Super-caffeinated coffee creating big buzz

February 7, 2008
By CINDY WOJDYLA CAIN, SPecial to the southtownstar

Tom McBride was in for a Shock recently. McBride took the plunge for the first time and added some "hyper-caffeinated" Shock coffee to his regular brew at the Gas City at Laraway Road and U.S. 52. "I can taste the difference," McBride said as he sipped the high-octane fuel on a subzero day. "It's pretty strong. I figured today I'll give it a shot and see what happens." The new beverage is popular with a wide variety of customers, said Gas City manager Colleen Olszewski. Cops, construction workers and truck drivers all want an extra jolt of caffeine in the morning, she said. Midnight shift workers hit the station about 6 p.m. looking for a Shock."It sells real well here," Olszewski said. Shock has 50 percent more caffeine than regular coffee. Frankfort-based Gas City has tested Shock in a handful of its stations in the past few months. The brew has done so well, the company has decided to roll it out to all 40 outlets in the Chicago area.Gas City isn't the only coffee seller rolling out a super-caffeinated coffee:

-Turbo: Dunkin' Donuts lets you add Turbo shots of espresso to any coffee product, hot or cold, to up your caffeine intake.
-Fusion: 7-Eleven has Fusion, an extra-caffeinated coffee mixed with energizing herbs. The convenience store also features something called Stok (pronounced stoke), a sweet "Black Coffee Shot" containing 40 milligrams of caffeine.
-Rev: Thornton's gas stations rolled out Rev, a caffeine-boosted coffee, a few days ago to energize its customers' engines. Ads warn consumers: "This coffee is obscenely caffeinated."
-High Voltage: BP Amoco's AM-PM marts are selling a range of caffeinated coffees that culminate in what they refer to as High Voltage. They also have Boost-A-Shot energy mixes consumers can pump into their coffees, too.
-Shock Wave: Speedway started selling this bodacious brew in a blue pot on Jan. 1. Ads for the coffee urge customers to "Get more kick in your coffee."

"It gets me going in the morning," Joliet Speedway manager Rich Hale said of Shock Wave. "It has a good taste. It's not real strong." Joliet BP Amoco manager Carl Mitchell said he drinks High Voltage every day."And I can still go to sleep at night."Coffee sellers are trying to tap into some of the energy drink market, said Cindy Vasquez, a Gas City area supervisor. The popularity of energy drinks laced with caffeine has other beverage producers hopping on the hopped-up beverage bandwagon."We're trying to attract young people who are looking for something hot that has a bigger caffeine boost," Vasquez said.The theory is, consumers who enjoy a caffeine-laced Red Bull or Monster might want a hot Shock in the morning, she said. The caffeine-laden pop, energy drink and coffee market is exploding right now in popularity, said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest in Bedford Hills, N.Y. Pepsi has Amp, he noted, and Coke has Full Throttle. "They're popular because of the energy boost consumers get," he said. "There's instant gratification." Gas City cashier Stase Elftmann said she sips a Shock around 10 a.m. each day to ward off fatigue. "That will wake you up," she said as she offered a sample to a groggy reporter.Not everyone is opting for a jolt of extra caffeine, however. Retired Will County Sheriff's Deputy Rich Walden stopped at the Laraway Road Gas City recently for a regular cup of coffee. He took a pass on Shock. With high blood pressure and a 10- 12-cup-a-day coffee habit, Walden said he plans to avoid super-caffeinated beverages for a very good reason. "My doctor told me not to (drink them)."But more and more people are reaching for the juiced java. "Everybody wants something that has caffeine or something that gives them energy," said Beth Lockhart, who manages a 7-Eleven in Shorewood. Uber caffeine cravings can mean only one thing, said Joliet Thornton's manager Judy Griffin. "Everybody is tired."

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