A closer look at the AeroShot

/files/u5804/Aeroshot_front.jpg" width="500" height="373" />

/files/u5804/Aeroshot_unwrapped.jpg" width="373" height="500" />

Talking about caffeine kind of bores me. What I mean is that, while some dark corner of my brain probably recalls that coffee contains caffeine and reflexively craves coffee when I’m dragging in the middle of the afternoon, I’m so into coffee that the taste and smell of coffee as a *beverage* make its medicinal aspects seem irrelevant. Plus, by now it takes way more than one cup of drip for me to feel any real (i.e. non-psychosomatic) effects. However, at the risk of making myself and any of you like-minded coffee enthusiasts yawn, I’d like to talk about the AeroShot for a moment since the free sample I ordered back in November recently arrived (see above). To preview, I’m not wild about it.

What’s an AeroShot? Well, it’s a caffeine inhaler containing 100 mg of caffeine in total (among other things; see below for a list of ingredients), which the instructions tell you should amount to “4-6 puffs.”

/files/u5804/Aeroshot_back.jpg" width="500" height="373" />

Problem #1: A typical cup of coffee contains this much caffeine, if not more (representative source; click the coffee tab). So, only those who are very sensitive to caffeine will get any sort of boost from a “puff.”

Problem #2: Why “4-6 puffs” instead of an exact number? Because the “puffs” aren’t metered at all, as far as I can tell, which brings me to…

Problem #3: The “puffs” aren’t puffs; there’s no propellant. Can you tell I have inhaler experience, by the way? Thanks, asthma! Anyway, you literally have to suck the caffeine out of the AeroShot, and it seems the longer you suck the more you get. In fact, if you open the AeroShot, turn it over, and shake it, all of the powder falls out easily. Check out those yummy caffeine boulders in among the fines. And finally…

/files/u5804/Aeroshot_ready_to_puff.jpg" width="373" height="500" />

/files/u5804/Aeroshot_contents.jpg" width="373" height="500" />

Problem #4: The AeroShot’s aftertaste leaves something to be desired [understatement alert]. What I got from my single “puff” was a mouthful of sweet, limey bitterness that wouldn't go away even after I swished with water and then had a sip of milk. It took lunch to make my tongue forget what had happened to it!

In summary, proceed with caution if you’re curious about breathable caffeine. My wallet and I are grateful to have had the opportunity to “try before you buy” in this case.