which I really enjoyed. It is sweet, but not syrupy sweet. It has a really good texture, kind of dense, more so than a normal jet puffed marshmallow. I think this gives it a unique quality that you don't get in every day marshmallows.

Coffee: The Coffee Mallow is quite a bit more subtle in flavor than the Java Mallow. It is "Double Coffee". It almost tastes like a normal coffee with creme and sugar. The vanilla, cinnamon, caramel flavor is not as strong in this one as in the Java Mallow. However it is still quite delicious.

Mocha:The Mocha Mallow has a good coffee flavor as well as a rich chocolate flavor. It also adds a different twist to the texture with little bits of chocolate in it as well, or cocoa nibs as in the ingredients.

Energy
Right away I can tell my energy is up quite a bit and I'm feeling more awake after eating one of these. Although I like to cut them into thirds, that way I can have a bit of each one instead of having to wait until I eat another flavor! Each mallow contains 200 mg of caffeine, except the Java Mallow, which contains 280 mg of caffeine. That's a real boost! They really work fast too. The energy keeps me going for about 4 hours or so.

Overall Impression
I really enjoyed CaffeMallows. They have a rich flavor that makes getting caffeinated far more enjoyable than some energy drinks make it! And the energy is fast and long lasting.

Find Them on the Web

http://www.caffex.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/CaffeMallows-Coffee-Marshmallows/128171127250602

http://twitter.com/#!/coffeemallows

I know I haven't updated in a really long time...

I thought I was back at doing this blog once. But this time I really should finish out all the reviews I had promised to do. Next week I will start cranking out my previous reviews just to get "caught up". I don't know if I will continue the review blog after that or not. Depends on if anyone is interested in what I have to say. I know I haven't been a very good reviewer since I've been on a very long hiatus the last few months.

Back At It

I'm sure people have noticed that I haven't been posting for a while. I have been working on getting work. I was just accepted for a temporary position at a company. It will be about two months of work, which is excellent. And I feel like I can now try and get back on track with my blog here and getting reviews out. Sorry it's been so quiet here lately because of all that, but mostly I was just too stressed to write anything. I look forward to continuing this blog, hopefully at a more even keel than what it has been. I hope I still have some readers out there interested in what I have to say. I will be getting all my backlogged product reviews out in the coming days. I know they're about three months late, and I appreciate all patience granted me during these last few months.

Plow On Gum

Packaging:
American Version: The package is red with the Plow On logo across it, and various black and white wording.


Russian Version: This package is the same design with the Plow On logo on the front, and almost everything else written on the package is in Russian.

Taste:
American Version: It is Spearmint. It actually reminds me of the taste of Certs or maybe the Wrigley's Spearmint gum. Fairly long lasting flavor.

Russian Version: Tastes sweeter than the American version, and not quite as Spearmint-y. I can't really place the flavor specifically. It is still a good flavor, just vaguely different in some way.


My only problem with both the version of this gum is that the pieces of gum are super hard until you really bite into them to chew them up. I tried cutting a couple pieces in half while trying to sample each, but didn't want the caffeine of each combined in one sitting. I scraped off a bit of the hardened outside, but was unable to cut or bite through it. I can chew it OK but just getting it started is kind of difficult.

Energy:
I got a good instant boost of energy out of this that lasted between 2 to 4 hours from both versions of the gum. I didn't chew the gum that long though. But the energy from it lasted a good while. The energy ingredients include Caffeine - 100 mg, Taurine - 10 mg, Green Tea Extract - 5 mg, and Ginseng - 5 mg. That's a good straightforward energy blend.

Overall Impression:
I really liked Plow On, aside from the initial chewing up the gum to mix the hard outside with the softer inside. The flavor is good as well as the energy. With 5 pieces to a pack, and the equivalent of an energy drink in one piece of gum it is better economy than the gum brands that need two pieces to equal one energy drink. I'm going to give this an 8 just because of the sheer size of the gum, but the flavor and energy are good.

Find Them on the Web:
 http://www.plowongum.com/
Facebook
@plowon