Jelly Belly
Extreme Sport Beans
jellybelly.com
I felt pretty special when a package containing jelly beans personally addressed to me arrived at the SLUG office. Did I have a secret admirer? Had my mom sent me a well-meaning but ultimately embarrassing Valentine’s Day present? No—these were Jelly Belly Extreme Sport Beans, which promise “quick energy for sports performance”—their marketing person probably saw a picture of me online and thought, “He looks like he enjoys ingesting jelly beans and will believe anything.” One day while riding Trax, I realized I was going to miss my bus, and was supposed to meet a friend at a specified time, so I was gonna have to walk a sizable distance in a short amount of time. Luckily, I remembered I had the Extreme Sport Beans in my bag, and quickly scarfed down a pack, roughly 30 minutes before activity, as suggested. I didn’t really feel any more energized while powerwalking down 2100 South, so I busted out another pack to replenish my energy (once again, as suggested) and rewarded myself at each stoplight with two or three jelly beans. By the time I got to 500 East, I was full of about 30 jelly beans, and did not feel energized in any way, so I threw the beans away. I don’t think I would use these again, as they had no real effect on me. Also, they tasted like Flintstones vitamins, and not in a good way. I’ll stick to Mountain Dew and non-gross jelly beans, thank you. –Ricky Vigil

Mirza Minds
1:Face Watch
1facewatch.com
Mirza Minds released the 1: Face Watch line this past April. These watches are truly unique with a mirrored face that hides the L.E.D. time display until you push one of the stainless steel side buttons. They come in six colors—each color denotes a different charity that portions of the proceeds are donated to. For example: with every five red watches sold, enough money is raised to provide one month worth of life saving care and medication for a child living with HIV/AIDS; every white 1:Face watch ordered feeds 16 destitute children around the globe and so on. You can order a watch directly from their website, or for you mall goers, they can be found at your local Journeys outlet store. The reasonable price tag on the 1:Face Watch brand is only $40, making it an affordable addition to your timepiece collection. Mirza put a great deal of thought into the construction of these tickers. An alloy frame provides a solid foundation, the bands are made of a durable polycarbonate silicone, tempered mirrored glass limits any cracks in the face. I like the idea of the watches and the campaign, but I did not enjoy wearing the watch. It felt cumbersome and was far too “loud” for my personal style. When it comes to supporting a charity, I prefer every last penny of what I donate to go directly to the cause, but if you need a fresh timepiece for the summer and a warm feeling deep in your cockles, pick one of these guys up. –Eric Granato

NOW Trail Bars
Trail Bars and A3 Action Snax
nowtrailbar.com
We’ve had some misconceptual debates regarding the definition of the word “granola” recently. NOW Trail Bars, however, have managed to deliver countless gluten-free snacks that any health-oriented adventurer can appreciate. Starting with NOW’s traditional bars, the usual cranberries, coconut, almonds, cashews, etc. are easy flavors to pick out. The twists come with the addition of chia seeds in the dry ingredients and manuka honey in the glue. Turns out that the seeds in your chia pet are also really, really good for you. Manuka honey is also known for minimizing healing time and providing energy. My favorite part of this product line are the A3 Action Snax. Imagine the exact replica of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, only in the form of delicious little health squares. They have a take on Rice Crispy Treats, too. The granola bars themselves came off as a little too bird-food-tasting for my liking. Nonetheless, NOW Trail Bars will be an excellent pick-me-up for anyone looking for that quick fix. –Tim Kronenberg